Arts
Jay Parini has written biographies of some of the great American writers of the last 100 years. He's also published collections of poetry, literary criticism, and several novels. He was friends with the writer Gore Vidal for over thirty years and about whom Jay wrote the biography Empire of Self. He's also written a novel on the life of Jesus. He's been fascinated with the lives and influences of writers and has a unique insight into their process and the creation of their literary and public voices. Jay's new novel The Damascus Road, which will be released on April 2, 2019 in the United States. It follows the Apostle Paul and Luke as Paul transforms from a Jewish tent-maker to the most important and crucial figure in the spread of Christianity. Jay compares Luke and Paul's relationship to Sherlock Holmes and James Watson–with Apostle Paul as the erratic, eccentric and sexually ambiguous Benedict Cumberbatch type. This novel is already being adapted for NETFLIX.His novel on the last days of Leo Tolstoy, The Last Station, was adapted into an Academy Award Nominated Film with Christopher Plummer. This is the first episode in a series that plans to focus on voice. There are a few sound issues and, to be honest, I was nervous. My voice will develop though. It better.