Theoryland of the Wheel of Time

There were three headlines, some of which contained hyperbole. Hence my labels. And a couple of new and interesting questions and answers. The last of the Q&As was particularly touching.

LA REPUBBLICA

The author considered the heir to Tolkien in Italy for the release of the second volume of his saga "The Wheel of Time"

Robert Jordan at the book fair “In fantasy reality is clear”

A crowd of young people are in front of Fanucci’s stand for the writer who has surpassed Stephen King in America

In front of Fanucci’s stand a small crowd has gathered. They are young people. They are here because a 50 year old man over 2 metres tall dressed in linen, who walks with a cane, has spectacles and wears a beard like an old biker will be signing copies of the book that has just been translated in Italy. This gentleman, apparently phlegmatic but of determined spirit, is called Robert Jordan. He is the greatest living author of fantasy books. For the few who do not know, the sort of books that has Tolkien as master and hundreds of followers. Jordan, who is considered the heir to Tolkien, has written a work of colossal size entitled The Wheel of Time: ten volumes, each averaging 700 pages. Fanucci has translated and releases at the Turin book fair, the second (The Great Hunt, 18.50 euros).

Jordan has created a boundless and complete universe, comprising good, evil, heroes, dragons, monsters, and endless searches which has sold over 12 million copies in America. His latest book has surpassed (in the New York Times list) Stephen King. We are at the epicenter of the fantasy genre, which is generally considered minor only if you do not regard the astounding figures that it achieves. Speaking with this gentleman from Virginia (sic), the impression is that he cannot help but write, that the endless work he grapples with is the child of an irrepressible need.

What did you think when, after the tenth book, you turned back and saw all those pages?

Really I cannot look back. I write, publish and always look forward.

crossroads of twilight

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rj on writing

Do you ever ask yourself what is the relationship between creatures that are in your books, some demonic, and your unconscious, your psyche?

I believe that for every writer the maximum degree of identification is necessary. So it can happen that I'm writing in my home with my wife in the house a few steps away from me doing more normal things while I'm engrossed in appalling characters.

rj on writing

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harriet

In the book just published in Italy [Crossroads of Twilight], the protagonist, a young man named Rand al'Thor, predestined to do something great, is scared and tries to flee, to escape his fate. Is it possible to escape fate?

All have many opportunities to change their lives. In this sense there is no fixed and immutable destiny. Fate materializes in the moment in which you make a decision: it is in that moment that your life takes a necessary direction.

the pattern

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ta'veren

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the wheel

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themes

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rand

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crossroads of twilight

Why is the genre fantasy so loved?

In fantasy one can speak of good and evil, of right and wrong clearly, absolutely. In real life you cannot see the outlines so clearly. In real life you can say: "I believe in good and ill, I believe that they exist," but then it's hard to say where they are and in what form.

rj on fantasy

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rj on life

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rj on ethics

Many people think that you are the heir to Tolkien. How do you feel about that?

It's an honor. It is like a composer being compared to Mozart. But I'm me, I do not follow in his footsteps, I go my own way.

rj on fame

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tolkien

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rj on writing

What is your view of the trilogy of films from the Lord of the Rings?

I like them, I have seen the first two episodes, I'll go see the third and I bought the DVD.

tolkien

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favorites

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rj on life

You were in Vietnam, you know war. What do you think of Bush's war? Is it good versus evil? Was it avoidable?

This morning I read in the paper that a mass grave has been found in Iraq in which there were three thousand bodies. Saddam Hussein murdered them, murdered his people. Yes I think it was a war of good against evil. That was evil.

rj on current events

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rj on life

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vietnam

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military

You are a benchmark for millions of young people who read your books. Do you appreciate the responsibility?

I feel a lot of responsibility, but I say what I feel, I write what I believe in. I do not want to lecture, just tell stories. I'm a writer.

rj on writing

You are an extraordinarily prolific writer and have recently surpassed the standing of a giant like Stephen King. Do you work as much as him and so methodically as to touch upon obsession?

My method is very simple: I read the newspaper at breakfast, I go to my desk, replying to e-mails to which I must answer and ignore the rest. I begin to write and go on for seven or eight hours. If I remember lunch, otherwise straight through. Seven days a week. But I must say that if I want to go fishing, I drop everything and go.

rj on writing

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rj's routine

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rj on fishing

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rj on life

Amongst the monsters and fantastic creatures you have created, what is it that makes you really scared?

(Very long pause.) Alzheimer's, to lose the words.

rj on life

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rj on death