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An Interview with Brady Udall

How did you come to write The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint? Was there a specific event that inspired you to write a book about a mailman running over the head of a young boy?
My wife's ex-boyfriend was actually run over by a mail truck, just like Edgar in the book. This guy was dating my wife at the same time I was dating her (unbeknownst to me) and when she finally fessed up about it, I demanded to know all about this bastard. Among other things, she told me that in his youth he'd been run over by a mailman and was so badly injured that he was presumed dead. It turned out that he survived and went on to become my rival for my future-wife's affections. Anyway, after my wife's confession, I went out to find this guy—not to beat him up, but to verify his story. I found him at his apartment and he very graciously told me everything. He told me there was one thing he wanted to do in this life: find the mailman and tell him that he was okay, that he had lived a healthy, normal life. I jotted it all down in a notebook while he talked, knowing I'd write a book about it some day.

Have you received any reaction from the Native American community in response to the way reservation life and the Willie Sherman school are represented in the book?
The only responses I've gotten from Native Americans have been good ones. It seems that only educated white folks object to the portrayal of the reservation and the school. Most Native Americans are quite aware of the extreme poverty and destitution that can be found in reservations all over this country.

What sort of research did you do for this book?
A lot more than was actually necessary. I spent a lot of time at the boarding school, talking to people, getting the feel of the place. It's one of my favorite places in the world and one I will return to time and again. I also did some research on brain trauma, but in the end I learned that convincing the reader is all about attitude. You simply render your material in such a convincing way that the reader has no choice but to believe.

What, if anything, does Edgar's typewriter symbolize? What about his urinal puck?
Not to be difficult, but the typewriter and urinal puck don't symbolize anything at all, not to me at least. I guess I don't believe in literary symbols. To Edgar these objects are simply sources of comfort, replacements for the loved ones he doesn't have.

In your opinion, is the character Edgar Mint an optimist?
Yes, mostly because he doesn't know any better. Somebody smarter than me once said that children are able to survive the afflictions of the world simply because they aren't aware of the alternatives. Edgar expects nothing and does the best he can.

Edgar's relationship with the Mormon Elders and his baptism represent a new and arguably better stage in his life. Any comment on the role religion plays in the book?
I grew up in a very religious household and though I'm not the most spiritual or religious guy in the world, I know that God plays a central role in the lives of people everywhere. It's hard for me to understand why so many contemporary writers seem to be reluctant or downright afraid to confront God in their work. I guess I write about God because God is in our lives, whether we want Him there or not.

Can you name some of the writers that have inspired you or influenced your work?
My biggest influence is Mark Twain. There has never been a funnier writer and yet very few have possessed a darker view of human existence. I love Flannery O'Connor and Gunter Grass and I've learned a lot from contemporary writers like Denis Johnson and Barry Hannah. When I was 11 my mother gave me Kafka's The Metamorphosis to read. I don't think I've been the same since.

What are you working on now?
A novel called The Lonely Polygamist. My first novel is about a boy who is totally alone in the world, without family or tribe. So I thought I'd go in the opposite direction with my second novel: a story about a guy with 4 wives and 28 children.



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