The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Monday, June 3, 2013

Now There is Light!

Our part of St. Louis lost power on Friday evening, a little before nine. Tonight (Monday), a few minutes after nine, we regained power. Many people had a great deal of property damage; thankfully, I don't think a life was lost because of these tornadoes that dropped in for a visit. I figure, houses and cars can be replaced; loved ones can't.
 
On Thursday I went to see Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns and now his most recent novel, And the Mountains Echoed.  His second book, Suns, is one of my all-time favorite books.
 
 
This is Khaled Hosseini signing his book.


This is the cover of his newest novel. Before the story begins, Hosseini includes a 13th century
quote from Jelaluddin Rumi. It could have been written yesterday. It is, "Out beyond ideas of
wrongdoing and rightdoing,there is a field. I'll meet you there." Brilliant! 

     He gave the audience some helpful hints. If you want to be a three-time best-selling author like he is, do this:

  • become a political refugee
  • come to a country where you don't know anyone
  • learn a foreign language
  • get into a profession (like medicine) that takes 10 years of school (Hosseini is a doctor and has lived in the U.S. since 1980) and then work on writing a book
     When asked what his writing day was like, he offered this golden nugget:

"I take my kids to school, I sit at my computer and hope something happens." (That's what all writers do...we hope something magical happens...)

       The woman who interviewed him asked a few silly questions. One of them was, "Why don't your stories have happy endings?" He responded as kindly as he could. (This ain't a Disney movie. These are stories about real life.)

      I finished the book this morning. (I read it by flashlight for the past couple of nights.) It did not disappoint...

8 comments:

  1. I've heard that his new book is fabulous, but I haven't read it yet!

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  2. Mama Zen--It has many different story lines, which all converge at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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  3. I think he left out one of his hints: be a handsome man with a pleasant smile.

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  4. Love that Rumi quote -- a mantra for those of us who are opposed to judgmentalism. (And now the computer is judging me -- with a red underscore -- for typing that word... I think I'll head to the field!!!)

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  5. That's dedication, reading by flashlight. (Gosh, yes. He's mighty fine to look at. Mighty fine.)

    P.S. I haven't even gotten around to Lynn's award yet!!!

    P.P.S. Poor Foley! (But the Cone of Shame made me laugh--sorry, Foley. Blame the crazy woman you live with--) :-)

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    Replies
    1. Cathy--Hey, I had no choice. A compelling novel + no power = reading by flashlight.

      Foley is happier now. Tell Lisa we got him a BooBooLoon, and now he can hear and see while his paw is healing.

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