>> I'VE NEVER RESEARCHED A SHORT STORY OR NOVEL IN MY LIFE, FOR INSTANCE.

EVERYTHING COMES OUT OF MY HEAD WHEN I WRITE FICTION.

I LIKE IT THAT WAY.

>> KENTUCKY WAS AT THE HEART OF HIS FICTION.

>> WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, I THINK TEVIS HAD THE BEST LUCK OF TRANSLATING HIS BEST BOOKS INTO GREAT FILM AND TV.

>> AS A WRITING TEACHER, THERE WAS NONE BETTER THAN WALTER.

>> YOU ALWAYS HAD THE SENSE THAT THERE WAS A DARK SECRET IN WALTER'S LIFE THAT HE -- THAT HE TIPTOED AROUND, BUT WOULDN'T DENY.

>> I'M SO EXCITED NOW THAT HIS WORK IS GETTING A SECOND READ.

>> I THINK THAT MORE KENTUCKIANS SHOULD READ WALTER TEVIS.

>> "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT", WITHOUT QUESTION, HAS GIVEN MY FATHER MORE NOTORIETY THAN HE EVER HAD BEFORE.

>> MY FATHER HAD HAD SCARLET FEVER, AND THAT HAD TURNED INTO SOME TYPE OF HEART CONDITION, AND HAD TO BE HOSPITALIZED IN CALIFORNIA AROUND THE SAME TIME THAT HIS FATHER LOST HIS JOB AND HAD TO MOVE FROM CALIFORNIA -- TAKE THE FAMILY FROM CALIFORNIA TO KENTUCKY AND LEAVE HIM ALONE AS A 10-YEAR-OLD TO CONVALESCE FOR A YEAR IN CALIFORNIA.

>> I WAS BORN IN SAN FRANCISCO, AND WHEN I WAS A KID, I WAS PUT INTO A HOSPITAL IN SAN FRANCISCO WHILE MY FAMILY MOVED TO KENTUCKY.

I HAD RHEUMATIC HEART, A CHILDREN'S HEART DISEASE, OR AT LEAST SO THEY TOLD ME.

ANYWAY, BEING IMMERSED IN KENTUCKY ALL OF A SUDDEN WAS REALLY A SHOCK TO ME.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT I WAS WRITING ABOUT IN A DEEP WAY WHEN I WROTE ABOUT "THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH".

>> HE AWOKE IN A TAXI WITH THE WOMAN.

SHE WAS SHAKING HIM GENTLY.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO, SHE SAID?

WHERE'S YOUR HOME?

HE STARED AT HER.

I DON'T REALLY KNOW.

>> AND I THINK THAT EXPERIENCE THREW ME INTO BEING A KIND OF LONELY, SCARED KID, AND I DID A LOT OF READING, AND I TRACE MY LITERARINESS TO THAT PART OF MY LIFE.

I WASN'T ALLOWED TO DO SPORTS BECAUSE OF THE HEART DISEASE, AND I SPENT A LOT OF MY TIME SITTING IN A CHAIR READING BOOKS UNTIL I GOT OLD ENOUGH TO GO TO THE POOL ROOM, AND THEN THAT CHANGED MY LIFE IN ANOTHER WAY.

I SUPPOSE I GREW UP, BECAME -- I LEARNED HOW TO SWEAR AND HOW TO SWAGGER IN THE POOL ROOM, AND IT SORT OF REPLACED FOR ME IN MY BOY'S LIFE THAT IS TAKEN CARE OF FOR OTHER BOYS BY PLAYING FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL OR WHATEVER.

>> HIS PARENTS LEFT AND MOVED TO KENTUCKY FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF.

THEY LEFT HIM THERE.

HE WAS KEPT UNDER CONTROL OF ALL THE OTHER KIDS IN THE WARD BY HAVING, YOU KNOW, SHOTS THAT WOULD KEEP THEM FROM GETTING TOO OVERACTIVE OR ANYTHING ELSE.

I MEAN, IT WAS -- I DIDN'T KNOW THAT UNTIL YEARS LATER, BUT I THINK ABOUT IT NOW, I THINK HOW WOULD YOU EVER OVERCOME THAT?

>> BUT NOT ONLY DID THEY GIVE HIM DRUGS TO SEDATE HIM, WHICH OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWS THE WHOLE "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT" WITH BETH HARMON THING, BUT THEY ALSO DID SOMETHING TO HIM, A THERAPY AT THAT TIME, WHERE THEY DIPPED HIM IN AN ICE BATH, IMMERSED HIM IN ICE WATER, WHICH HE SAID WAS LIKE EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL, AND THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE I REMEMBER HIM SCREAMING SOMETIMES WAKING UP AT NIGHT WITH THESE NIGHTMARES HE'D HAVE ABOUT BEING A KID.

>> IF WE HAVE ANY CAPACITY TO BE SHOCKED ANYMORE, WHICH IS DOUBTFUL, THE SIGHT OF LITTLE CHILDREN LINING UP TO BE GIVEN DRUGS AT AN ORPHANAGE IS A SHOCKING IMAGE.

IT WAS SHOCKING IN THE BOOK, BUT IT'S REALLY SHOCKING IN THE MOVIE, AND THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTED FOR HIM.

>> DISPOSITION, BUILDING A STRONG BODY.

TAKE THEM BOTH.

>> IN THE EARLY '60S, LATE '50S, IT WAS VERY COMMON TO GIVE CHILDREN IN ORPHANAGES TRANQUILLIZERS TO MAKE THEM EASIER TO HANDLE, SO YEAH, SHE BECOMES ADDICTED TO TRANQUILLIZERS AND SEDATIVES WHEN SHE'S NINE.

>> WELL, THE TRICK WITH ADDICTION, WITH DRINKING OR DRUGS OR ANYTHING, IS MAKING SURE THAT YOU EMPATHIZE WITH THE CHARACTER AND STILL TELL A COMPELLING STORY.

A SLEIGHT OF HAND FOR ME WAS HUMOR, SOMETIMES.

THERE'S A LONG SEQUENCE WHERE SHE STEALS THE PILLS, AND THAT'S AS FUNNY AS IT WAS HARROWING.

>> ELIZABETH!

>> TEVIS'S EARLY BIOGRAPHY READS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF DICKENS.

I MEAN, HIS FAMILY ABANDONED HIM IN A HOSPITAL IN SAN FRANCISCO, AND AT SOME POINT HE GETS PLUCKED OUT OF THERE AND DROPPED INTO KENTUCKY.

IT DOESN'T TAKE A FREUDIAN ANALYST TO WONDER WHAT THAT HAS TO DO WITH "THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH" AND THESE NOVELS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH SOME KIND OF SEARCH FOR HOME.

>> HE LOOKED AT HIS WATCH, QUARTER OF 12.

HE WOULD PROBABLY BE HAVING COFFEE WITH HER NOW IF HE WERE HOME.

HOME?

WHAT IN THE HELL DID THAT MEAN?

HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY HOME.

>> HOW HE EVEN SURVIVED ALL THAT IS BEYOND ME.

I MEAN -- WELL, HE SURVIVED IT BY WRITING ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, IN A CERTAIN WAY, AND IT WASN'T ALWAYS -- AND IT GOT INTO IT.

IT GOT INTO THE "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT".

IT GOT INTO, YOU KNOW, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, "THE HUSTLER".

THESE ARE ALL OUTSIDERS.

>> I TEND TO WRITE ABOUT ALIENATED PERSONS.

QUITE DIFFERENT FROM A MAN FROM MARS WHO WAS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM A GIRL WHO PLAYS CHESS FOR A LIVING, BUT TO ME THEY ARE ALL ALIKE IN THAT THEY ARE ISOLATED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE DOING SOMETHING THAT THE MAINSTREAM DOESN'T FULLY COMPREHEND OR SYMPATHIZE WITH VERY MUCH, AND THAT DOES SEEM TO BE THE THING I KEEP GETTING ATTRACTED TO, PERSONS OF THAT KIND.

>> HE WROTE LETTERS WHEN HE WAS CONVALESCING TO HIS PARENTS IN KENTUCKY TELLING THEM THINGS LIKE TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY, I WAS ABLE TO GET UP AND WALK AROUND THE YARD, OR WALK AROUND THE HALL, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

I MEAN, SOMETHING THAT WAS -- THEY ARE REALLY PAINFUL LETTERS TO READ BECAUSE THEY ARE SUCH SMALL THINGS THAT HE WAS ABLE TO DO, AND HE'S MAKING IT -- HE'S TRYING TO MAKE IT AS JOYFUL AS HE POSSIBLY CAN, AND THESE ARE THE FIRST WRITINGS THAT WE HAVE OF HIM.

AND THEY ARE JUST REALLY, REALLY SAD.

SATURDAY WE WENT OUTSIDE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS, ALL EXCEPT ONE BOY, WHO HAD A VERY BAD COUGH AND A SORE THROAT.

GEE, HE IS A NICE KID, AND I FELT BADLY BECAUSE HE COULDN'T COME OUT WITH THE OTHER KIDS.

