The inspiration for “Images in Mercury” comes from Roberto Bolaño, who in his books often gives biographies of fictional characters.
“My Name is Victor Ocampo” derives from the themes of coming to terms with loss, and is based to some extent on my stays in Wyoming and Arizona.
“The Burden” is about the world we find ourselves in: mysterious, impenetrable and often cruelly indifferent.
“Burning Our Words” takes place in ancient China, and is violent, yet sorrowful over the loss of culture.
“The Women Sing at Dawn” is a ghost story that was my way of dealing with the horrors of war in the eastern Congo, particularly as it damages women.
“The Bear” is inspired by Northwest Coast Indian myth.
“Hope” and “The Dream Heavy Land” (a phrase from Yeats) are Russian stories set in the Soviet period.
“The Vikings Sack Pittsburgh” is not fiction, but a memoir of my boyhood fascination with Scandinavian languages.
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