Interview With Bestseller Mark Kurlansky
Plus: A Bonsai Tree Update!
Recently I had the opportunity to speak to one of my favorite writers about his upcoming book, of all things, the world’s oldest recipe. Bestselling author Mark Kurlansky effortlessly excels in multi-genres, creating bestselling fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, and YA, writing about his varied passions, like food, New York City, baseball, travel, and fly-fishing.
On July 15th, the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble will be celebrating his latest book, Cheesecake, A Novel which takes place entirely in his neighborhood on West 86th St. between Columbus and Amsterdam.
Bob Eckstein: The premise of your new book is delicious. A Greek coffee shop has decided to become an upscale restaurant and they are determined to do so with the help of thanks to the oldest written recipe, a cheesecake recipe from ancient Rome. And it’s a real recipe. How did you come upon learning such a recipe existed?
Mark Kurlansky: I have long known in my studies of food history that the oldest published recipe from about 160 BCE is by the right-wing Roman senator Cato. I have long been fascinated by the odd fact that the first recipe was for cheesecake of all things.
How you tried the recipe yet?
The recipe is utterly incomprehensible.
Mark, you have a gift for turning everyday things we take for granted and uncovering their fascinating history and creating compelling prose. Of course, your blockbuster book Salt was the inspiration for my own book, The History of the Snowman. What was the inspiration for this book?
This, combined with a desire to write a novel about the gentrification of my neighborhood on the Upper West Side, is a companion to my novel about the gentrification of my old neighborhood, the Lower East Side, Boogaloo on Second Avenue. A very different story. By imagining a Greek diner trying to go upscale with Cato’s cheesecake, I combined the two stories.
What do you hope will be the reader’s takeaway from the book?
Readers will see how brutal economic realities are destroying neighborhoods and culture. Also says something about recipes. There is no scientific formula when you try to follow a recipe, it is an interpretation. Everyone’s food is different.
What are you reading right now?
I am currently reading Ferdinand Céline’s Journey to the End of Night. He is a major French writer who I have always avoided because he was a rabid Jew hater and Nazi collaborator. But I have to admit that he was a brilliant writer, a huge influence on not only French literature but also American.
What are you working on now?
In the fall The Boston Way comes out, a history book about Nonviolent abolitionist in Boston who believed that if violence was used to emancipate slaves it would take a hundred years for them to get their rights. Optimistic as it turns out, they pioneered many of the techniques of the Civil Rights movement—boycotts, freedom rides, restaurant sit ins, even freedom songs. Next year I have a book of essays on fishing, How to Catch a Fish and a book on the history culture and biology of the lobster, Lobsters. The next year I have a collection of dark short stories on fishing called Fish Noir.
Cheesecake: A Novel by Mark Kurlansky is released by Bloomsbury Publishing on July 15th. The book launch is open-to-the-public at the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble at Broadway at 82nd St. at 7pm.
For just today (Friday, July 10th) Barnes & Noble is giving a 25% discount for its members for any pre-orders of the new book, Inspired by Cats, which I did with Nava Atlas (Literary Ladies Guide) and Countryman Press of W. W. Norton & Company. Just use discount code is PREORDER25. (Only those with B&N Rewards membership are eligible but you can enroll for FREE if you are not already a member. B&N members with Premium membership get 35% off during this sale.)
The book we made together is about the relationship between great authors and their beloved cats. The collection profiles 60 famous authors and their feline companions. All eras and genres are represented, including: Margaret Atwood, Edward Gorey, Judy Blume, Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, Margaret Atwood, Francesco Marciuliano, Sharon Mesmer, and Marlon James.
Here are some details of Patricia Highsmith, Tracy Chevalier, Sheng Keyi, and David Sedaris from the book.
Please send me any questions you may have about the book.
So, let me clarify. The bonsai is the twig on the right and still no sign of a leaf. You might notice that a fern has somehow invaded the pot.
I usually have my wife, Tammy, check the newsletter before it goes out. Her comment here was, “The Bonsai Watch only shows the fern, not the bonsai I think you need a different picture.” More soon.
That book is the perfect gift for several people I know. Not me. I'm a dog person.
Love your posts, Bob. Thank you so much for sharing yourself with us. xo
I always thought PG Wodehouse might have a racier cousin named NC-17 Wodehouse.