Randy Boyagoda, "Show Me Your Dantes"

It’s December 16. Randy Boyagoda, author of Original Prin, sits at the front of the rollercoaster.

How would you describe your story?

RANDY BOYAGODA: My story is about the ways in which people find the stories of their lives, whether they like it or not, in Dante’s Divine Comedy. 

When did you write it, and how did the writing process compare to your other work?

RB: The story is adapted from a novel I’m writing, called Dante’s Indiana, which is about the creation of a theme park inspired by the Divine Comedy in a small-town in the middle of America. My writing process, with four children and a full-time job, is to write whenever and wherever I can, normally very early in the morning and never before first making strong coffee and reading a Canto from the Commedia. 

What kind of research went into this story?

RB: The research that went into this story included, obviously, reading Dante, and also Max Hastings’s excellent history of the Vietnam War, and finally visiting small towns in the American Midwest that make possible the kinds of events and people that appear in the story. 

What, to you, makes the short story a special form? What can it do that other kinds of writing can’t?

RB: The short story can reveal a whole world in a compressed way, making possible momentum, ambiguity, and intensity impossible in any other genre. 

Where should people go to learn more about you and your work?

RB: They can pick up a copy of my latest novel, Original Prin, via the usual places, and also look out for Dante’s Indiana, which will come out in Fall 2021 to coincidence with the 700th anniversary of The Divine Comedy. 

What's the best gift you've ever been given?

RB: A handwritten note from Santa, sent to me in 1985, a few days before Christmas. In heartfelt terms, the note explained that as hard as he had tried, Santa couldn’t find any A-Team figurines anywhere to give me for Christmas, and that he understood I was really, really hoping for this and was sorry it wouldn’t . I didn’t mind that Santa had the same handwriting as my mother, because the note told me a lot about how the world worked, not least how much I was loved. 

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