I am always interested in what influences an author.
Life experiences, books read or research performed that
is translated into characters and narrative. Our current author
has a wife with a disabled sister; but, he sees her disability as a
gift in many ways. Doerr has high regard for her
intellectual curiosity, and uses this as a motif throughout the
book. Marie wants to learn and learn and learn.
When asked in a Goodreads interview what kind of
research author Anthony Doerr did regarding blindness, he replied
"I read lots and lots of memoirs - anything about someone
going blind or had been blind.....my son did blindfold me and
walk me around downtown Boise....but primarily just reading:
And There Was Light by a guy named Jacques Lusseyran...."
Let's take a look at this book that influenced our author. And There Was Light was
written in 1963, translated from the French. Author Jacques Lusseyran was born in
Paris in 1924, when the German occupied Paris he was 15, and at age 16 he formed
and headed an underground resistance movement, beginning with 52 boys and growing
to 600 strong. His achievements are remarkable, especially so as he became totally
blind at age 8.
And There Was Light - he describes his world of blindness, and it isn't what you
would expect. He experienced a world of light within, "I was aware of a radiance emanating from a place I know nothing about, a place which might as well have been outside me as within." He found LIght and Joy, seeing light even though he was blind.
He describes living in "a stream of light" every waking hour and that "colors, all the colors of the rainbow,
also survived." Even with his eyes closed at night, he experienced this light, which was real and necessary to his existence; but, he found this light would fade and disappear whenever he was afraid, angry, hostile or confused.
written in 1963, translated from the French. Author Jacques Lusseyran was born in
Paris in 1924, when the German occupied Paris he was 15, and at age 16 he formed
and headed an underground resistance movement, beginning with 52 boys and growing
to 600 strong. His achievements are remarkable, especially so as he became totally
blind at age 8.
And There Was Light - he describes his world of blindness, and it isn't what you
would expect. He experienced a world of light within, "I was aware of a radiance emanating from a place I know nothing about, a place which might as well have been outside me as within." He found LIght and Joy, seeing light even though he was blind.
He describes living in "a stream of light" every waking hour and that "colors, all the colors of the rainbow,
also survived." Even with his eyes closed at night, he experienced this light, which was real and necessary to his existence; but, he found this light would fade and disappear whenever he was afraid, angry, hostile or confused.
Jacques Lusseyran spent 2 years at Buchenwald. He was one of 30 survivors of 2,000 men sent there at the
same time. After his release, he helped found the newspaper France Soir, the most important daily in Paris. Later, he became
a college professor at the University of Hawaii.
In the closing words of his book, he talks about two truths:
"The first of these is that joy does not come from outside for whatever happens to us it is within. The second
is that light does not come to us from without. Light is in us, even if we have no eyes."
This book is available through an inter-library loan with Mel (Michigan eLibrary). Remember inter-library
loans are suspended until December 11th. Call the library or visit http://elibrary.mel.org/ to make a request from home.
You can read an excerpt of this book on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/There-Was-Light-Jacques-Lusseyran/dp/0930407032/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448909178&sr=1-3&keywords=And+there+was+light
same time. After his release, he helped found the newspaper France Soir, the most important daily in Paris. Later, he became
a college professor at the University of Hawaii.
In the closing words of his book, he talks about two truths:
"The first of these is that joy does not come from outside for whatever happens to us it is within. The second
is that light does not come to us from without. Light is in us, even if we have no eyes."
This book is available through an inter-library loan with Mel (Michigan eLibrary). Remember inter-library
loans are suspended until December 11th. Call the library or visit http://elibrary.mel.org/ to make a request from home.
You can read an excerpt of this book on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/There-Was-Light-Jacques-Lusseyran/dp/0930407032/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448909178&sr=1-3&keywords=And+there+was+light
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