Thanks !

WOW!! OH WOW!! woohoo

This is an awesome interview Karen, really amazing.

What an experience that must have been, to talk to Greg himself, and he told you so much.

He seems to have turned his life totally around since he got clean, which is brilliant to hear. I hope he is proud of his success, I am thrilled for him.

I'm looking forward to his fantasy book. :D

I'd love to see a picture of the motorbike he has for Johnny, it sounds very intriguing. B)

I can't wait to read the next part of the interview. Thanks so much for sharing this with us Karen. :wub:

Anne x

Thanks Karen for such a wonderful interview with Gregory Roberts. He is so open and fresh!

I hate to admit it, but I've been plugging away at Shantaram for several months. I keep getting distracted by other books I want to read. I'm back at carrying it and reading a few pages when I get the chance.

This interview and the firsthand insights into the story and characters have made them come alive again to me in the book.

What a wonderful motivational tool.

Thank you so much. :thanks

Holly

What an interesting interview with an interesting personality. I am reading Shantaram now and loving it. My usual tendency is to read a book as quickly as I can, many chapters at a time. I started Shantaram with the same plan, but was so taken with Roberts' eloquence that I slowed down to savor it. Now I am taking Shantaram in small portions, like a luscious dessert that is so rich you can afford only a few bites at a time, and I am relishing each and every bite. It's a hefty book, but I sense that I am going to be very sad to reach the ending. (But there's a sequel in the works---SWEET!) Shantaram is a beautiful gift to the world from GDR. I agree with you, Karen, and think comparing film and books is pointless, but it usually works out that the film (and I do hope this one gets made and released) creates renewed interest in the book, so maybe many more people will eventually open this gift!
I look forward to the next part of your interview!

Absolutely incredible. What an amazing opportunity for you to speak with him direct Karen. And fantastic questions :bow

Yes, very curious about the bike for Johnny :D

Im still reading Shantaram myself (although so sad to hear about Prabaker, havent got to that bit yet :( ) and loving it. The book really pulls you into the smells, sights and sounds. Beautiful.

Thanks again karen and look forward to reading more your conversation with him.

Chez

Congratulations on such a wondeful interview Karen and not forgetting a huge thank you to Gregory David Roberts for taking time out to talk to you.

Short on two hours for a phone call?? I obviously need to improve a little....Mr Roberts is doing better than me!! :lol: He's stolen my crown!

As I read your interview, I can't help but think how incredible it is, the way he has turned his whole life around. He is and will continue to be an inspiration to many people all over the world.

I must admit that I haven't got past the half way mark in the book. I got up to somewhere around page 400 and started to find it incredibly difficult to read. It was like the film 'The Brave', it started to haunt me, so I had to put it down and I haven't picked it up since. I must get back to it.

The bike sounds very interesting and I'm sure Johnny will be riding it as soon as he is able to do so.

Thanks for sharing Karen, that was so interesting.

:thumbsup :thumbsup Thank You for sharing this wonderful interview.
He is an interesting man. That was very insightful and interesting.

How wonderful he gave so freely of himself and his time. I am looking forward to reading the book more now and seeing the film.

How great that he will present Johnny with a special motorcycle when he is filming in India. That is a lovely gesture.

Yvonne in LA

Woo Hoo!!!! How awesome that must have been for you Karen to finally have gotten to speak with Greg. I imagine you could have just kept going on and on with this interview.. darn work priorities.. lol. Was interesting to learn of how early he actually started to write.

I'm glad to learn about the clarification of whether these characters in his book were actual ones with the names changed or ones he developed to help tell his story.

This man is one you can honestly say has completely turned his life around and in doing so has made an impact on so many other lives in so many different and varying degrees. He also seems to be a very disciplined man.

I'm impressed with the motorcycle refinishing company he started there to help in his efforts of fighting TB. Not only is he helping in fighting the disease.. but the way he went about it.. starting a company.. giving honest jobs to people who must also feel & see the rewards of the work they are doing. He really has given back.

I was just talking this book up again to my son to read.. he promised me this time after he reads his next two books he'll take Shantaram on. So I best get started on my second read.. which I'm really looking forward to.. I'm sure there were things I missed the first time through.

So Karen.. is there going to be a part 2 to this.. you mention his love of American Culture.. and I'm presuming.. like you said .. you're holding some back.. like some of our submitted questions.. for during the appropriate moments of our 2nd discussion.