POOR BOY.

THIS IS WONDERFUL AND EMPATHETIC, AND IT STRIKES ME THAT HE COULD HAVE -- HE COULD HAVE TURNED INTO A SELFISH PERSON BECAUSE OF HIS OWN PAIN, BUT HIS SENSE OF EMPATHY DISPLAYED HERE AND DISPLAYED IN HIS WORKS, IT'S QUITE AMAZING.

SO WHEN THEY NEEDED TO COME BACK DURING THE DEPRESSION FROM CALIFORNIA, WHEN THE JOBS DRIED UP AND THERE WAS NO INCOME, THEY CAME TO LIVE WITH MY GRANDFATHER'S SISTER, SALLY YOEMANS, WHO HAD A HOUSE IN LEXINGTON, AND THAT'S WHERE THEY LIVED WHEN THE KIDS WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL.

>> HE'S VERY AWKWARD.

HE'S PHYSICALLY LOOKS DIFFERENT, AND HE'S AN OUTCAST AMONGST HIS PEERS.

AND OBVIOUSLY THEN FEELS DIFFERENT AND LONELY.

I WOULD ASSUME HE FELT VERY, VERY LONELY.

>> WHEN HE CAME TO LEXINGTON, HE DIDN'T FIT IN, AND HE NEVER FIT IN UNTIL HE FOUND A POOL TABLE AND TOBY KAVANAUGH, AND ONCE HE FOUND A POOL TABLE AND TOBY KAVANAUGH, HE SPENT ALMOST ALL HIS TIME AT THE KAVANAUGH'S HOUSE, AND THEY WERE HEALTHY AND WALTER LOVED THAT.

AND SO HE WAS VERY HAPPY WITH THAT PORTION OF HIS LIFE.

>> TOBY KAVANAUGH WAS WALTER TEVIS'S BEST FRIEND.

THEY WOULD GO DOWN TO THE BASEMENT AND PLAY POOL.

HE TAUGHT WALTER TEVIS TO PLAY POOL, AND THEN THEY WOULD SNEAK DOWN TO THE PHOENIX HOTEL TO SEE WHAT I CALL SORT OF THE GRAND OLD DAYS OF LEXINGTON.

>> SO THESE TWO BOYS FROM CHEVY CHASE WOULD KIND OF WANDER DOWN TO GET A TASTE OF LIFE ON THE OTHER SIDE, AND I THINK THAT MUST HAVE REALLY APPEALED TO A YOUNG WALTER TEVIS BECAUSE IT APPEARED AGAIN AND AGAIN IN HIS WORK IN ALL ITS FORMS.

>> "THE HUSTLER" CAME AROUND FROM STANDING AROUND IN POOL ROOMS WHEN I WAS A KID AND LATER IN COLLEGE WATCHING ALL-NIGHT GAMES OF POOL WHERE GUYS WOULD BE PLAYING FOR $500 A GAME, AND THE THRILL AND EXCITEMENT OF THAT FOR ME WAS JUST ENORMOUS.

>> POOL AS A GAME, I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT ITS FASCINATION IS FOR YOU?

>> I DON'T KNOW THE SOURCE OF THE FASCINATION OF THAT GAME FOR ME ENTIRELY.

IT MEANT AN AWFUL LOT TO ME FOR A LONG TIME.

I REALLY WANTED TO BE A POOL PLAYER.

I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE ENORMOUSLY IMPORTANT.

I PRACTICED EVERY DAY.

I LIKED IT.

I GOT INVOLVED IN THE WHOLE QUALITY OF THE GAME, THE ROLLING OF THE BALLS, THE FEEL OF POOL ROOMS, THE WHOLE SOMEWHAT STEAMY SIDE OF LIFE THAT YOU GOT INTO IN POOL ROOMS.

IT HAD A TREMENDOUS FASCINATION FOR ME.

>> THEY BOTH FELT LIKE OUTSIDERS, AND TOBY'S FAMILY WAS WEALTHY AND HAD A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE.

THERE WERE BOOKS AND A POOL TABLE AND ALL THE ELEGANT ASPECTS OF A WEALTHY FAMILY, WHICH OF COURSE WERE LACKING WHEN YOU'RE LIVING IN YOUR AUNT'S HOUSE.

>> AND SO HE STUDIED SOME PRETTY SERIOUS LITERATURE AND GOT TWO DEGREES, A BACHELOR'S AND A MASTER'S FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, AND MOST SIGNIFICANTLY STUDIED UNDER A.B.

BUD GUTHRIE WHO HAD WON A PULITZER PRIZE.

>> AND ENDED UP TEACHING IN KENTUCKY AS WELL AFTER HE GRADUATED.

MET MY MOTHER IN KENTUCKY, SO A LARGE PART OF HIS LIFE, FORMATIVE YEARS, THEN, WERE LIVING IN KENTUCKY.

>> I FIRST MET WALTER TEVIS IN THE SCHOOL YEAR, MY SOPHOMORE SCHOOL YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL, IN 1952, 1952-53 SCHOOL YEAR, AND HE CAME AS OUR BRAND NEW ENGLISH AND LITERATURE TEACHER, AND AT THE SAME TIME JAYNIE GRIGS WAS HIRED AS THE BRAND NEW HOME ECONOMICS TEACHER, AND THEY MET, AND THAT WAS IN SEPTEMBER OF 1952.

>> EVIDENTLY THEY CLICKED, AND MY MOTHER REPEATED TO ME THAT THEY HAD A VERY PASSIONATE RELATIONSHIP.

SO I'M SURE THAT THERE WAS SOME SPARK THAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY MET.

>> I ALWAYS HAD AN ELEMENTARY GLIBNESS WITH PEN AND PAPER AND KNEW THAT I COULD DO THAT SORT OF THING BETTER THAN MOST PEOPLE, BUT DIDN'T REALLY CONSIDER MAKING A PROFESSION OUT OF IT UNTIL I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE AND BECAME A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER IN KENTUCKY AND FOUND MYSELF IN KIND OF A -- AN ECONOMIC DEADLOCK, MAKING A MINUSCULE SALARY FOR A LOT OF WORK.

>> MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF HIM, ALONG WITH MY OTHER CLASSMATES, WAS HE LOOKS LIKE ICK BOD CRANE OF THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN DAYS.

HE WAS TALL AND GANGLY, HAD SORT OF UNRUFFLED BLONDISH HAIR, HORN RIMMED GLASSES AND PUFFED ON A CIGARETTE.

>> I HAVE A BOTTLE IN HERE, NEWTON REACHED DOWN AND TOOK OUT A BOTTLE.

BRYCE LAUGHED ABRUPTLY.

HE COULD NOT HELP IT.

ICHABOD CRANE WITH A FIFTH OF GIN IN HIS LUNCH BASKET.

>> OKAY, I COULD ALWAYS BUY A BOTTLE, FIFTH OF SCOTCH.

>> WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?

JUST STEP OUT IN THE ALLEY?

IS THAT IT?

>> "THE HUSTLER" IS PROBABLY YOUR BEST-KNOWN SINGLE WORK.

CAN YOU GIVE SOME INDICATION OF ITS BACKGROUND AND COMPOSITION?

I KNOW YOU DID WRITE SEVERAL STORIES ABOUT HUSTLING.

WHAT IS THE GENESIS OF THE NOVEL ITSELF?

>> THE GENESIS OF THE NOVEL IS THE MOST SIMPLE KIND OF THING IN THE WORLD.

I HAVE PUBLISHED A LOT OF SHORT STORIES ABOUT POOL PLAYERS, LIKE EVERY OTHER ENGLISH TEACHER IN THE WORLD, I FELT I WANTED TO WRITE A NOVEL, AND I DECIDED WHY NOT WRITE A NOVEL ABOUT POOL.

I'VE DONE ENOUGH STORIES ON THE SUBJECT.

I MIGHT AS WELL DO A BOOK ON IT.

IT WAS REALLY JUST AS SIMPLE AS THAT.

>> TEVIS'S WORK IS REALLY VERY AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, BUT FROM WHAT I WOULD CALL A EUPHORIC RECALL.

IT WAS THE MAN THAT HE WANTED TO BE.

>> EDDIE, LOOK, I'VE GOT TROUBLES, AND I THINK MAYBE YOU'VE GOT TROUBLES.

MAYBE IT WOULD BE BETTER IF WE JUST LEAVE EACH OTHER ALONE.

>> I GOT MY THINGS OVER AT THE HOTEL.

I'LL BRING THEM OVER LATER.

HERE WE ARE.

>> I'M NOT SURE.

>> WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW, AND WHY?

>> MY OWN READING OF THE NOVEL SUPPORTS MY FEELING THAT THE GAME OF POOL HUSTLING, OR POOL HUSTLING ITSELF, IS SOMEWHAT AKIN TO ART, TO ARTISTRY ITSELF.

I MEAN, WAS THAT CONSCIOUSLY A -- >> OH, YEAH, I DESIGNED THE NOVEL TO BE A SORT OF PARABLE ABOUT THE LIFE IN ART.

