BTW: In the course of this interview and others, you have mentioned several major sources of inspiration. Understandably, you mention big-name writers such as Jorge Luis Borges, Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Marquez, and Franz Kafka. You also talk about visual artist Joseph Cornell. But your most surprising muse is the one you term the most significant -- your mother’s handmade party invitations.JSF: My mother made the most elaborate fantastic party invitations when I was a kid. People say that they’ve kept them over the years. They had such an impact on me because I grew up in an environment where value was placed on things that have no real value. She taught me to do something for its own sake. That’s what art is. I see a book as a great big invitation -- not to a party but to a dialogue.
Not that this tells us anything really new, but I thought it was cool that we picked that out. (And that he was influenced by party invitations explains a lot about his artistic side, don't you think?)
I love this! There are SO many connections to Marquez and 100 Years of Solitude, especially with the story of Brod (and Yankel and the Kolker). As I read more about the Gypsy girl and her relationship with Safran. In 100 Years of Solitude, Gypsies often come to the town. One of the main characters falls in love with her and leaves. I loved to see all of the parallels and am glad Sarah noticed them too! At first, I thought that they were connections to Borges, but then I realized I was thinking of Marquez. I always love seeing how these novels and other novels I've read are related to each other. I hope there are more Marquez allusions in our future readings!
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