Oscar Hijuelos - Twain & Stanley Enter Paradise

Q. When you compare Oscar’s life and career to that of these two historical figures, there are some poignant similarities between author and subject. How do you think Oscar related both as a person and as a writer to Twain and Stanley, their philosophies, and the fictional re-tellings that he created?

In this novel, Oscar is remarkably candid about his personal beliefs. At first, when I reread the novel, I was taken aback at just how much of himself he allowed to be revealed, even if ever so subtly. In general terms, if I may, Oscar can be seen in Stanley's understanding of fame and success; that in the end it doesn't mean much, except that it allows one a platform to do GOOD in the world and to try to add a measure of beauty to one's environment. Likewise, in Twain's persona and journey in TWAIN & STANLEY, there is Oscar's humor, his appreciation for irony and how it shapes the way we saunter through our days. Oscar definitely believed in God, as Stanley did, but he also had so many questions. Oscar abhorred injustice and the fact that so many people have suffered through the ages. He grappled with his faith in this regard. So, in that respect, you can see my husband in Twain. Definitely, Oscar found in both men a companionable appreciation for the power of literature and for excellence in "telling" the tale. For Oscar, writing was living, and that is what he was called to do.

Q. Finally, what do you think Oscar would have wanted the biggest takeaway for the reader to be?

To be transported-not only to another era and place, but to the depths of one’s soul. And one thing else: Oscar was a romantic. He was a soulful man. He was an adoring spouse. (I was very fortunate to have been his wife.) In this novel he wanted to convey a core belief of his: that a woman’s love for her husband made all the difference in his chances for true peace and happiness. Dorothy Tennant, in a way, saved Stanley. And Livy was Twain’s spiritual rock, physically frail though she was.