"Canada" by Richard Ford
Jeff Glor talks to Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford about his latest novel, "Canada."
Jeff Glor: What inspired you to write the book?
Richard Ford: What originally "inspired" me, I suppose, was a notion of a teenage boy being abandoned by his parents (I didn't know why they'd abandon him; I had to make that up), and being transported across the border from the US into Saskatchewan, Canada, where he knew no one. It seemed dramatic -- which is generally what I'm looking for. I was also interested in borders, themselves; emotional ones, moral ones, psychic ones, as well as national ones, and what happens when you cross them.
JG: What surprised you the most during the writing process?
RF: What surprised (and pleased me) most was how much I enjoyed describing a man robbing a bank. I may have always wanted to rob a bank myself. Thoreau says a writer is often not the man who has the experience, as much as the one who needs to have it. I guess I needed that.
JG: What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?
RF: I hope I'd be being a cartoonist, and playing the blues harmonica on the weekends.
JG: What else are you reading right now?
RF: I'm reading William Boyd's first novel, "A Good Man in Africa," which is terrific.
JG: What's next for you?
RF: The interesting thing about being a writer is that you simply don't know what;s next. It's why I'm not a lawyer. On the other hand, I'm 68, so I have some idea.
MORE VIDEO:
Author Richard Ford talks about the border between childhood and young adulthood, as well as the U.S.-Canadian border. His new novel is called "Canada."For more on "Canada" visit the Harper Collins website.
