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Piers Paul Read probably wouldn’t have written “Alive,” one of the great tales of survival, if his American publisher hadn’t bribed him with a free trip to South America.
Edward Burlingame of the small company J.B. Lippincott read the story in The New York Times of the 1972 crash in the Andes mountains and the young Uruguay rugby team that survived. He called Read, thinking that the tale about the 16 who survived for 10 weeks despite severe conditions and injuries from the crash would help raise his profile and his low sales.
The story, however, revolted Read, a conservative Catholic who had received some attention for his fictional works steeped in religion, because the victims survived partly by eating the flesh of the dead.
“When he asked me if I had any interest, I said I most certainly did not,” Read said in a phone interview. “I found it completely disgusting.”
But Burlingame persuaded Read to go with the free trip, and after talking with the survivors, Read was intrigued by the story and wanted to write it. Despite a lot of interest from many publishing companies, the survivors chose Read and the relatively small publishing firm in part, Read believes, because he was Catholic and shared their strong faith.
Catholism again plays a part in Read’s latest book, published May 15, “The Death of A Pope,” as it does in many of his works as Vice President of the Catholic Writers' Guild of England and Wales. Read’s on a publicity tour for the book and will appear in Fort Collins on Thursday, May 21, at Barnes and Noble, 4045 S. College Ave.
“I didn’t set out to be a Catholic novelist, but I never lost my faith,” Read said. “I’ve always believed the drama in life is the battle between good and evil and how politics sometimes complicates that. There’s so much in our history, like World War II, that makes me wonder about the church’s role in it and the way we perceive it now. I really try to understand the history of it to try and get under the skins of the people of the time.”
His latest, a novel, features a slightly burnt-out but conservative priest, the character Read most identifies with in the book. He also admits the novel features a “slightly satirical element” about liberal Catholism. The book, however, is mostly a political thriller with a love story, despite all the questions it raises about theology.
“I really try to let the reader decide, as I do in all my books,” Read said. “Honestly some might think the bad guy in this book is really the good guy.”
That’s the approach Read took to writing “Alive” as well, despite his initial revulsion. It didn’t take him long to really connect with the survivors, and he remains friends with a few of them today, especially the two who walked out of the mountains and saved the rest.
“What was good was it was a few weeks after they came back, and they very much wanted to talk to someone about it,” Read said. “They didn’t want to talk to their parents because that would mean they were still children, and they didn’t want to talk to a priest because that would mean they did something wrong, and they didn’t want to talk to a psychiatrist because where they were from that meant that they were loco, as they put it.
“So I was the beneficiary of that need, and if I do have one really good skill, it’s that I’m a good listener. They just unburdened themselves on me.”
Read didn’t hide any of the gruesome details — something that deeply concerned the victims, who were worried about having to leave the country and initially even hesitated to have the manuscript published — but he did his best to present the cannibalism as a part of the story. Read, again, wanted the readers to make up their own minds. He also narrated in great length the horrors of the crash, the ingenious way they were able to survive and, of course, the thrilling hike out of the mountains that led to the rescue.
The book is rarely seen by the masses as a religious one, but Read wrote several passages of the survivor’s Catholic faith, talking, for instance, about how the two reciting the Rosary during their dangerous trip out of the mountains. It won the Thomas More Medal for “the most distinguished contribution to Catholic Literature.” Read believes their faith is what helped keep them together when the harsh circumstances could have easily torn them apart.
“There’s the book, ‘Lord of the Flies,’ when conditions are trying, and as a result the people turn nasty,” Read said. “But the survivors of the crash didn’t turn nasty, and I think it’s quite an uplifting book in that way.”
Though his publishers would have loved another adventure book from Read, given “Alive’s” best-selling success, he followed up with “Polonaise,” a novel about a Polish family drawn into Communism. Read’s never really wanted to write another “Alive” despite its commercial success, though some of his other books have done well, including a book published four years after “Alive” about the Great Train Robbery of the late 60s.
“I think one of my problems from a professional stance is I’ve written so many different kinds of books,” he said. “I’ve got a very kind of fickle muse who takes me into different areas.”
His next work will be a non-fiction book about the Dreyfus affair, the French scandal that erupted after an officer, Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy, was discovered to be selling secrets to the Germans. Alfred Dreyfus was wrongly convicted of the crime.
“Actually the Catholic church comes out fairly badly in this one,” he said. “But it’s a fascinating story.”
Read may always be known for “Alive,” and the book did change his life, but in one more way than you might think.
“I was sort of a Nervous Nelly kind of person,” he said. “When you saw what they went through, and how they were so brave, it sort of put my worries into perspective. Life is worth living, even when you’re suffering, and I think that’s become a kind of motto for me.”
