Q&A with Jill Elaine Hasday

 

Photo courtesy of University of Minnesota Law School

 

 

Jill Elaine Hasday is the author of the new book We the Men: How Forgetting Women's Struggles for Equality Perpetuates Inequality. Her other books include Intimate Lies and the Law. She is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and the Centennial Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School.

 

Q: What inspired you to write We the Men?

 

A: I first began thinking about some of the ideas in the book when I was in law school. So many of the stories I heard in class treated men’s lives as the ordinary baseline and women’s lives as exceptions to either skip over or mention as footnotes.

 

I thought: women are not an exception. We are half the population. Our experiences within and outside of the law are just as important as men’s experiences.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The United States Constitution purports to speak for “We the People.” I wrote this book because too many of the stories that powerful Americans tell about law and society include only We the Men.

 

Q: The law professor Naomi Cahn said of the book, “We the Men is a thoroughly engaging read that offers a rich history of women’s ongoing struggles for equality. Hasday’s compelling book provides a new understanding of women’s halting progress and a roadmap for a more promising, and egalitarian, future.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I appreciate Professor Cahn’s kind words!

Q: Given the current political situation, what do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: Women’s rights and opportunities have unquestionably expanded over the past century. But progress has not been nearly fast or far-reaching enough—largely because of fierce opposition to changing women’s rights and roles. Sometimes courts, legislatures, or presidents have even dragged women backward, reversing earlier victories.

 

We the Men outlines an unfinished reform agenda that spans teaching, commemoration, political representation, legislation, litigation, and everyday life. The long history of women’s struggles for equality makes clear that progress on this agenda is unlikely to be quick, easy, or achieved by anyone acting alone. Generations of women have learned that lesson and persisted nonetheless.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am starting a new book project. Stay tuned.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I would like to share a favorite story from the book. Anne Davidow was a trailblazing attorney in Detroit. She represented four women who sued to block a 1945 Michigan law that prohibited women from bartending in cities with 50,000 or more people, unless the woman was “the wife or daughter of the male owner” of the bar.

 

The Michigan statute was part of a wave of anti-barmaid legislation that the male-only bartenders’ union helped push through statehouses after Prohibition ended.

 

Challenging the constitutionality of Michigan’s law was an uphill battle. Generations of judges had upheld many other restrictions on women’s work. But Davidow was undaunted and appealed Goesaert v. Cleary (1948) all the way to the Supreme Court. She later reported that Justice Felix Frankfurter heckled her from the bench while informing her that “the days of chivalry aren’t over.”

 

Presumably, Frankfurter either failed to recognize the irony or felt that Davidow’s effrontery in bringing this suit excused him from any obligation to act like a gentleman. Frankfurter wrote an opinion for the Court that dismissed Davidow’s arguments in less than three pages. Eventually, though, she had the last laugh. The Court overruled Frankfurter’s opinion in 1976.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Jill Elaine Hasday.

Q&A with Marianne Richmond

 

Photo by Shoott Photography

 

 

Marianne Richmond is the author of the new memoir If You Were My Daughter: A Memoir of Healing an Unmothered Heart. Her many other books include the picture book The World Is Awaiting You. She lives near Nashville, Tennessee.

 

Q: Why did you decide to write this memoir, and how was the book’s title chosen?

 

A: Writing a memoir has been a long-held dream of mine, not as much for catharsis, but rather for the satisfying creative challenge of telling this story. I am at a place where I can view it with emotional distance and clarity.

 

For a long time, I didn't know the ending of the story arc until I did. That was my sign to complete the manuscript.

 

The title emerged from the words a neurosurgeon said to me as I was wrangling with the decision of who would do my brain surgery. "If you were my daughter," said Dr. Spencer. "This is what I would do." It was a guy from my writing group who, after I read that chapter aloud, said, "That's your title!" 

 

Q: How would you describe the relationship between you and your mother?

 

A: A couple words come to mind: emotionally distant and transactional. My mom was friendly with me and to those in her community and neighborhood. She liked to laugh, and she kept in touch with old friends through letters.

