Through Australian Eyes: Peter Carey

Peter Carey, who visits UAlbany today, is interviewed about his new cyber-thriller, Amnesia, by Elizabeth Floyd Mair of the Times Union:

Q: How much was the story inspired by figures like Assange [a fellow Australian] and Edward Snowden?

A: I had lunch with Sonny Mehta, my editor and publisher, and we were talking about Assange. At that stage, Knopf had just bought the rights to Assange's biography and had just found in me someone who was passionate on the subject. At a certain point he said, by the by, "I don't suppose you want to write the book."

For me, there were all sorts of reasons not to do this, not least that I am a novelist and don't have that sort of skill. The conversation lasted, perhaps, two minutes and disappeared like smoke. I didn't think Sonny was entirely serious. He now says he was.

More in the Times Union:   http://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-features/article/Through-Australian-eyes-6051002.php

More about Peter Carey's visit today:  http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/webpages4/archives/carey_peter15.html