Gilbert Cruz

I was seeing him sitting down, taking out a piece of paper, writing a letter. Okay. An email.

I was seeing him sitting down, taking out a piece of paper, writing a letter. Okay. An email.

That's quite powerful. You convinced a man to just get rid of his entire life and move across the country.

That's quite powerful. You convinced a man to just get rid of his entire life and move across the country.

No, you didn't need to, clearly. Yeah.

No, you didn't need to, clearly. Yeah.

Yeah, no material baggage. I read an interview with you where you said that when you got a divorce in your early 70s, some people around you thought maybe this is a little crazy. How did that feel to you at that stage in your life?

Yeah, no material baggage. I read an interview with you where you said that when you got a divorce in your early 70s, some people around you thought maybe this is a little crazy. How did that feel to you at that stage in your life?

Mm-hmm. Um, you grew up in Chile, lived your young adult life there. And then, um, you've been in America for several decades. You said during a speech you gave in 2018, when you accepted an award from the National Book Foundation, uh, I was in the audience that night. Um, you said, although I am critical of many things about this country, I am proud of to be an American citizen.

Mm-hmm. Um, you grew up in Chile, lived your young adult life there. And then, um, you've been in America for several decades. You said during a speech you gave in 2018, when you accepted an award from the National Book Foundation, uh, I was in the audience that night. Um, you said, although I am critical of many things about this country, I am proud of to be an American citizen.

I'm wondering how your thoughts about your citizenship have changed, if they have at all,

I'm wondering how your thoughts about your citizenship have changed, if they have at all,

Yes.

Yes.

What would stop you? What would get in your way?

What would stop you? What would get in your way?

You have this humanitarian work that you're doing over here and then over here every day for eight, ten, however many hours you're in front of the keyboard and you're writing. Are those two things connected in your mind or do they exist in separate worlds?

You have this humanitarian work that you're doing over here and then over here every day for eight, ten, however many hours you're in front of the keyboard and you're writing. Are those two things connected in your mind or do they exist in separate worlds?

And that's a conscious decision? Yes. Because I imagine given what you care about, what you're passionate about, the types of stories that you tell, that even if you're writing historical fiction or fiction set in the past, something will make its way in. There will be parallels. And even if that's not your intention. Yeah.

And that's a conscious decision? Yes. Because I imagine given what you care about, what you're passionate about, the types of stories that you tell, that even if you're writing historical fiction or fiction set in the past, something will make its way in. There will be parallels. And even if that's not your intention. Yeah.