Brian Platzer
Brian Platzer is the critically acclaimed author of the novels Bed-Stuy Is Burning and The Body Politic (both Atria/Simon & Schuster) as well as the forthcoming parenting book Taking the Stress Out of Homework (Avery/Penguin Random House).
From his Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: How did you come up with the idea for The Body Politic, and for your four main characters?Visit Brian Platzer's website.
A: When I write I tend to take exaggerated or distorted versions of myself and people I know well or have met a few times and put them in situations where they are confronted by difficult choices.
This novel was especially inspired by the following: my own chronic neurological disorder, a friend who had recently been cheated on, another friend’s battle with alcoholism, an underground cocktail bar I frequented in college, and the election of America’s worst person as its president.
Q: Author Kristen Roupenian compared the novel to Claire Messud's The Emperor's Children--what do you think of that comparison?
A: I love it! The Emperor’s Children succeeds at so much of what I’ve attempted. It takes a specific moment of history and focuses on how a group of friends and lovers react to it. It is...[read on]
Writers Read: Brian Platzer.
--Marshal Zeringue