 

I chose the subtitle of my book carefully — unmothered heart — because I was mothered in a sense of having my food, shelter and clothing provided. There was, however, little mother/daughter emotional intimacy in a way that landed with me feeling seen and heard. Unrequited connection also feels apt. I felt lonely in her presence.

 

Q: The author Kelly McDaniel said of the book, “Richmond pulls us into her courageous, tender heart while bringing us closer to our own.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I'm encouraged by this sentiment as my hope in writing this story was to come alongside readers in a way that feels supportive, affirming, and invites introspection of our own possibilities for growth and healing. 

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write the book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: It's given me low-level anxiety for months! ha! This is my most vulnerable storytelling to date; I share all of it with readers and I hope they take away a sense of feeling seen in their own family, maternal, and/or relational challenges.

 

I hope they also feel invited to a possible shift in perspective about the generational trauma and legacies we inherit. Perhaps like me, they've allowed their own sense of worth to be erroneously tied to circumstances beyond their control.

 

A narrative therapeutic lens offers this view: "The person isn't the problem, the problem is the problem." This has helped me trade condemnation for more compassion toward my upbringing, and perhaps readers will find this, too. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am working on releasing this story into the world knowing I can't control how it's accepted, liked or disliked, and/or reviewed! Sounds like a metaphor for living, no?

 

As for other projects, my mind is focused on this launch and now I may build around its message whether through workshops and/or retreats. I have a creative writing journal coming out this fall as well as more children's books in 2025. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: What I want you to know is how much I value anyone taking the time to read and/or review my memoir. I've long said I'm honored when my stories become a part of yours. It's the ultimate gift to a writer. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Tom Adams and Joy Jones

 

Tom Adams

 

 

Tom Adams and Joy Jones are the authors of the new biography A Marriage That Changed the World: Lois and Bill Wilson and the Addiction Recovery Movement. Adams has also written the book The Nonprofit Leadership Transition and Development Guide. Jones's other books include the children's picture book The Sky Is Not Blue.

 

Q: What inspired you to write a biography of Lois and Bill Wilson, and how would you describe their legacy today?

 

Joy: Tom told me he had the idea of writing not just about Bill Wilson but about Bill and his wife, Lois, and how their synergy and support was the basis for the 12 Step Movement. What a fantastic idea! I told him.

 

I only meant to be his cheerleader, but somehow he talked me into collaborating on the actual project.

 

Tom: I have personally benefited from the healing power of several Twelve Step programs. I have grown spiritually and emotionally and am a better husband, father, grandfather, and friend because of active participation in the Twelve Step movement Lois and Bill pioneered.

 

I am appalled by the growing number of people of all ages whose lives are harmed and even destroyed by addictions’ tentacles. I know recovery is possible for many more people.

 

By recounting the story of Lois and Bill Wilson, my aim is to bring helpful information, hope, and the possibility of recovery to more people and to broaden acceptance and action to address our societal denial about our addiction pandemic. 

Joy Jones

Q: The writer Christie Tate said of the book, “Adams and Jones have brought Lois Wilson out of the shadow of her larger-than-life husband and let her words and incredible life works stand next to his.” What do you think of that description, and how would you describe the dynamic between the two of them?

 

Tom: For a number of reasons, the founding story of Alcoholics Anonymous centers on Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith. It was Bill’s meeting with Dr. Bob and their work together in Akron that resulted in the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.

 

That is indeed a life-changing event. However, it was possible because of the love and support of Lois Wilson and Anne Smith, their respective wives. Lois, Anne and other spouses provided more than love and support. Their ideas shaped the spirituality that became the Twelve Steps.

 

Their awareness that alcoholism was a family disease and they head to personally change by embracing the same Twelve Steps changed the path of addiction recovery forever.

