David Vann: 'In every book again, I give up my sense of shame'

In the flat where he is temporarily staying, David Vann (1966) hangs out on the sofa a bit, tired from busyness and late nights as a result of phone calls to the other side of the world. Not too long ago, Vann's marriage stranded, not without a fight, and the legal settlement is still ongoing. He sighs: 'It was the worst year of my life.'

From the mouth of David Vann, that's saying something. Five suicides and one murder counts his family history, and he...