FAST EDDIE, FOR ME, MEANT TO BE EVERY MAN AS ARTIST, OR SOMETHING OF THAT SORT, AND I WAS CONSCIOUSLY THINKING OF HIM AS POSSIBLY A KIND OF A POET OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

I FELT LIKE THE TALENT EXPRESSED OVER A POOL TABLE COULD MAKE A PRETTY GOOD -- FOR TALENT EXPRESSED IN THOSE MORE CUSTOMARILY ADMIRED FORMS OF EXPRESSION, LIKE YOU KNOW, PAINTING, SCULPTURE, MUSIC, POETRY, WHAT HAVE YOU.

>> FAST EDDIE FELLSON BECOMES THIS SORT OF AVATAR FOR TEVIS BOTH AS THE POOL PLAYER HE COULD PROBABLY NEVER BECOME AND AS THE WRITER THAT HE ASPIRED TO BE.

>> THE NOVEL IS NOT ABOUT THE GUY WHO WAS JUST A MEDIOCRE POOL PLAYER OR SOMETHING.

WHEN IT COMES TO PLAYING POOL, EDDIE IS A POTENTIAL SHAKESPEARE, IF YOU WISH.

>> HEY, JOHN?

DO YOU THINK THIS BOY IS A HUSTLER?

>> HE UNDERSTOOD, YOU KNOW, THE INSIDE NATURE OF COMPETITION, AND THAT WAS -- THAT WAS THE ALLURE.

>> AND ALSO THE GENERAL NOTION THAT A MAN MIGHT DO A THING FOR REASONS THAT HE CAN'T ALL TOGETHER UNDERSTAND BUT WANT TO DO IT BECAUSE HE ADMIRES EXCELLENCE AT IT AND BECAUSE THE THING IN ITSELF IS SORT OF EXISTENTIALLY CONTROLLING HIM AND FASCINATING TO HIM.

THAT WAS SOMEWHAT WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY.

>> ALL OF HIS STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH WINNING.

THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.

>> YOU'RE HERE ON A RAIN CHECK, AND I KNOW IT.

YOU'RE HANGING ON BY YOUR NAILS.

>> LET THE GLORY WHISTLE OUT LOUD AND CLEAR FOR EDDIE.

NOW DON'T MAKE TROUBLE, MISS LADY BUG.

LIVE AND LET LIVE, WHILE YOU CAN.

>> EDDIE NOW SITTING IN BURT'S CAR, HIS BODY SORE AND HIS MIND TREMENDOUSLY AWARE, THAT THE NEED TO WIN WAS EVERYWHERE IN LIFE, IN EVERY ACT, IN EVERY CONVERSATION, IN EVERY ENCOUNTER BETWEEN PEOPLE.

>> AND THE IDEA HAD BECOME FOR HIM A KIND OF TOUCHSTONE OR A KEY TO THE MEANING OF EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD.

>> ONE OF THE KEY LINES FROM "THE HUSTLER" IS THE GREAT INDOOR SPORT OF SELF-PITY.

>> IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THAT NOVEL, WHEN HE CASTS THAT OFF, HE'S ABLE TO PERFORM MOST SUCCESSFULLY.

>> AND SELF-PITY, ONE OF THE FAVORITE INDOOR SPORTS, AS DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK.

>> YES.

>> HE SAID NOTHING FOR THERE CAME TO HIM A STRANGE AND AMBIVALENT THING, TWISTING HIM, DISTORTING HIS VISION AND YET MAKING IT SO SHARP THAT HE FELT THAT HE COULD SEE ANYTHING.

>> AROUND CORNERS, THROUGH WALLS, INTO THE EYE OF THE SUN.

THERE CAME INTO HIS MIND, WITH KIND OF A PLEASANT CONTEMPT, THE WORDS THAT BERT HAD USED WITH HIM.

>> SELF-PITY, ONE OF THE BEST INDOOR SPORTS.

>> AND HE WAS A GREAT SELF-ANALYZER.

HE WAS ABLE TO -- HE WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO DISSECT AND UNDERSTAND THE THINGS THAT MOTIVATED HIM, AND ALSO THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT MOTIVATED HIS CHARACTERS AS WELL.

I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WAS A PRETTY REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT ON HIS PART.

>> I'LL GAME, A DEPTH -- WINNING SOME OF THEM FOR POOL WAS A GAME THAT GIVES THE MAN SITTING DOWN NO EARTHLY WAY OF AFFECTING THE SHOOTING OF THE MAN HE'S TRYING TO BEAT, BUT EDDIE BEAT HIM STEADILY, KNIFING BALLS IN, PLAYING HAIRLINE POSITION, RUNNING RACK AFTER RACK OF BALLS WITHOUT HIS CUE BALLS TOUCHING THE CUSHION.

FIRING BALL AFTER BALL AFTER BALL TO THE CENTER, THE HEART OF EVERY POCKET.

HIS STROKING ARM WAS LIKE A CONSCIOUS THING, AND THE CUE STICK WAS A LIVING EXTENSION OF IT.

THERE WERE NERVES IN THE WOOD OF IT AND HE COULD FEEL THE TAPPING, COULD FEEL THE BALLS ROLL, AND THE EXQUISITE SOUND THAT THEY MADE AS THEY HIT THE BOTTOMS OF POCKETS WAS A SOUND BOTH THERE ON THE TABLE AND IN THE VERY CENTER OF HIS OWN SOUL.

>> YOU KNOW, THE SCENE IN "THE HUSTLER" WHERE HE HAS HIS THUMBS BROKEN, IT'S JUST -- YOU CAN'T IMAGINE A WORLD-CLASS POOL SHOOTER EVER COMING BACK FROM AN INJURY LIKE THAT, BUT YET HE DOES.

[ Screaming ] THERE WERE ENORMOUS POSSIBILITIES FOR REDEMPTION AND TRANSCENDENCE IN A CHARACTER LIKE.

>> YOU TELL YOUR BOYS THEY BETTER KILL ME, BERT.

THEY BETTER GO ALL THE WAY WITH ME.

IF THEY JUST BUST ME UP, PUT ALL THOSE PIECES BACK TOGETHER, AND THEN SO HELP ME, SO HELP ME GOD, BERT I'M GOING TO COME BACK HERE AND I'M GOING TO KILL YOU.

>> AND ODDLY ENOUGH, WHILE I WAS DOING THAT POOL SHOOTING WHILE I WAS IN COLLEGE, AND I SORT OF HALFWAY HUSTLED MY WAY THROUGH COLLEGE, I GUESS, I WAS TRYING TO BE A POET, AND I WOULD WRITE LYRIC POEMS ABOUT MY ANGST OR MY EXISTENTIAL DESPAIR, WHATEVER, FINISH OFF A POEM, RUN DOWN AND PLAY POOL.

IT DIDN'T OCCUR TO ME UNTIL YEARS LATER THAT MY INTEREST IN WRITING AND MY INTEREST IN POOL COULD BE PLUGGED TOGETHER AND SOMETHING VALUABLE COULD COME OUT OF THEM.

>> I THINK THAT WALTER TEVIS PROBABLY CONSIDERED HIMSELF A VICTIM OF EARLY SUCCESS.

>> HAVING A SUCCESSFUL FIRST NOVEL PUTS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON A NOVELIST BECAUSE THE PRESSURE COMES FROM THE PUBLISHERS.

THEY SEE NUMBERS.

THEY SEE MONEY, AND THEY WANT MORE MONEY.

>> YOU REALLY HIT IT BIG WITH THAT FIRST BOOK.

>> POSSIBLY BIGGER THAN I COULD HANDLE, YEAH.

>> WHAT YEAR WAS THAT?

>> THE NOVEL CAME OUT IN 1959 AND THE MOVIE CAME OUT IN '61.

>> HIS DESCRIPTION OF THE POOL HALL AT THE OPENING OF "THE HUSTLER" I THINK IS REALLY, REALLY WONDERFUL.

IT'S SO DIRECT AND SO CUMULATIVE THAT IT ALMOST BECOMES A MYTHIC STATEMENT.

HIS IMAGE THERE WAS TO MAKE THAT POOL HALL WITHOUT STATING IT DIRECTLY THE OPENING SCENE -- THE OPENING OF THE POOL HALL LIKE OPENING A CHURCH.

>> A POOL ROOM IN THE MORNING IS A STRANGE PLACE.

IT HAS STAGES, A DAILY METAMORPHISIS, A SHEDDING OF PATTERNED SKINS.

>> NOW AT 9 A.M.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LARGE CHURCH, STILL, SUN COMING THROUGH STAINED WINDOWS, WRAPPED INTO ITSELF.

THE GREAT TABLES TIMELESS AND MASSIVE MAHOGANY, THEIR GREEN CLAWS DISCRETELY HIDDEN BY GRAY OIL CLOTH COVERS.

