And I was fascinated by the Choose Your Own Adventure series of books ("if you step out of the time capsule, go to page 22 if you try to fix the mission computer, go to page 41").Īs I evolved as a writer, from navel-high producer of galactic space operas to fuzz-sprouting fantasist imagining nonexistent island countries, to university dabbler in more-or-less realistic short stories to twentysomething unpublished novelist, I became more and more interested in the interactive nature of fiction. So I was drawn to the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, where players create imaginary personas and sally forth into mutually conceived worlds of swords and sorcery. Often, when I read, I felt like the character I was reading about. I also never really understood the boundary between the roles of character and reader. For me, Charlotte's Web was as profound a meditation on mortality as The Death of Ivan Ilyich. But I never really understood the boundaries between genres. I'm constantly flirting with other cities.Īs a kid I read widely: comics, science fiction, news magazines, children's books, atlases, "literature". I've had a lifelong love affair with Lahore, but it's been far from monogamous. In Istanbul to give a lecture last week, I wasn't dreaming of the next meal or next sight. When I travel, I feel more like a nomad than a tourist.
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