Assistant Professor of English Stephan Eirik Clark spoke with MinnPost about his debut novel, Sweetness #9. In the interview, Clark told reporter Amy Goetzman that his book was 13 years in the making. He addressed the surreal experience of being given a “Colbert Bump” from television’s Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report, how truth is stranger than fiction, and provided insight into his view of the world. Clark also said that while some reviews and critics have labeled his novel “satire,” he thinks of it as an absurdist work. “It’s real and it’s absurd, and that’s pretty much how I see our world,” Clark told Goetzman. Read “Augsburg author find sweetness in light of Colbert Bump.”
NPR’s Fresh Air interviews Stephan Eirik Clark
Stephan Eirik Clark spoke with Terry Gross of NPR’s Fresh Air. In the extended interview, Clark, who is an assistant professor of English and advisor in the Master of Fine Arts program, talked about the inspiration for his debut novel, Sweetness #9. Clark spoke about his main character, David Leveraux; his goal of writing a family drama; the challenge of writing conversation for a character who refused to use verbs when speaking; and more. Listen to ” ‘Sweetness #9’ satirizes food wars and artificial America.”
‘Sweetness #9’ garners attention of The Huffington Post, USA Today
“Sweetness #9,” the debut novel by Stephan Eirik Clark, Augsburg College assistant professor, continues to gain attention in advance of its August 19 release. The Huffington Post featured the novel in its weekly book review section, What We’re Talking About.
USA Today also published an overview of the book that included comments from Clark. He describes the inspiration behind “Sweetness #9” and the book’s mention on The Colbert Report — a television show that catalyzed the novel’s rapid rise on bestseller lists. Read, “The Book We’re Talking About: ‘Sweetness #9’ By Stephan Eirik Clark” on The Huffington Post and “New Voices: Stephan Eirik Clark and ‘Sweetness #9’” on USA Today.
‘Colbert Bump’ creates media frenzy for Stephan Eirik Clark
Augsburg Assistant Professor Stephan Eirik Clark has faced a slew of media since his debut novel, Sweetness #9, received the “Colbert Bump” on The Colbert Report. Edan Lepucki, also a debut novelist, mentioned Clark’s book during her interview by Stephen Colbert on his television show. The “Colbert Bump” is part of Colbert’s effort to raise awareness of and interest in new novels as part of Colbert’s frustration with Amazon. Since receiving the bump, Clark has garnered significant media attention for his reaction to garnering the bump and Clark also has been referenced in many other articles about the episode. In many instances, Augsburg College also has been mentioned since Clark is a faculty member for the Master of Fine Arts program. A small sampling of the coverage includes:
- MinnPost.com – “The Colbert Bump” goes local
- The New York Times – Giving Another Debut Author the Colbert Bump
- Paste Magazine – Debut Author’s Novel Skyrockets to Bestseller…With Stephen Colbert’s Help
- Salon.com – “It was an out-of-body experience’: Stephan Eirik Clark on his novel getting the “Colbert Bump“
- Star Tribune
- St. Paul author Stephan Eirik Clark gets ‘Colbert bump’ for new novel
- Sweet, indeed. Stephan Eirik Clark’s ‘Sweetness #9’ gets a boost from ‘Colbert Bump’
- USA Today – Book Buzz: Colbert gives another Hachette author a lift
Stephan Eirik Clark gets ‘Colbert Bump’ on The Colbert Report
Augsburg Assistant Professor Stephan Eirik Clark’s book Sweetness #9 was mentioned on The Colbert Report as a debut novel that must be read. Stephen Colbert recently began a campaign to raise awareness of works by first-time novelists and that are published by independent booksellers. Clark’s book was singled out by author Edan Lepucki who was a guest on Colbert’s show. Clark teaches in Augsburg’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts program. Watch this segment of The Colbert Report to see Clark’s novel mentioned.