>> THE HUGE ROOM WITH THE VIEWERS' CHAIRS, HIGH-BACKED, GROUPED REVERENTLY AROUND EACH OF THE 22 TABLES COULD HAVE BEEN A SANCTUARY, A SHABBY CATHEDRAL.

>> AND THE DEMAND FOR ANOTHER FAST EDDIE NOVEL WAS INCREDIBLE, AND WALTER WROTE "THE COLOR OF MONEY" FOR THE MONEY.

>> AS A MONK WAS DRAWN BY GOD, OR WAS IN THOSE MOMENTS IN WHICH HE WAS PERMITTED TO BE, EDDIE WAS DRAWN BY MONEY.

>> I'VE WRITTEN A SEQUEL TO "THE HUSTLER" AND HAVE JUST FINISHED DOING THE SCREENPLAY FOR 20TH CENTURY FOX, AND I HOPE THERE WILL BE A FILM NEXT YEAR IF ALL GOES WELL.

>> KID'S GOT A SLEDGEHAMMER BREAK.

>> UNDER WHATEVER LIES MIGHT FILL THE LIFE, THE EXCELLENCE HAD TO BE THERE.

IT HAD TO BE DELIVERED.

IT COULD NOT BE FAKED.

>> AS MUCH AS "THE COLOR OF MONEY" DESERVED TO BE A SEQUEL AS A BOOK, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MOVIE.

>> WHAT, YOU TAKING THAT GUY ON THE ROAD?

WHAT'S HIS NAME?

>> I DON'T KNOW HIS NAME, AND IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

>> ARE YOU SERIOUS?

TAKING HIM ON THE ROAD?

>> HOW COME YOU DON'T PLAY POOL ANYMORE?

>> I QUIT.

ACTUALLY, SOMEBODY RETIRED ME.

>> AND THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT "THE COLOR OF MONEY" WAS THAT PAUL NEWMAN FINALLY WON AN ACADEMY AWARD.

>> I SHOWED YOU ALL I GOT.

I SHOWED YOU MY ASS IN HERE.

NOW WHAT THE HELL ELSE DO YOU WANT?

THAT'S IT!

THAT'S ALL.

>> EDDIE, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN I KICK YOUR ASS?

>> PICK MYSELF UP AND LET YOU KICK ME AGAIN.

>> WHAT DO YOU DO, FOR A LIVING I MEAN?

>> I DON'T REALLY GIVE A DAMN WHERE MY CHARACTER IS FROM.

YOU KNOW, THAT NOVEL NEVER SPECIFIES WHAT PLANET HE'S FROM.

TO ME ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IS WHEN HE LOOKS UP AT THE SKY AND HE CAN'T TELL THE STAR HE'S FROM.

HE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ASTRONOMY.

HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHICH PLANET IS HIS OWN.

>> I KNOW PEOPLE THINK -- >> IF I WERE YOU, I'D BE SECRETIVE.

>> SCIENCE FICTION IS A STRANGE BED FELLOW TO FICTION.

A WRITER HAS TO CREATE A COMPLETELY SEPARATE WORLD AND POPULATE IT WITH DIFFERENT RULES AND REGULATIONS.

I FIND SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS INCREDIBLY FASCINATING, AND SO I THINK WALTER HAD ONE FOOT IN TWO DIFFERENT PONDS.

>> WE WERE HAVING DINNER.

MY BEST FRIEND WAS OVER, A GUY NAMED BILLY GUILES WAS OVER, AND MY DAD HAD JUST HEARD THAT THEY WERE GOING TO MAKE "THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH" INTO A MOVIE, AND HE WANTED TO KNOW IF WE'D EVER HEARD OF THIS GUY NAMED DAVID BOWIE.

>> IS THIS A WEAPON?

>> A WEAPON?

>> IT'S TOO SMALL FOR INTERPLANETARY TRAVEL.

>> ASSUME THAT IT'S A WEAPON.

>> DAVID BOWIE IS GOING TO PLAY JEROME NEWTON?

>> "THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH" IS A POWERFUL LOVE STORY, A COSMIC MYSTERY, A SPECTACULAR FANTASY, A SHOCKING MIND-STRETCHING EXPERIENCE.

>> WHO COULD BE BETTER FOR "THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH" THAN DAVID BOWIE?

>> NOBODY'S EVER DEALT WITH IT SERIOUSLY OR IF YOU WERE LIVING ON THIS EARTH, WOULDN'T YOU BE LONELY AS HELL, AND ALSO IT SEEMED TO ME TO BE A MARVELLOUS PARADIGM OF ALIENATION, OF A SENSE I FELT, AND I'M SURE A GREAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE FEEL, THAT I DON'T QUITE BELONG HERE.

THIS IS NOT EXACTLY MY HOME.

>> WHERE EXACTLY DO YOU COME FROM?

>> AND THEN A BIG JOB COMES ALONG, BIG JOB WHERE HE GETS TO TEACH CREATIVE WRITING, AS WELL AS OTHER THINGS, AT OHIO UNIVERSITY, '64, '65, IN THERE, THEY CAN BUY A HOUSE.

THEY CAN START LIVING LIKE MIDDLE CLASS HUMAN BEINGS.

THE KIDS ARE GETTING OLDER.

NORMAL LIFE.

>> I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNATE OF INTERVIEWING WALTER TEVIS A LONG TIME AGO, BACK IN THE MID 1970S, WHEN WE WERE TEACHING AT OHIO UNIVERSITY.

I DID A LITTLE SCRIPT ABOUT SEEING HIM IN HIS NATIVE HABITAT, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS AT THE POOL HALL, AND HE HAD A LITTLE STUDIO IN BACK OF HIS HOUSE WHERE HE HAD HIS CHESS BOARD.

BUT ALSO WE DID ABOUT 25 MINUTES OF ON-CAMERA QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSION.

>> MY NAME IS WALTER TEVIS.

FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS I'VE LIVED IN ATHENS, OHIO WITH MY WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN.

I'M A PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH LITERATURE AND CREATIVE WRITING AT OHIO UNIVERSITY.

MY TIME IS FAIRLY WELL DIVIDED BETWEEN MY OWN WRITING AND TEACHING OF WRITING AND LITERATURE TO OTHER PEOPLE.

IN FACT, IT IS SO EVENLY DIVIDED THAT I'M SOMETIMES UNCLEAR IN MY OWN MIND WHICH COMES FIRST IN MY LIFE.

>> ATHENS WAS HIS ACADEMIC CAREER.

HE LOVED BEING A PROFESSOR, AND PEOPLE LOOKED UP TO HIM.

THAT APPEALED TO WALTER'S EGO, THAT YOUNG BOY WHO NEVER FIT IN.

WELL NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN HE'S WINNING PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR, BUT HE STOPPED WRITING.

>> HE WON ONE OF THE BEST TEACHING AWARDS AT OU.

IT'S CALLED THE UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR AWARD, AND IT'S GIVEN BY STUDENTS.

IT'S HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, AND THAT WAS A GOOD INDICATION OF THE FACT THAT STUDENTS REALLY, REALLY ADMIRED HIM AND LIKED HIM.

>> HE'S VERY ANIMATED, VERY, VERY ANIMATED, ALTHOUGH SHY, AND HE HAD THIS HABIT OF CHIN DOWN AND SORT OF LOOKING AT YOU OVER HIS GLASSES.

AND I THOUGHT KIND OF A SHY MAN'S PRESENCE.

>> HIS PERIOD AT OU, HE WAS THERE FOR 13 YEARS, AND HE PUBLISHED VERY LITTLE.

I THINK THE TEACHING WAS A THING THAT ACTUALLY KEPT HIM GOING.

>> IF YOU WANT MY PRIVATE REACTION, I REALLY GET EXCITED WHEN I RUN INTO THAT STUDENT WHO HAS A GIFT FOR A GOOD SENTENCE AND THE RIGHT WORD IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

THAT TO ME IS A TERRIBLY EXCITING THING.

YOU OCCASIONALLY RUN INTO STUDENTS WHO HAVE SOMETHING THEY WANT TO SAY.

EVEN IF THE -- IS LACKING, THERE'S A LOT OF WORTH IN THAT TOO.

YOU CAN TEACH PEOPLE TO AVOID A FEW MISTAKES AND YOU CAN ENCOURAGE WHAT YOU THINK IS GOOD, BUT FUNDAMENTALLY, NO, I WOULD NOT WANT TO GUARANTEE THAT I COULD TAKE SOMEBODY OFF THE STREET AND TEACH THEM HOW TO BE A WRITER.

I DON'T THINK THAT'S TRUE.

>> I THINK AMERICAN CHILD, BY THE TIME HE ARRIVES AT THE AGE OF 15 HAS STORED UP ENOUGH EXPERIENCE IN HIM THAT HE COULD THEORETICALLY WRITE SIX BRILLIANT NOVELS.

TRAGIC, PROBABLY.

THE -- PAY ATTENTION OR REALIZE THE VALUE OF WHAT YOU'VE LIVED THROUGH OR WHAT YOU'VE SEEN.

