My mentor is Demetrius Toteras, the renowned absurdist theater director and pre-Classical scholar. I studied under Toteras many years ago and his impact on my life and work has been profound. I also admire the writer, vgrafen, as well as the poet, L. Robuis.
Truly, I must admit you are introducing me to an entire group of people I've never heard of. I'll have to check out their works as well.
So, feedback is important to a lot of authors. Do you read reviews written about your book?
Yes, I read everything written about me and/or the book, and though I always take into consideration what is said, I never waver in my faith that my book is both well-written and timely. It's always fun to see what others think, though, and I'm never offended by anything said.
Do you have any advice for unpublished authors?
Yes, become a grammar freak! Present written work that is grammatically perfect every time, because you cannot expect publishers to copy-edit your work, and anything you submit, unless it's grammatically clean, will be tossed. Besides, any glitch sends the message that you weren't as careful as you could have been and makes your manuscript suspect. So, become technically as clean as you can be.
I agree 100%. Very good advice!
How long did it take you to write your current book?
I began the book in outline form back 20 years ago, but in 2003, I produced the first draft, which has been under the knife since! I have gone through many edits and many versions to produce what you now see before you.
Wow! Twenty years? That is dedication. Well, tell us why you chose the satire genre?
Having studied with Toteras, the noted absurdist, I chose satire and its sub-category, absurdity, because I could both make strong and sincere intellectual points while keeping it all in a fun tone of general mockery. You get to learn while you laugh at yourself, a great combination and how literature used to be done, in my view.
Did you do any research before start or during of the writing of the book?
Plenty! If you go over my Recommended Reading List from the back of the book, most if not all of those authors were on my desk several times before the book was finished. I tend to absorb an author and the, later, find I've almost incorporated his essential spirit, especially the ones who really moved this book.
What is the one book that you think everyone should read?
There is no question in my mind that everyone should read and then re-read Plato's Apology, or as some term it, The Last Days of Socrates, the account of Socrates' trial in Athens. In that book is the essence of what it means to be a free human being and without that understanding, you will be prey to all those who seek to enslave you. Other than perhaps the Bible, this is the most important book in Western Civilization hands down!
Where is your work available?
Right now, it's on Amazon only, but soon it'll be available at brick-and-mortar bookstores like B&N and others. The ebook version recently came out. You can Google it, head straight to Amazon or go to my website and order it from there.
If I give you a time machine, what time period and in what place would you travel to?
Without hesitation, I would say 480 B.C. and Athens, Greece, the heart of the Golden Age! Imagine spending the day listening to the various poets and philosophers duking it out, seeing Protagoras and Socrates there beside you, with Pericles watching over the city and Alcibiades stirring up trouble! Chantel, send me home, please!
Haha - okay, come back. No causing trouble!
Thanks so much for being here today and sharing with us a bit more about you and your work. I really appreciate you taking the time.
About R. Milton Quibner
A die-hard, life-long San Francisco Giants fan, I am a Senior Fellow at the Pataphysical Institute of Northern California, and am one of the world’s leading Heterosexual Relationship Specialists. I have developed a unique and hard-hitting self-help program for men based on Pre-Classical values and ethics.
I draw upon the fundamental works of Western Antiquity, focusing on the ontological, axiological and epistemological discoveries found in the early texts as a means of shaping the male role in the modern heterosexual relationship, though I do employ, where applicable, later source material.
Aware of the impossibility of asking a modern man to emulate the rigorous virtues and behavior of a long-dead society, yet convinced the overwhelming majority of men are desperate for major personal over-haul, I have designed a program geared to the more modest scope and capabilities of today’s heterosexual man.
Facebook: RmiltonQuibner
Happy reading everyone! Have a good weekend!
eeeChantelfff