Karen.. thank you again for your ... what word am I looking for.. your unwavering commitment in being able to finally give us all the opportunity for this interview with him.

~ Mary Kay

Yes there will be a part 2. It took me almost 14 hours of typing over 3 days to transcribe the discussion that you read here. There are pages and pages to go, but my fingers are decidedly sore from typing.

All of our questions did not get asked. I did the best I could with the time I had. As I said, I had only allowed about two hours. lol And as you can see, Greg was so giving with his answers, and often our discussion took us down another path entirely. So we have what we have. There is another bit that's about a third of this length that I have yet to transcribe. I hope to have it typed within the week for us.
And some of the info about the character development and story architecture will appear during our revisit this summer. ;)

We are so blessed to have had this time with him.

What a wonderful experience this must have been for you Karen!
Mr. Roberts not only turned his own life around but he's making a difference on so many others. He should be proud of all his accomplishments.
And how nice of him to give us so much of his time.
I am almost done reading it and I have already recommended it to some friends so I have to thank JDR for turning me on to this. Thank you Karen for the great interview and all your hard work. It is very appreciated!
Rose

Oh, what a wonderful interview! Karen, bless you for all you hard work transcribing it to the written word! :bow

I'm so glad to see that you and GDR brought up the issue of the difference between movies and books.

I used to say, "I never read the book, it spoils the movie for me." :rolleyes:
But now, like you, I have come to appreciate the fact that they are two separate entities to be appreciated on different levels and held to a different standard.
I'm happy to see him say he will step back when the time comes to allow the filmmakers to express it in the parameters of their art.

I'm also tickled to see GDR use "To Kill a Mockingbird" as a perfect example of a movie that captures the book in the most pure way. I agree 100% and have used TKAM as the model of book-to-film perfection myself.

I also think sometimes a film will improve on a book. For me this was done by said Anthony Minghella--"Cold Mountain." (The English Patient, not so much.)

I can't wait to re-read and discuss Shantaram here with all of you, and I have no doubt that the movie will prove to be a different animal but I will enjoy it without adverse comparison.

I am happy that you got to talk to him, envious that you got to talk to him, and ever so grateful that you brought it to us here!

:thanks

I'm... how grateful one is for ...
I'm... how grateful one is for Karen...
What Karen have had to go through...

fills a deep message...

I get all excited!

Oh, how long be spent Karen's time!!! I can't tell you how grateful I am...
Heartily... heartily...
Thank you, Thank you so much Karen!!!

I appreciate Mr. Roberts's bona fides!
I appreciate Karen's efforts!
I appreciate all of your efforts!!!

Awesome job-many thanks!!
:snoopy

I was so thrilled and honored to be able to bring this conversation to JDR. I was very much my pleasure!

I can't even begin to tell you about the experience, at one point he said he was afraid he was boring me! HA! I loved every minute of our discussion and welcomed the paths he took us down!

I just finished reading this wonderful interview Karen, :thanks so much for taking the time not only to talk with Mr. Roberts, but then to type everything out for us!

A lot of insights not only into the book, but Roberts himself and the kind of person he has become. As others have said, I'm very happy he has cleaned up his life so we can enjoy his beautiful prose.

I know what you mean about books vs. movies, it really is difficult, especially with a long book, to translate it into a film. It will be interesting to see what they come up with for Shantaram.

I thought it interesting he mentioned one of the books he was reading was Charlie Wilson's War as I believe that's a film that's due to come out this year with Tom Hanks that is receiving Oscar "buzz". Anyway, wonderful interview and I look forward to Part 2! :D

Excellent interview!

Thank you for all your work on it! It was very interesting to read.

-- carpediem

Bless him. It was a very enjoyable read so I can only imagine what it was like to be actually having the discussion with him.

Rest those hands Karen and look forward to the next installment.

:thanks It was an interesting read. I have always had an interest in bikes, and would like to see some pics of the ones they are producing. (Johnnys ;) ) I knew nothing about him and have yet to read the book. I'm hooked now.

~Deppends~

:thanks Karen for yet another great interview. I am late in replying to this, but I finally have found the time after having the flu and then spring break to let you know how much I appreciate this interview, and your time and effort to bring it to us. I am looking forward to the next part whenever you get to it. And :thanks to Mr Roberts for taking the time for the interview. It is greatly appreciated. What an amazing man and experiences.