>> HE'S PLAYING A ROLE ALL THE TIME, YOU KNOW, WALTER TEVIS THE HUSTLERS, "THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH", ET CETERA, ET CETERA, THAT'S A ROLE THAT HE'S PLAYING, BUT HE -- IT'S EATING AT HIM INSIDE TOO BECAUSE HE'S NOT ABLE TO BE SITTING DOWN AND WRITING.

>> I KNOW THAT I AM PRIMARILY A TEACHER WHO, AS IT WERE, WRITES ON THE SIDE.

SOMETIMES I THINK I MIGHT TELL MYSELF THAT, HOWEVER, AS AN EXCUSE FOR LOSING, AS A SORT OF WAY OF WHICH I WOULDN'T HAVE TO COMMIT MYSELF WHOLEHEARTEDLY TO WRITING.

WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, I'M PROBABLY TOO OLD TO CHANGE, AND I DON'T FEEL ANY SERIOUS CONFLICT WHEN I GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT.

>> AS HE INTERACTED WITH HIS COLLEAGUES, THERE MUST HAVE BEEN THAT SENSE OF, HERE, WE BROUGHT YOU HERE, OR YOUR CREDIBILITY HERE RESTS ON YOUR WRITING BIG STUFF, AND YOU'RE NOT.

SO THAT MUST HAVE BEEN A TREMENDOUS GRIT IN HIS LIFE FROM DAY TO DAY.

>> I TAUGHT FOR 13 YEARS AT OHIO UNIVERSITY, AND DURING THAT TIME ONLY WROTE ABOUT THREE SHORT STORIES.

KEPT STARTING NOVELS, BUT I COULDN'T GET THEM DONE.

PART OF IT WAS THE DRINKING.

>> YOU HEAR STORIES A LOT ABOUT WRITERS WHO -- AND I'VE KNOWN MANY OF THEM, WHO HOLE UP AT A COLLEGE SOMEWHERE AND DRINK AND, YOU KNOW, DO THEIR OWN WORK, BUT DON'T PAY MUCH ATTENTION TO STUDENTS.

WALTER WAS NOT LIKE THAT.

>> THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THE PROCESS OF WRITING THAT HE FOUND VERY CHALLENGING.

HE CERTAINLY IS NOT UNIQUE IN THAT, BUT I THINK IT REALLY LED TO A LOT OF HIS UNHAPPINESS.

THE THING THAT HE WAS BEST AT HE WASN'T DOING.

>> I THINK PEOPLE WHO KNEW HIM FELT LIKE THEY WERE WITNESSING KIND OF A SLIDE INTO -- ALMOST INTO OBLIVION.

THAT MAKES IT SEEM KIND OF MELODRAMATIC, BUT HE WAS ANESTHETIZED.

>> NEWTON POURED HIM A GENEROUS GLASSFUL AND WENT FOR HIMSELF AND SUDDENLY SAID, STILL HOLDING THE BOTTLE, I DRINK TOO MUCH.

>> AS A TEENAGER GROWING UP, YOU DON'T REALIZE WHAT KIND OF PAIN YOUR PARENTS ARE IN.

I HAD NO CONCEPT, REALLY, WHAT IT WAS LIKE FOR HIM TO NOT BE ABLE TO WRITE DURING THOSE YEARS, SO WHILE OTHERS PROFESSIONALLY KNEW THIS, AND MY MOTHER PROBABLY KNEW THIS AS WELL, THAT WASN'T IMPORTANT TO ME.

TO ME WHAT WAS IMPORTANT WAS THAT I WAS SAFE AND I LIVED IN A HAPPY FAMILY, AND I KNEW THAT WHOEVER HE WAS AND WHATEVER HE WAS DOING WAS MAKING OUR FAMILY SOMEWHAT UNHAPPY AT TIMES.

>> HE STRUGGLED WITH ALCOHOL HIS WHOLE LIFE, AND I DON'T THINK -- I DON'T KNOW IF HE EVER PARTICULARLY WANTED TO QUIT DRINKING.

>> I'M A RECOVERED ALCOHOLIC, AND I -- I WAS A QUIET DRINKER.

I NEVER WENT TO A CLASSROOM DRUNK, BUT I WOULD QUIETLY SOUSE MYSELF ALMOST EVERY NIGHT IN MY ARMCHAIR AT HOME, FALL IN BED AND PASS OUT.

IT WAS ALL VERY QUIET AND THE SORT OF THING THAT NOBODY MENTIONED PUBLICLY, BUT IT WAS GETTING REALLY BAD.

>> THE WHOLE STORY OF WRITERS AND DRINKING IS AN OLD, DARK RABBITHOLE TO GO DOWN, BUT A LOT OF WRITERS CAN'T WRITE UNLESS THEY ARE DRINKING.

I DON'T THINK TEVIS COULD WRITE IF HE WAS DRINKING.

>> I PUT MYSELF INTO A VERY GOOD ALCOHOLIC TREATMENT CENTER IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, WHERE I GOT THE WORD AND STOPPED DRINKING.

I WAS SOBER WHEN I WENT IN THERE, BUT I WAS REALLY FEELING WRETCHED.

ANYWAY, THEY HELPED ME THROUGH THAT, AND I HAVEN'T HAD A DRINK SINCE.

>> HE WAS LIKE THE GOOD COP TO MY MOM'S BAD COP.

>> I KNEW THAT MY MOTHER WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE.

I DIDN'T KNOW IF HE WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE OR WHAT STATE HE WOULD BE IN.

THIS WAS JUST THE WAY THAT WE GREW UP, SO IT DIDN'T NECESSARILY MAKE ME ANGRY.

THIS IS JUST THE HOUSE RULES.

THIS IS WHAT MY UPBRINGING WAS LIKE.

>> MY MOM ALWAYS WANTED TO HAVE DINNER AT SIX, AND IT WAS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAD DINNER AT SIX.

SHE COULD HAVE JUST LET HIM SLEEP, BUT SHE DIDN'T.

SO ONE OF US, OFTENTIMES ME, WOULD HAVE TO GO GET HIM UP, AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO GET UP.

I MEAN, HE WAS SLEEPING OFF A DRUNK, AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO, T AS A FAMILY.ALL OF US WOULD R SO SHE, WITHOUT QUESTION, WAS THE GLUE IN OUR FAMILY.

>> WE HAD SUMMERS OFF, SO WE OFTEN TOOK PRETTY LONG VACATIONS UP TO MAINE, MAYBE FISHING TRIPS.

IT WASN'T UNUSUAL FOR US TO DRIVE PRETTY LONG DISTANCES FOR OUR SUMMER VACATIONS.

TO KEEP US QUIET, WE WOULD HAVE GAMES THAT WE PLAYED.

>> PART OF THE REASON THAT MY DAD THOUGHT UP THOSE CAR GAMES IS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IN THOSE DAYS THERE WEREN'T -- THERE JUST AM RADIO.

IT WASN'T LIKE YOU HAD DEVICES YOU COULD PLAY WITH.

LIKE WE DROVE FROM IOWA TO MEXICO CITY, AND THE BACK SEAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT.

WHERE MY LINE WAS AND WHERE HER STARTED, SO HE STARTED THOSE GAMES TO STOP US FROM FIGHTING.

>> AND THEY WERE ALWAYS MONEY-MAKING GAMES, WHICH KEPT US MORE INVOLVED, AND THE MONEY THAT WE WOULD MAKE WE WOULD SPEND AS WE STOPPED AT VARIOUS PLACES, LIKE STUCKIES, OR HOWARD JOHNSONS ALONG THE WAY.

>> USUALLY A PENNY A POINT FOR A COW OR SOMETHING, BUT IF YOU SAW A MAIL POUCH TOBACCO SIGN, YOU HAD TO SAY MAIL POUCH TOBACCO, BECAUSE I KNOW THE BOOKS ARE ALL AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, THAT SOME OF IT MAKES ME SAD FOR HIM BECAUSE OF THE STRUGGLES, THE INTERNAL STRUGGLES THAT HE HAD.

>> SO FROM A CHILD'S STANDPOINT, IT'S LIKE WHY CAN'T YOU JUST GET YOUR LIFE STRAIGHTENED OUT, RIGHT?

SO THAT I CAN BE THE FOCUS FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

AND EVENTUALLY HE DID, RIGHT?

SO IN MY LATER TEENAGE YEARS, MAYBE 18 OR 19, HE FINALLY WENT TO A CLINIC IN COLUMBUS TO DRY OUT AND TO GO THROUGH COUNSELING, AND WHEN HE CAME BACK FROM THAT, HE WAS PRETTY MUCH SOBER FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.

HE MIGHT HAVE FALLEN OFF THE WAGON A COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT THAT DID IT.

ONCE HE BECAME SOBER, HE MOVED.

HE WENT TO NEW YORK AND STARTED WRITING AGAIN.