 

Lois and Bill’s marriage is best characterized by the words they embraced: love and service. They were ordinary humans who quite humbly admitted their imperfections and saw themselves as channels or instruments of a Higher Power or God. They loved each other for over 50 years and shared a rich life of service, travel and a constant desire to learn, grow and help others.

 

Q: How did you collaborate on this project? What was your writing process like? 

 

Joy: I regard writing as a solo act. However, obviously when you have a partner, you have to orient yourself in a different way. Since The Marriage That Changed The World was Tom’s baby, I saw myself as a guide on the side while he was the sage on the stage. I tried to stay out of the way and let him tell the story he needed to tell.

 

Tom: Joy encouraged me to write this book. We were part of a writers’ group and every time the idea came up she said what a great idea it was. She reluctantly agreed to be a co-author when I suggested it would be a better book if we worked together on it. (And it is because she said yes!)

 

I took the lead on the research and first drafts. Joy selected particular topics related to Lois and her marriage and researched and wrote on those. We intentionally wanted the book to be a good read with emotion, not a dry biography or history book. Joy is a terrific storyteller and communicator.

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you? 

 

Joy: Before I studied Bill and Lois Wilson, I regarded them as paragons of faith and wisdom. Yes, they possessed great faith and much wisdom, but they displayed all the character defects, bad luck, and stupid choices that afflict every one of us.

 

The sad truth is that even if God singles you out to do great things, you still have to stumble, be humble, and suffer before you succeed.

 

Tom: I was amazed at how much incorrect information and impressions there are of both Lois and Bill and how unknown and underappreciated Lois is.

 

It was eye-opening to be working in the archives at Stepping Stones or A.A. General Services office and come across a diary entry from Lois or a letter from or to Lois or Bill, that would add another dimension to better understanding them. It was like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Each piece helped make the big picture clearer.

 

While we certainly don’t have the whole picture, and more will be learned over time, I do believe we have advanced understanding and appreciation for this complex, amazing couple. 

 

Q: What are you working on now? 

 

Joy: I have a novel for young people, Walking The Boomerang, that I’m hopeful about bringing to shelves soon. It tells the story of a young man who learns that the simple practice of walking can transform your life.

 

Right now, I‘m excited about my picture book about creativity, The Sky Is Not Blue, that’s out now.

 

Tom: Great question. I’ve learned to make space for my Higher Power I call Big Spirit to shape my intuitions. So I imagine talking about this book will shape what I write next. Possibilities include returning to some children's books I worked on, learning more about addictions' impact on families, and writing about the “family disease” and family recovery. 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

Joy: This book is for anyone who enjoys biography or history, who is curious about the backstory to one of the 20th century’s major social movements, or who wants to affirm their personal journey of recovery.

 

Tom: Many years ago, I decided on a personal mission statement for my life - “to expand safe places for people to grow.”

 

Ultimately, we all want to love and be loved. Addictions, childhood experiences, and many other factors influence our belief that we are loved and able to love.

 

This book has been an opportunity for me to learn and grow in my capacity to receive and give love. I hope it offers the same gift to readers whether facing addictions or not. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Joy Jones. For more information on the authors, see

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570018362160

Instagram: #lois_and_bill_wilson_marriage

 

Q&A with Sara Fitzgerald

 

 

 

 

Sara Fitzgerald is the author of the new biography The Silenced Muse: Emily Hale, T.S. Eliot, and the Role of a Lifetime. Her other books include the novel The Poet's Girl, which also focuses on the relationship between Eliot and Hale. Fitzgerald is also a journalist.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Silenced Muse, and how was the book’s title chosen?

 

A: I was first inspired to write a novel about the relationship between Emily Hale and T. S. Eliot when I learned that some Eliot scholars believed she was the woman he secretly loved between his two marriages.

 

I was further intrigued when I learned that in just a few years,  the thousand-plus letters that Eliot wrote Hale over their lifetimes were going to be opened after a 50-year embargo. On the day those letters were opened, in January 2020, the Harvard Library released a letter Eliot had sent the library in the early 1960s, disavowing Hale and their relationship.

