Veronica Roth: A YA novelist actually under 30

Veronica Roth, author of the book "Divergent."
Veronica Roth, author of the book "Divergent." Annie I. Bang /Invision/AP photo


In 2011, writer Veronica Roth was just 22 years old when her book hit shelves. Based on a future dystopian society where people are segregated by their values, her debut landed on the New York Times children's best-seller list, where it remained for 11 weeks. She followed it up with the sequel "Insurgent" and completed her trilogy with "Allegiant." Her books have sold more than 11 million copies.

Summit Entertainment, the same studio behind the "Twilight" franchise, acquired the film rights before the first copy of "Divergent" was sold. "It's been surreal," Roth said during a recent interview. "When I found out Summit wanted to make a movie, I was like, 'They want to do what?' I was really nervous, but I was relieved when it started doing well. That they were interested was really encouraging."

During a recent interview, Roth talked about letting the studio take her book and run with it, the inevitable comparisons with "The Hunger Games" and how she's grown as a writer:

AP: The first time you saw the film adaptation of "Divergent," did it look the way you'd envisioned it?


AP: Your stories have been compared to writer Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" series. Both focus on heroines in dystopian societies. Feel any pressure to match the box-office numbers of those adaptations?

Roth: I think it's a double-edged sword. I try not to think about it, but I don't succeed most of the time. "The Hunger Games" did something remarkable. So in that sense, it's a flattering comparison. But you can't hope to replicate that experience. It was unique.



AP: What was the inspiration for the story?


AP: Writer Stephenie Meyer was 31 when her first book from the "Twilight" collection came out. Suzanne Collins was 46 when the first novel from her "The Hunger Games" trilogy released. How does it feel to be a young adult generating young adult material?


AP: How have you grown as a writer?


AP: Have you finished your next book?

Roth: I wrote a collection of short stories that's coming out in July. (The collection is told from Four's perspective.) It's kind of a prequel to "Divergent." I'm just finishing them now.

Hide Comments


Loading comments...
Hide Comments