>> HE HAD A VERY DEMANDING JOB AT A HIGH UNIVERSITY AND WAS VERY WELL THOUGHT OF, SO TO SIT DOWN OVER THE SUMMER AND TO WRITE NOVELS, AND HE ALSO LIKED TO DRINK A LOT, AND SO THOSE TWO THINGS LED, IN HIS MID 40S, TO HIM FACING A CRISIS AND HIM DECIDING HE JUST HAD TO WALK AWAY FROM EVERYTHING AND MOVE TO NEW YORK AND WRITE.

>> WHEN HE LEFT OU IN '77 I THINK IT WAS, GOT DIVORCED AND DRIED OUT AND MOVED TO NEW YORK, HE JUST BLOSSOMED.

I MEAN, HE -- HE EXPLODED IN TERMS OF HIS PRODUCTIVITY, IN TERMS OF THE BOOKS THAT HE PUBLISHED, AND WE ALL BACK IN ATHENS JUST LOOKED WITH, YOU KNOW, ONE SAYS GREAT PRIDE BECAUSE HE WAS ONE OF OURS, IN A SENSE, BUT ALSO A CERTAIN REALIZATION THAT, BY GOD, HE FINALLY IS GETTING HIS DUE.

>> HE REALLY GAVE IT A TRY AS BEING A GOOD PERSON LIVING IN A SMALL TOWN IN ATHENS, OHIO.

I GENUINELY BELIEVE HE LOVED MY MOM, BUT HE WAS ALSO DUPLICITOUS IN A NUMBER OF WAYS.

LIKE ONE, HE HAD GONE TO MANHATTAN TO SEE HIS AGENT, BUT WHAT HE CAME TO FIND OUT LATER IS THAT HE ACTUALLY WOUND UP BEING INVOLVED ROMANTICALLY WITH HIS AGENT'S -- A PERSON WHO WORKED IN THERE, ELINOR WALKER, WHO HE EVENTUALLY WOUND UP MARRYING TWO WEEKS BEFORE HE DIED.

AND I REMEMBER WHEN I FOUND THAT OUT, I FELT REALLY BETRAYED.

>> FOR YEARS AND YEARS I WAVERED BETWEEN TEACHING AND WRITING, AND IT WAS ONLY SIX YEARS AGO THAT I QUIT MY JOB AT PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH AT OHIO UNIVERSITY IN ORDER TO MOVE TO NEW YORK AND WRITE FULL TIME.

I'VE BEEN IN NEW YORK SIX YEARS AND WRITTEN SIX BOOKS.

MY AIM IS TO WRITE A BOOK A YEAR FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

>> AFTER HE LEFT AND MOVED TO NEW YORK, HE SEEMED TO HAVE -- EITHER THE REAL WALTER CAME OUT THEN OR HE REINVENTED HIMSELF IN A WAY THAT WAS -- SEEMED SOMEHOW MORE COMPLETE, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY.

>> AND SO HERE HE IS IN HIS LATE 40S, TAKES THE CHANCE, ROLLS THE DICE, IN TRUE FAST EDDIE FASHION, AND GOES TO NEW YORK AND WRITES A BOOK CALLED "MOCKINGBIRD".

>> WALTER TEVIS'S WORK FALLS ALMOST FLAT DOWN THE MIDDLE OF MORE NATURALISTIC QUOTE UNQUOTE LITERARY NOVELS, "THE HUSTLER", "THE COLOR OF MONEY", "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT", AND M"THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH" AND I THINK THE GREAT OVERLOOKED TEVIS NOVEL, "MOCKINGBIRD".

>> ALL OF THOSE BOOKS, EVEN THE DULL AND INCOMPREHENSIBLE ONES, HAVE MADE ME UNDERSTAND MORE CLEARLY WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HUMAN BEING.

>> AND I HAVE LEARNED FROM THE SENSE OF AWE I AT TIMES DEVELOP WHEN I FEEL IN TOUCH WITH THE MIND OF ANOTHER LONG-DEAD PERSON.

>> AND KNOW THAT I'M NOT ALONE ON THIS EARTH.

>> SO YOU SEE IN A BOOK LIKE "MOCKINGBIRD", WHICH IS HIS FIRST BOOK AFTER THE DROUGHT, HE'S GOT ALL SORTS OF IDEAS.

THE IDEAS ARE EVERYWHERE.

HIS COMMENTS ON AMERICAN SOCIETY AND WHERE WE WENT WRONG, ET CETERA, THEY ARE ALL THERE.

>> WHEN I WROTE "MOCKINGBIRD", WHICH IS ABOUT A VERY GRIM FUTURE IN THE 25TH CENTURY, I'M REALLY WRITING ABOUT A CERTAIN GRIMNESS THAT I SEE IN OUR OWN LIVES TODAY, AND A GRIMNESS THAT I'VE SEEN IN MY OWN LIFE.

FOR ME, THAT'S WHAT THE VEHICLE OF FANTASY IS REALLY FOR.

IT'S TO SAY SOMETHING IN THAT WAY WHICH HUMAN BEINGS HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR YEARS AND YEARS, THAT PARTICULAR FORM OF EXAGGERATED FAIRY TALE STORYTELLING TO SAY SOMETHING PROFOUND ABOUT OUR OWN LIVES.

>> DRIVING ALONG THE RUTTED, ANCIENT GREEN HIGHWAYS, AS I AM NOW, WITH THE OCEAN ON MY RIGHT AND THE EMPTY FIELDS ON MY LEFT UNDER THE BRIGHT SPRINGTIME SUN, I FEEL FREE AND STRONG.

>> WHAT'S REMARKABLE ABOUT IT IS THAT IT'S THE REDISCOVERY OF READING AND WRITING.

>> IF I WERE NOT A READER OF BOOKS, I COULD NOT FEEL THIS WAY.

I HAVE BEEN LOSING MY SIGHT FOR 20 YEARS AS A FILM AND LITERATURE TEACHER.

THAT'S ALMOST AN O-HENRY IRONY.

BUT I CRIED.

THE SEQUENCES WHEN THEY ARE PUTTING READING AND WRITING BACK TOGETHER, IT MADE ME, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS MY PROFESSION, IT MADE ME REALIZE HOW MUCH A LOVE OF MY LIFE THAT THAT IS, AND THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENT, I THINK.

>> WHATEVER MAY HAPPEN TO ME, THANK GOD THAT I CAN READ, THAT I HAVE TRULY TOUCHED THE MINDS OF OTHER MEN.

>> WHAT'S THAT GAME CALLED?

>> IT'S CALLED CHESS.

>> WILL YOU TEACH ME?

>> I GIVE KUDOS TO THE DIRECTOR, THE CREATIVE TEAM THAT CAME UP WITH "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT", AND I THINK SERENDIPITY IS INVOLVED HERE, BECAUSE "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT" NEEDED SEVEN HOURS TO BE TOLD.

AND UP UNTIL THE LAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS, WITH STREAMING SERVICES, NO ONE WOULD HAVE EVER GIVEN "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT" SEVEN HOURS.

BUT SEVEN HOURS IS EXACTLY WHAT IT NEEDED.

>> NONE OF US WERE EXPECTING IT TO BE SUCH AN AMAZING SERIES, AND IT IS.

I MEAN, IT'S A HIT BECAUSE IT'S JUST FANTASTIC, AND IT IS THE BOOK, RIGHT?

IT DOES NOT STRAY FAR FROM THE BOOK.

>> YOU MENTIONED YOUR INTEREST IN CHESS A NUMBER OF TIMES.

IS THAT TOO LIKE POOL?

BOTH METAPHOR AND FACT IN YOUR IMAGINATION?

>> OH, SURE, SURE.

IT'S A PURER FORM OF COMPETITION SINCE THERE'S NOTHING -- ALMOST NOTHING PHYSICAL ABOUT IT.

OBVIOUSLY COMPETITION INTERESTS ME IN WAYS THAT I CAN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND, I'M CERTAIN.

>> THAT IS ONE OF HIS GIFTS THAT I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND, HOW HE MAKES CHESS SO READABLE AND SO EXCITING IF YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CHESS.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS I'M TRYING TO DO IN WRITING THIS NOVEL IS GIVE A READER WHO DOESN'T KNOW BEANS ABOUT THE GAME OF CHESS SOME SENSE OF THE TREMENDOUS EXCITEMENT THAT GOES ON IN THAT GAME.

>> I REMEMBER READING THE NOVEL IN 1983 AND THINKING, WELL, THE MOST AMAZING THING TO ME WAS THAT HE GOT ME INTERESTED IN CHESS, AND I DON'T PLAY CHESS.

>> WHEN I GOT INVOLVED IN CHESS AS A KID, I WAS AFRAID OF GIRLS.

I WAS AFRAID OF A LOT OF THINGS, AN CHESS WAS A WAY OF GETTING SOME -- YOU KNOW, GETTING RID OF SOME OF THAT ANXIETY BY DISPLACING IT IN SOMETHING THAT WAS RELATIVELY SAFE.

>> BETH HARMON CAN HELP MANY PEOPLE.