 

In the meantime, I had learned many details about Hale and her life and became determined to tell her side of the story and to try to set the record straight. I titled my book “The Silenced Muse” because in his letter to Harvard, Eliot confirmed that he had arranged for Hale’s side of their correspondence to be destroyed. He had, in a sense, robbed her of her voice—and robbed biographers from hearing it.

 

Q: Did you need to do much additional research for this nonfiction work, and did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: In a novel, you can “make things up.” In a biography, you can’t. The main new source of information was, of course, the letters that Eliot sent Hale. These letters totaled more than 1 million words.

 

In some of them, Eliot shared memories of some of their times together—although not as much as I might have liked. He recalled how he had first fallen in love with her and later described some of their most romantic, face-to-face encounters.

 

But there were many unanswered questions about Hale’s life that I still needed to try to answer as best I could. She resigned from good jobs at certain points in her career. Why had she done that? Fortunately archivists at those colleges turned up documents that helped to explain her decisions.

 

A nice surprise was that Hale had saved copies of some letters she wrote as well as some letters from close friends who knew about her relationship with Eliot. She deposited them at the Princeton Library with the letters she received from Eliot.

 

They provided insights into Hale’s mindset at key points in their relationship, such as when she learned that Eliot had remarried his much-younger secretary 10 years after he had told Hale he could not bring himself to marry again.

 

We also discovered that Hale and one of her college students had had some sort of romantic attraction. That was something that required some more exploration.

Q: The Publishers Weekly review of the book says, “Eliot comes across as by turns pitiful and detestable... and though Fitzgerald succeeds in reconstructing Hale’s career as an amateur actress and director, it’s the riveting, star-crossed love story that steals the show.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I was happy with that review, and thought it was an accurate description. I did as much research as I could to flesh out Hale’s career as an actress, director, and teacher. I hope that will help Eliot scholars appreciate her intellectual substance.

 

But the more dramatic story is, in fact, their love story. I was pleased that the reviewer said my book could serve as a complement to Anna Funder’s Wifedom, which describes how the contributions of Eileen O’Shaughnessy, George Orwell’s first wife, were minimized by Orwell and overlooked by most of his biographers. More and more women biographers are turning up stories like these.

 

Q: How would you describe Emily Hale’s legacy today?

 

A: Hale would be the first to admit that her only claim to fame was that T. S. Eliot fell in love with her. I think she remained puzzled why he had idolized her so when he was young.

 

Nevertheless, I think she is important to the study of Eliot’s works because the poet described specific references in his poems that she had inspired. Eliot turned to play-writing in the 1930s, and his letters also revealed how much Hale’s experience as a director and actress inspired that work.

 

Eliot made a disastrous first marriage, out of which some of his greatest poetry was written. But Hale served as a sort of sympathetic wife, who provided a period of stability to his life, even if Eliot did not fully appreciate it.

 

I spoke to some of Hale’s last high school students, women who were close to 80 when I interviewed them. It was clear that she left a strong legacy as a teacher and director to the students she had taught. That is an equally important legacy, even if it doesn’t make someone into a celebrity, worthy of a published biography.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Most authors are responsible for most of the promotional and marketing efforts for their books, so I’m still mostly focused on speaking and writing about Emily Hale—and the topics of my previously published books.

 

I have an idea for a group biography around a particular theme, one that might incorporate elements of memoir. But I also have an appreciation for the time and energy it takes to write any kind of book, particularly a biography. As much as I enjoy the research and writing process, I’m weighing that against other things I enjoy doing in life.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

April 17

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
April 17, 1897: Thornton Wilder born.

Q&A with Joan Fernandez

 

 

 

Joan Fernandez is the author of the new novel Saving Vincent: A Novel of Jo van Gogh. She retired from a career of more than 30 years as a senior marketing executive. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write a novel based on the life of Jo van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law?

 

A: Jo’s story caught me like a fishhook. It was on a girlfriend trip to Amsterdam in 2016 that we visited the Van Gogh Museum and I first heard of Jo.

