Rae Colley
asked
Erik Larson:
Like you appear to be, I am fascinated by oceans and their possibilities. I went through a huge Titanic fixation many years ago. Why do you think the Lusitania has never provoked a similar level of international obsession?
Erik Larson
Excellent question. I suspect had the Titanic not sunk, the Lusitania might in fact have a higher romantic profile. But, part of the issue with the Lusitania is that over the years it's been tucked into a dusty nook on high-school timelines as merely a geo-political event on the path toward war. The human dimension of the saga has been largely discarded. But that's the part of the story that interested me. What was it like to be aboard that ship? What would I have done, and how would I have felt, especially if I'd brought my whole family with me? My main goal was to capture the real-life suspense involved in the crossing, from beginning to end.
More Answered Questions
Kimberly WILLIAM
asked
Erik Larson:
I have to say that I've only read "Devil in the White City" and I was captivated. I really appreciate the historical aspect that you choose to write about. Did you always aspire to be a writer or did you ever have aspirations to be a researcher? Which quality (the writing or the research) speaks to you more as you are writing? Thank you for your works!
LynBarTri
asked
Erik Larson:
I read your response to the question about structuring your narrative and I have slightly different question. From reading THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY and THUNDERSTRUCK, I take it that you leave it up to the reader to make sort out the juxtaposition of good and evil and, more significantly, the implications. My question is which motivates you most in putting the narrative together, the evil or the good?
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