BECAUSE ALTHOUGH I AM NEITHER MATHEMATICAL OR A CHESS PLAYER, SHE IS A FEMALE ROLE MODEL, AND THAT COMES ACROSS CLEARLY IN THE NOVEL, AND I THINK TEVIS DID IT ON PURPOSE, WHICH IS A WOMAN PLAYING CHESS, A GIRL PLAYING CHESS, WAS SO UNUSUAL.

EVEN IF YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CHESS, HE MAKES THAT VERY CLEAR RIGHT AWAY.

>> I THINK SOMETIMES IN DOING THIS BOOK I WAS REALLY MORE WRAPPED UP IN THE IDEA OF INTELLIGENCE IN WOMEN, FOR WHICH I HAVE AN ENORMOUS RESPECT, A KIND OF AWE SOMETIMES, MORE RAPID UP IN THAT THAN EVEN CHESS ITSELF.

>> WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH BETH, OR WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH FAST EDDIE?

AND IT'S THE SAME PROBLEM.

THEY GOT TO OVERCOME THEIR OWN INTERNAL PROBLEM.

THEY GOT TO GET PAST THIS LOSER MENTALITITY.

THEY GOT TO BE TOUGH INSIDE, THAT NOBODY ELSE IS IN THEIR COURT.

THIS IS ME AGAINST ME TO BEAT SOMETHING ELSE.

THIS IS NOT YOU I'M PLAYING.

THIS IS A GAME OF CHESS I'M PLAYING.

THIS IS NOT MINNESOTA FAST I'M PLAYING.

THIS IS POOL, AND I KNOW HOW TO PLAY POOL, AND I'M THE BEST THERE IS, AND I CAN EITHER SUCK IT UP AND BE THE BEST THERE IS, OR I CAN FIND EXCUSES FOR LOSING, WHETHER IT'S ALCOHOL OR DRUG ABUSE OR MY PAST, OR WHATEVER IT IS, BUT IN ALL OF HIS BOOKS, HE DOES.

HE SUCKS IT UP AND HE COMES THROUGH.

>> I'M NOT WRITING ABOUT CHESS AS IT REALLY IS.

YOU KNOW, BOBBY FISHER IS A KILLER SHARK.

HE IS INTERESTED IN BEATING PEOPLE, WATCHING THEM WILT AND CRUMBLE OVER A CHESS BOARD.

NOW THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE.

I MAY WRITE ABOUT THAT SOMETIME.

>> SHE WAS OUT TO WIN NOW.

SHE WOULD HAMMER AT HIS WEAKNESS.

SHE LOVED IT.

SHE LOVED ATTACK.

>> WHEN I WROTE MY NOVEL, TRIED TO TAKE WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE BEST THING ABOUT CHESS PLAYERS, A CERTAIN KIND OF COMMITTED BRAININESS, A KIND OF HIGH SPEED AND AGGRESSIVE INTELLIGENCE, AND I TRIED TO PRESENT THAT IN THE BODY OF A YOUNG GIRL, WHICH MEANT A LOT TO ME.

>> ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS?

>> I'M SURE.

>> WE DON'T HAVE A WOMAN'S SECTION.

>> BACK IN THE 1950S, THERE WERE VERY FEW FEMALES TURNING TO CHESS, WEREN'T GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITIES.

BETH TRYING TO MAKE HER WAY IN A MALE-DOMINATED DISCIPLINE AND WORLD IS SOMETHING THAT'S QUITE DISTINCTIVE AND UNUSUAL.

>> IT'S QUITE BRILLIANT.

>> HOW OLD ARE YOU?

NEVER MIND.

DON'T ANSWER THAT.

IT WILL JUST DEPRESS ME.

>> I'M 36.

>> SHE'S SO CENTERED IN HOW INTELLIGENT SHE IS THAT SHE DOESN'T NECESSARILY THINK OF HERSELF AS A WOMAN FIRST, AND I DO THINK THAT THERE IS SOMETHING TO THAT BECAUSE YOU'RE EXPERIENCING THE '60S THROUGH HER IN THE WAY THAT SHE JUST AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMES THAT SHE IS EQUAL.

>> AM I GOOD ENOUGH NOW?

>> TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH OF IT, CHILD, YOU'RE ASTOUNDING.

>> SHE SHOWS THE ASSURANCE OF A PLAYER TWICE HER AGE.

THAT'S NATIONAL RECOGNITION, DEAR.

>> SHE'S ALSO ADDICTED TO WINNING.

SHE'S ADDICTED TO FEELING LIKE SHE IS IN CONTROL.

>> CHESS IS THE ONE THING SHE FEELS LIKE SHE CAN CONTROL, THAT ON THAT BOARD SHE'S IN CHARGE.

WHENEVER SHE IS MOVING THOSE PIECES AROUND, SHE'S AT HOME.

>> I WIN.

>> I THINK THAT EVERY WRITER TENDS TO WRITE THE SAME BOOK OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND PART OF THE TRICK AND THE SKILL IN DISGUISING THAT FACT FROM EVERYBODY, INCLUDING YOURSELF, I SUPPOSE.

>> A WRITER USUALLY HAS BUT ONE STORY, AND YOU DISGUISE IT.

I THINK HE DISGUISED IT WELL IN AT LEAST THREE SITUATIONS.

YOU KNOW, THE EDDIE FELLSON IS A HUGE CHARACTER.

THOMAS JEROME NEWTON IS SORT OF A DOPPELGÄNGER EDDIE FELLSON, THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT.

BETH IS ALL OF THEM.

SHE'S SO VERY WELL CONSTRUCTED IN THAT SHE IS THAT SELFISH, HUNGRY WINNER, WANTING TO WIN, BUT ALSO BECAUSE SHE'S AN ORPHAN, AND I THINK ALSO A WOMAN, BEING TREATED IN THAT MALE SOCIETY, I THINK SHE'S ALSO VERY VULNERABLE.

SHE'S WALTER TEVIS.

>> SOME DAY YOU'RE GOING TO BE ALL ALONE.

SO YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

>> SHE'S COME FROM A HOME LIFE AND JUST A LOT IN LIFE THAT HAS LEFT HER FEELING VERY UNSTABLE.

SHE DOESN'T REALLY KNOW WHERE SHE'S GOING TO END UP.

>> WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?

>> AND I THINK TEVIS WAS PARTICULARLY GOOD AT DEVELOPING FEMALE CHARACTERS THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER.

BUT THIS CLIMAXES, AS I THINK DOES THE CAREER WITH "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT", WHICH I SOMETIMES THINK IS HIS GREATEST BOOK, WITH THE CHARACTER OF BETH.

>> HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND TIME WITH BETH IN THIS WAY AND NOT JUST SEE ALL OF THE WINS, BUT ALL OF THE HARD WORK, AND THE SACRIFICES THAT IT TAKES TO GET TO THE WINS, I THINK HOPEFULLY THAT JUST BUILDS A LOT OF EMPATHY FOR SOMEBODY WHO I SELFISHLY REALLY, REALLY CARE ABOUT.

[ Applause ] >> IT FEATURES A YOUNG WOMAN WHO HAS POWER AND WHO'S NOT RELIANT ON A MAN FOR HER SUCCESS, SO BETH HARMON IS A WOMAN FOR THE 2020S.

>> THE NOVEL WAS A KIND OF LIFELINE BECAUSE I THINK IT WOULD APPEAL TO ANY SHY, INTROVERTED KID WHO WAS TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE WORLD.

AND BETH HARMON HAS TO MAKE SENSE OF THE REALLY CRUEL AND TERRIFYING WORLD.

>> AND THE VICTORY OF BETH IS THAT SHE, IN SOME WAYS, WINS IT ALL.

I MEAN, IT'S HIS MOST LIFE-AFFIRMING BOOK.

>> WHAT'S FASCINATING ABOUT WATCHING HER GROW UP IS THAT SHE PUTS ON ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PERSONAS.

>> WOW.

>> THANKS.

>> IT IS INCREDIBLY SAD BECAUSE IT'S BASICALLY JUST SAYING THAT SHE JUST DOESN'T FEEL LIKE SHE'S ENOUGH WITHOUT THEM.

>> YOU ARE VERY BEAUTIFUL.

>> I DON'T SEE MYSELF THAT WAY.

>> THEN YOU ARE BLIND.

>> IT'S NOT A PHYSICAL LONELINESS THAT SHE'S SUFFERING FROM.

IT'S AN EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL ONE.

>> THE CORRECT WORD FOR WALTER TEVIS IS OBSESSION.

>> BETH IS VERY OBSESSIVE, FULL STOP.

LIKE, I THINK THAT IS JUST SOMETHING THAT IS INTRINSIC TO HER.

>> ALL RIGHT, IT WILL BE CHECK ONCE THE PAWN MOVES AND THE KNIGHT TRADES.

CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?

>> NO, I CAN'T.

I CAN'T FIND IT THAT FAST.

>> WELL, I WISH YOU COULD.

>> WHEN YOUR BRAIN WORKS THAT QUICKLY, IT CAN DRIVE YOU A BIT MAD, BUT I THINK SHE'S ALSO AWARE THAT HER GIFT MAKES HER SPECIAL.