 

By following an audio tour of his works and life, after an hour I found myself engrossed in his story. By the end of the exhibition, the heartbreak of this brilliant artist totally captured me.

 

It was in that state that I spied an out-of-the-way display of Van Gogh family photos. There I saw a photo of Jo with a notation on how she was the one who spent her life convincing others of Van Gogh’s talent.

 

I remember staring at her black-and-white postage stamp of a picture, thinking: “If not for you, none of this would be here. If not for you, Vincent wouldn’t exist.”

 

I didn’t know it at the time, but it was the beginning of a mental shift that would ultimately bring about the decision to retire from my corporate job and become a full-time author about 18 months later. 

 

Q: How did you research her life, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

 

A: One of the best things I did was begin with primary research. I heard about a collection of letters Jo exchanged with her then fiancé Theo, Vincent’s brother and an art dealer. The out-of-print book is Brief Happiness, and I found it on a used-book site.

 

The 101 love letters are tender and vulnerable as the young couple share hopes and dreams for their future life together—sad, too, for I know that they’ll only be married 22 months before Theo dies.

 

I did discover through the letters that Jo was curious and keenly interested in what Theo thought about art. She asks him, “Keep writing to me about painting. . .I so much want to learn about it and up to now it was mainly because I found them pleasing to the eye.” And he does—other artists, techniques, selling, and his favorite subject: Vincent.

 

I realized that the letters were the beginning of an art apprenticeship for Jo. This would continue in person once they were married. It was training for the work she would do in the future.

Q: What did you see as the right balance between fiction and history as you wrote the book?

 

A: I call my novel “research-infused” for I stayed close to true events when it came to places, timeline, people, exhibitions, and art.  If there was missing information, I filled in the gaps and I did deviate slightly from events if I felt it would improve the emotional arc of the story.

 

For this reason, I chose to invent a major character, Jo’s nemesis, a fictitious Parisian art dealer whom I had reflect the bias of the times, especially attitudes toward women in a male-dominated profession.

 

In real life Jo did not have a singular enemy, so I created a composite character of the opposition she experienced in promoting Vincent’s art.

 

Q: The author Jude Berman said of the book, “I found it tremendously gratifying to discover the vital role she played at a time when women were virtually excluded from the art world.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: While lower-class women could be shopkeepers or run boardinghouses, middle-class women were excluded from commerce in the early 20th century.

 

Art dealing was a competitive dogfight, a huge moneymaker for top-tier dealers, especially in Paris, which considered itself the pinnacle of artistic taste. Just as the Gold Rush or the more recent rush of app developers flooding Silicon Valley demonstrate, when there’s the hope of fortune, young people will race towards it.

 

Similarly, at the turn of the century, thousands of men traveled to Paris to become artists. Amongst this surplus, art dealers had tremendous political power to determine who and what art was acceptable. This was the headwind Theo van Gogh fought in attempting to show Vincent’s art.

 

Add prevalent beliefs of women as second-class citizens, weaker in mind and body then men, even having a smaller brain, it’s understandable that Jo was ignored.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I hope to include a short story in an upcoming anthology about feisty women—a perfect follow-up to Jo! After that I’m toying with a novella of Jo and Theo’s love story or another biographical historical novel.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I’m grateful to be publishing Saving Vincent, A Novel of Jo van Gogh during a time when I believe it’s more important than ever to show the accomplishments of women from the past.

 

Women’s history, like Jo’s, illuminates systemic barriers. When antiquated gender roles hold women back, it stunts societal progress by ignoring resources of leadership and genius. A comprehensive understanding of history, one that includes women's contributions, creates a more accurate and complete view of our societal development.

 

Jo’s actions changed the art world and therefore, society as a whole. Ignoring women’s history perpetuates injustice. I believe with all my heart that embracing it is a fundamental step toward a truly just future for all.

