My book 'Ali Pasha' tells the true story of a young sailor Henry Friston, who, in the hell-fire of battle, forms an unusual friendship.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
The book which you read from a sense of duty, or because for any reason you must, does not commonly make friends with you.
A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever.
He was an Italian kid traveling in China, and I'm of Italian decent with a fascination for China. So, I always felt this connection to him and lived vicariously through the travels of Marco Polo.
At a young age, when I was fascinated with China, I read 'The Travels of Marco Polo' and learned about this exciting, dramatic world he captured and reported on. He's so little known, but yet this mythology has survived that's so misrepresentative of his story.
In one book, CACHALOT, just for my own amusement, every character is based directly on someone I have known.
I grew up with a fascination with Marco Polo. I had this unlikely interest in the East as a young man, and you can't really read about Chinese history and philosophy without encountering him at every turn.
It's nice when critics say 'Emperor of the Air' is an important book of stories.
Ali and I have become friends over the years. I was on a plane with him one time when he was the champion.
The O. Henry has become lingua franca among writers for saying, 'That guy can write a story.' It's prestigious, respected, coveted, dreamed about. It's very satisfying to be included in this group of writers. Here's a koan: Could O. Henry win an O. Henry?
If you have a book, you have a friend.