>> SOMETIMES PEOPLE FIND PATTERNS OR MEANING WHERE THERE AREN'T ANY.

>> WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

>> CREATIVITY AND PSYCHOSIS OFTEN GO HAND NAH HAND.

>> BETH HAS VISIONS OF SEEING A CHESS BOARD ON THE CEILING.

>> THIS IS IN THE BOOK.

SHE LOOKS UP TO THE CEILING AND IMAGINES THE POSITION AND THE PLACES OF THE PIECES.

>> THAT NIGHT SHE LAY ON HER BACK IN BED.

SHE HAD NOT YET TAKEN THE PILL IN HER HAND.

SHE LISTENED TO THE NIGHT NOISES AND NOTICED HOW THAT SEEMED TO GET LOUDER AS HER EYES GREW ACCUSTOMED TO THE DARKNESS.

SHE BLINKED AND LOOKED AT THE DARK CEILING OVERHEAD AND FORCED HERSELF TO SEE THE CHESSBOARD WITH ITS GREEN AND WHITE SQUARES.

THE NOISES HAD ALREADY FADED INTO A WHITE BACKGROUND.

BETH LAY HAPPILY IN BED PLAYING CHESS.

>> I THINK ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT WALTER'S CHARACTERS IS THE FACT THAT THEY -- THEY ARE DEEPLY FLAWED.

WE IDENTIFY WITH THEM BECAUSE WE'RE AWED BY THEIR CAPACITY FOR GREATNESS, ON THE ONE HAND, AND WE'RE DRAWN TO THEM BY THE FACT THAT THEY LOOK LIKE US.

>> SHE DISCOVERS ALCOHOL WHEN SHE'S ABOUT 15.

>> IT'S GOOD.

>> AND CONSUMMATES THAT RELATIONSHIP.

>> ANYBODY WHO'S DEALING WITH PROBLEMS OF ADDICTION IS THEIR OWN WORST ENEMY.

SHE KEEPS SELF-DESTRUCTING ALONG THE WAY.

>> THERE'S A MOMENT WHEN SHE'S BEEN ON A PARTICULARLY TOUGH BENDER, AND SHE MEETS THE FIRST PERSON THAT SHE EVER PLAYED, WHO'S ANOTHER GIRL CALLED ANNETTE PACKER.

>> I KNEW YOU WERE GOING PLACES.

AND THAT MEANT SOMETHING TO ME.

>> AND THAT WHOLE EXCHANGE WAS REALLY, REALLY TRICKY AND ROUGH TO DO BECAUSE I JUST HAD TO BE IN THIS STATE OF EVERYTHING IS FALLING APART, AND YOU LOOKED UP TO ME AND NOW I HAVE TO CARRY THAT -- LIKE, SHE WAS JUST -- HE WAS AN ANGRY BIRD.

>> I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU.

>> WHAT ON EARTH FOR?

>> IT'S FULL OF PAIN.

I MEAN, HER DEMONS ARE HUGE.

THE LONELINESS OF AN ORPHAN AND HER ALCOHOL, BUT AT AGE 20, WHEN SHE WINS AGAINST BORGDOV, THE STORY ENDS HAPPILY.

>> WHAT REALLY STRUCK ME ABOUT "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT" WAS IT WASN'T ALL ABOUT CHESS.

IT'S NOT ABOUT A GAME.

IT'S ABOUT THE COST OF GENIUS.

>> IT'S A STORY ABOUT HOW YOU SURVIVE IN A WORLD WHEN YOU HAVE A VERY SPECIFIC GIFT THAT MAKES YOU HARDER TO UNDERSTAND.

>> I THINK SHE LOOKS TO CHESS AS VERY MUCH AN ESCAPE.

>> ALTHOUGH IT TELLS THAT STORY, THE CHILD GENIUS WORKING UP TO IT IS ACTUALLY STILL MORE ABOUT HER DEMONS.

>> HE DID GET SOBER BEFORE "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT" CAME OUT, SO IT'S FASCINATING TO LOOK BACK AT THE BOOK THAT WAY, IN A SENSE OF HIM LOOKING BACK AT HIS OWN ADDICTIONS.

PEOPLE ASK ME, HEY, I SAW THIS GREAT SERIES ON NETFLIX THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO WATCH.

IT'S CALLED "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT", AND THEN THEY'LL TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT, RIGHT?

IT'S ABOUT A FEMALE CHESS PLAYER, AND THAT'S A PRETTY GREAT FEELING TO SAY, WELL, BY THE WAY, THAT WAS MY FATHER THAT WROTE THAT.

>> IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW NOW, TO HAVE SEEN THE ABSOLUTE INTERNATIONAL FRENZY OVER NETFLIX' VERSION OF "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT", WHAT WALTER'S RESPONSE WOULD HAVE BEEN.

>> THIS IS A COPY OF "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT" GIVEN FROM WALTER TO MY MOTHER, HIS SISTER.

IT SAYS FOR BETTY-JEAN.

YOU TAUGHT ME TO LOVE A GIRL WHO WAS TOUGH AND SMART A LONG TIME AGO.

I LOVE YOU A LOT.

WALTER.

WITHOUT "THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT" BEING TURNED INTO SUCH A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL AND POPULAR SERIES, HIS LEGACY'S PRETTY MUCH RESERVED FOR LITERARY CRITICS AND PEOPLE FROM ANOTHER GENERATION.

>> I'M SO EXCITED NOW THAT HIS WORK IS GETTING A SECOND READ.

>> WHAT IS TRAGIC TO ME IS THAT HE DIDN'T LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO SEE THE LEVEL OF SUCCESS THAT HE REALLY HAD, HE REALLY WAS DUE TO HAVE.

>> THERE'S A GREAT SCOTT FITZGERALD LINE: THERE ARE NO SECOND ACTS IN AMERICAN LIVES.

AND I WOULD ARGUE THAT TEVIS CAME BACK AND HAD A GREAT THIRD ACT.

>> MOST PEOPLE SAY, WELL, I LIKED -- I LIKED THE BOOK, BUT I DIDN'T LIKE THE MOVIE.

WALTER IS A CASE WHERE YOU CAN SAY I LOVED THE MOVIE, AND I LOVED THE BOOK.

THAT'S WHAT REALLY MAKES TEVIS UNIQUE.

>> I THINK WALTER WAS RIGHT THERE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING TRYING TO BRIDGE THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN WHATEVER MIGHT BE CONSIDERED HIGH ART AND WHAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED POPULAR ART.

>> I HAVE SO MUCH PRIDE FOR THE WORK THAT HE DID, AND THEN GOING BACK AND READING ALL OF HIS BOOKS, I DIDN'T READ THEM WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER, SO NOW I'VE READ THEM ALL, AND I KNOW HIM AS A WRITER, AND I AM JUST FLOORED.

>> I THINK ANYBODY WHO KNEW WALTER REALIZED THAT HE WAS ONE OF THOSE WRITERS WHO ALSO HAD A CAPACITY FOR SELF-DEPRECATION, AND SO MUCH SO THAT HE PROBABLY NEVER KNEW HOW GOOD HE WAS.

>> I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW YOU GO ABOUT THE VERY HARD WORK OF WRITING.

ARE YOU GIVEN TO WRITING EACH DAY?

>> NO, I'M NOT.

THAT'S ONE OF MY REGRETS.

ONLY WHEN INSPIRED OR IN NEED OF MONEY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

I DON'T WORK EVERY DAY.

I WISH I DID.

>> HE WAS FROM A GENERATION OF MEN THAT DIDN'T CRY VERY OFTEN, BUT I SAW HIM CRY.

HE WAS MOVED BY THINGS THAT MADE HIM SAD, AND HE WAS MOVED BY THINGS THAT WERE PAINFUL TO HIM AS WELL.

SO IT WAS GOOD TO HAVE A FATHER WHO WAS ABLE TO EXPRESS HIS EMOTIONS, BOTH IN PERSON AND IN BOOKS.

>> HE STARED AT HIMSELF A LONG TIME, AND THEN HE BEGAN TO CRY.

HE DID NOT SOB, BUT TEARS CAME FROM HIS EYES, TEARS EXACTLY LIKE A HUMAN'S TEARS, AND SLID DOWN HIS NARROW CHEEKS.

HE WAS CRYING IN DESPAIR.

>> THEN HE SPOKE ALOUD, TO HIMSELF, IN ENGLISH: WHO ARE YOU?

HE SAID.

AND WHERE DO YOU BELONG?

>> MY FATHER DIED IN 1984.

DANIEL KEYS, WHO WAS A FRIEND OF HIS AND COLLEAGUE AT OHIO UNIVERSITY, SPOKE AT HIS MEMORIAL SERVICE AND REFERS TO "FAR FROM HOME."

HE LEFT BEHIND HIS TRACES FAR FROM HOME, BUT AS LONG AS I HAVE HIS NOVELS AND STORIES TO READ, I WON'T HAVE TO SAY GOOD-BYE TO HIM.