What He Reads for Inspiration....

Alan Lightman on CBS News:

Q: What inspired you to write the book?

A: First of all, I have for a long time loved fabulist, imaginative fiction, such as the writing of Italo Calvino, Jose Saramago, Michael Bulgakov, and Salman Rushdie. I also like the magic realist writers, such as Borges and Marquez, and feel that interesting truths can be learned about our world by exploring highly distorted worlds. So, that is for form. As for content, with a background in science I am extremely interested in the meeting ground of science, theology, and philosophy, especially the ethical questions at the border of science and theology. All of these impulses served as inspiration for my new novel. More.

Alan Lightman visits Thursday, Feb. 2nd.