 

Thank you so much for this opportunity, Deborah!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Alain Serge Dzotap

 

 

 

Alain Serge Dzotap is the author of the new middle grade book Adi of Boutanga: A Story from Cameroon. His other books include The Gift. He lives in Cameroon.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Adi of Boutanga?

 

A: This story was born of my meeting with Ly Dumas, who had taken in Adi at the Jean-Félicien Gacha Foundation, which she set up in honor of her father, to help young people. She told me about Adi, and I immediately wanted to tell the story of this frail heroine fighting to escape an unfortunate fate.

 

Q: What do you think Marc Daniau’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: Marc Daniau has brought the warm light of Africa to the book. He drew the fears, hopes, and, at the end of the story, the happiness of our young heroine. Marc Daniau is a great artist, and I was very lucky to have worked with him on Adi of Boutanga.

 

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: I asked a lot of questions to retrace the chronology of events or to understand certain cultural aspects, such as the power that Uncle Amadou has over the rest of the family.

 

When I wrote Adi's story, I never thought I'd discover the existence of an 11-year-old girl...already divorced!

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I want my young readers to remember that girls and boys have the same rights. Because this is not always self-evident in many parts of the world.

 

I'd also like children to feel the pleasure I had in writing Adi's story.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: This year, I'll be publishing six new books in France and Belgium. At the same time, I'm working on five other children's stories, which I hope to finish later this year. You know, when you start writing a story, you can never be sure of finishing it.

 

In France, The Gift, published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, has become a series in its French version. The sequel will be published on March 7.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Adi and Idrissa were married in the Bangoulap chiefdom shortly after the book was published. And they had a little girl... just like in the book!

 

Am I not a magician?

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with CL Montblanc

 

 

 

CL Montblanc is the author of the new young adult novel Pride or Die. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Pride or Die, and how did you create your character Eleanora?

 

A: I grew up loving teen comedies, even when they weren't super relatable to my own experiences, and wanted to write something that felt like Gen Z Superbad.

 

Having the main characters all be a part of the same school club was a natural way to have them all be connected with an established dynamic. To figure out the details of that dynamic, I thought about the different roles a club would have, and what type of personality might take on that role.

 

The club president being the group leader, and thus the main character, felt right. I also imagined a club leader to be a bit bossy, a bit neurotic, but ultimately someone who just cares a whole lot, and that became Eleanora.

Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: The mystery itself, including the culprit, changed several times while writing! But from the beginning, I knew I wanted the story to end on an upbeat, triumphant tone, and that stayed consistent throughout the entire publication process.

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says that it “deftly explores the gray areas between right and wrong, successfully addressing the complexity of people's characters...” What do you think of that description?

 

A: It's certainly one of the messages I was trying to convey in the story.

 

On one end, I went with cartoonishly-evil villains who are also given some humanizing traits almost as a warning signal. While many people are cartoonishly-evil in real life, it can be easy to feel tricked or gaslit when someone is touted as a good person or ally while demonstrating so many behaviors to the contrary.

 

On the other end, people like Eleanora can mean well but can still do terrible things anyway, which is something I see a lot within the white queer community and wanted to represent here.

 

Intention and impact are separate things, which may feel obvious to some, but I think it's an important thing for teens to internalize, especially in a world that's become increasingly polar.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the novel?

 

A: While it will be great if some readers feel empowered by a story of queer triumph in the face of adversity, this was always a book that was primarily meant to entertain. I hope readers will take away a few hours of entertainment and joy, as joy is a very precious currency these days.

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I'm wrapping up another YA mystery novel! More should be announced within the next few months, but I can tell you that it's darker, and scarier, with some hate-to-love romance to boot!

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: It's a really tough time to be putting out a book with LGBTQ+ characters. As I'm writing this, major retailers are actively pulling them from their stores more than ever, and any posts about these topics have been subject to censorship on increasingly-oppressive social platforms headed by billionaires who supposedly love free speech.

 

I hope readers will consider supporting our books in any way, shape, or form that they're able to.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Alexander Morpheigh

 

 

 

Alexander Morpheigh is the author of the new book The Pythagorean. He is also a computer engineer.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Pythagorean?