To Go
Paul Piers Read will appear at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at the Barnes and Noble, 4045 S. College Ave., Fort Collins. The talk is free.
Edward Burlingame of the small company J.B. Lippincott read the story in The New York Times of the 1972 crash in the Andes mountains and the young Uruguay rugby team that survived. He called Read, thinking that the tale about the 16 who survived for 10 weeks despite severe conditions and injuries from the crash would help raise his profile and his low sales.
The story, however, revolted Read, a conservative Catholic who had received some attention for his fictional works steeped in religion, because the victims survived partly by eating the flesh of the dead.
“When he asked me if I had any interest, I said I most certainly did not,” Read said in a phone interview. “I found it completely disgusting.”
But Burlingame persuaded Read to go with the free trip, and after talking with the survivors, Read was intrigued by the story and wanted to write it. Despite a lot of interest from many publishing companies, the survivors chose Read and the relatively small publishing firm in part, Read believes, because he was Catholic and shared their strong faith.
Catholism again plays a part in Read’s latest book, published May 15, “The Death of A Pope,” as it does in many of his works as Vice President of the Catholic Writers' Guild of England and Wales. Read’s on a publicity tour for the book and will appear in Fort Collins on Thursday, May 21, at Barnes and Noble, 4045 S. College Ave.
“I didn’t set out to be a Catholic novelist, but I never lost my faith,” Read said. “I’ve always believed the drama in life is the battle between good and evil and how politics sometimes complicates that. There’s so much in our history, like World War II, that makes me wonder about the church’s role in it and the way we perceive it now. I really try to understand the history of it to try and get under the skins of the people of the time.”
His latest, a novel, features a slightly burnt-out but conservative priest, the character Read most identifies with in the book. He also admits the novel features a “slightly satirical element” about liberal Catholism. The book, however, is mostly a political thriller with a love story, despite all the questions it raises about theology.
“I really try to let the reader decide, as I do in all my books,” Read said. “Honestly some might think the bad guy in this book is really the good guy.”
That’s the approach Read took to writing “Alive” as well, despite his initial revulsion. It didn’t take him long to really connect with the survivors, and he remains friends with a few of them today, especially the two who walked out of the mountains and saved the rest.
“What was good was it was a few weeks after they came back, and they very much wanted to talk to someone about it,” Read said. “They didn’t want to talk to their parents because that would mean they were still children, and they didn’t want to talk to a priest because that would mean they did something wrong, and they didn’t want to talk to a psychiatrist because where they were from that meant that they were loco, as they put it.
“So I was the beneficiary of that need, and if I do have one really good skill, it’s that I’m a good listener. They just unburdened themselves on me.”
Read didn’t hide any of the gruesome details — something that deeply concerned the victims, who were worried about having to leave the country and initially even hesitated to have the manuscript published — but he did his best to present the cannibalism as a part of the story. Read, again, wanted the readers to make up their own minds. He also narrated in great length the horrors of the crash, the ingenious way they were able to survive and, of course, the thrilling hike out of the mountains that led to the rescue.
The book is rarely seen by the masses as a religious one, but Read wrote several passages of the survivor’s Catholic faith, talking, for instance, about how the two reciting the Rosary during their dangerous trip out of the mountains. It won the Thomas More Medal for “the most distinguished contribution to Catholic Literature.” Read believes their faith is what helped keep them together when the harsh circumstances could have easily torn them apart.
“There’s the book, ‘Lord of the Flies,’ when conditions are trying, and as a result the people turn nasty,” Read said. “But the survivors of the crash didn’t turn nasty, and I think it’s quite an uplifting book in that way.”
Though his publishers would have loved another adventure book from Read, given “Alive’s” best-selling success, he followed up with “Polonaise,” a novel about a Polish family drawn into Communism. Read’s never really wanted to write another “Alive” despite its commercial success, though some of his other books have done well, including a book published four years after “Alive” about the Great Train Robbery of the late 60s.
“I think one of my problems from a professional stance is I’ve written so many different kinds of books,” he said. “I’ve got a very kind of fickle muse who takes me into different areas.”
His next work will be a non-fiction book about the Dreyfus affair, the French scandal that erupted after an officer, Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy, was discovered to be selling secrets to the Germans. Alfred Dreyfus was wrongly convicted of the crime.
“Actually the Catholic church comes out fairly badly in this one,” he said. “But it’s a fascinating story.”
Read may always be known for “Alive,” and the book did change his life, but in one more way than you might think.
“I was sort of a Nervous Nelly kind of person,” he said. “When you saw what they went through, and how they were so brave, it sort of put my worries into perspective. Life is worth living, even when you’re suffering, and I think that’s become a kind of motto for me.”
To Go
Paul Piers Read will appear at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at the Barnes and Noble, 4045 S. College Ave., Fort Collins. The talk is free.
