On Wednesday Mark Z. Danielewski was at Powell’s Books reading from his new novel The Fifty Year Sword. It was a packed house and I was lucky to get a seat. I first discovered Danielewski after reading his first novel House of Leaves. That book blew my mind. It was innovative, doing things with text layout that I’d never seen before. The stories in it were complex and the writing was great. Seeing Danielewski in person was an equally awesome experience. He was really interesting, had a lot to say, and was able to tease out the deeper meaning in even the dumbest questions asked of him. Somebody asked him about honey is his novel Only Revolutions. That turned into a long discussion on the etymology of the word, its uses through history, and a reference to an essay by Jacuqes Derrida for further information.
I was also intrigued by his desire to constantly push his work off the page. Currently there is a limited stage show version of The Fifty Year Sword. Though, unfortunately, not in Portland. And unlike most authors who seem to rail against ebooks Danielewski is excited about their potential, currently working on e-versions of his texts, adding music and such. He seems as passionate about collaboration as he does about writing.
He ended the evening talking about why we read fiction. Claiming that it develops the imagination which helps create empathy which makes us more human. Afterward I got a book signed and took a photo with him. I told him to look hard. He said, easy. Judge for yourself if he looks hard. 