 

A: From the moment I first encountered Plato’s Dialogues, I was drawn to ancient Greek philosophy as a way to engage with life’s most profound questions. The philosophers of antiquity weren’t merely concerned with abstract theories. They saw philosophy as a means of creating harmony in our world.

 

Plato, in particular, emphasized that philosophy is deeply tied to human connections—how we relate to one another and how we understand our own existence. This idea has resonated across centuries and remains just as meaningful today.

 

Pythagoras, who is credited with coining the very word philosophy, believed that ultimate wisdom belongs only to the divine, while humans can only strive to be lovers of wisdom. That notion—of philosophy as a lifelong pursuit rather than a fixed body of knowledge—was a guiding force as I wrote The Pythagorean.

 

Q: How did you research the book, and did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: Several years ago, I sponsored the production of a documentary about modern-day Pythagorean societies. The crew and I met many modern followers of Pythagoras—many of whom were distinguished scientists and university professors.

 

The discussions we had with them provided invaluable insights that shaped the scientific and philosophical themes of the book. The way that these thinkers drew from ancient wisdom in their everyday lives, especially dealing with modern issues, was a central inspiration for this book.

 

Q: How did you create your character Theodore?

 

A: I have a 24-year-old son who is a software developer and a quintessential representative of the modern cynic generation. When shaping Theo's character—his life and behavior—I simply reflected on how my son would react or what he would say in various situations.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I wanted to shine a light on thought-provoking scientific and philosophical perspectives not yet accepted into the mainstream.

 

Most of the contemporary Pythagoreans I met work in advanced scientific fields. Despite their brilliance and expertise, they were still searching for beyond knowledge itself—a deeper understanding of their purpose as human beings. That search led them to Pythagoras and his fascinating contributions to the field of philosophy.

 

Since what we seek most in life is meaning—and some don’t find it in popular religion or commonly-accepted scientific truths—I believe there are insights of Ancient Greek philosophy that may have fallen out of style, but that could hold many of the meanings we’ve lost over time.

 

My hope is that my readers will find something meaningful within the pages of this book.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Honestly, I wasn’t sure at first. The Pythagorean was published also in other languages, and when hundreds of readers subscribed to my future books on online platforms, I thought—if people resonated with the ideas in The Pythagorean, why not introduce them to other great thinkers of antiquity, like Plato and Confucius?

 

That’s when I decided that my next book—a continuation—would be about exactly that. The events will still take place in The Pythagorean universe, but now in the modern world.

 

Just imagine—one day in 2024, an elderly man arrives at an emergency hospital, suffering from memory loss. It turns out to be none other than Plato himself! And he ends up sharing a hospital room with another patient who has the same diagnosis—Confucius!

 

Of course, they are both on a secret mission, and along the way, they will share their timeless wisdom with the other characters—and, naturally, with the readers.

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Most of the so-called "miracles" in this book come from conversations with renowned scientists — physicists, astronomers, and mathematicians—who are themselves modern-day Pythagoreans.

 

The entire theory of time structure and time travel? That came from discussions with a nuclear physics professor.

 

The idea of two-dimensional worlds? That was inspired by my conversations with a mathematics professor.

 

And the same is true for most of the "extraordinary" events depicted in the book.

 

Let me even share a little secret with you: the final part of Indiana Jones 5 movie is about the Antikythera mechanism. The actual device was deciphered by an astrophysics professor at the University of Athens—who also happens to be a member of the Pythagorean society. He published a book about his discovery.

 

He once told me that when they disassembled the Antikythera mechanism in the university lab, they examined the gears under a powerful lens—and saw a Pythagorean symbol engraved on each one! As he recounted this moment to me, tears streamed down his face.

 

I asked him, “Why are you crying?” And he replied, “Because those who created the Antikythera mechanism left us a message: We are Pythagoreans, and we want you to know it!”

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb