Ray Nessly asked T. Coraghessan Boyle:

Hi, Mr. Boyle. I recently read Italo Calvino's The Argentine Ant and reread your version/homage in The Relive Box. You've expressed your debt to Calvino previously, and in my review I believe I spotted some familiar Boyle themes and some interesting differences. But I would love your take on this. Why of all the thousands of great stories out there, did you chose to honor this particular one? Thank you!

T. Coraghessan Boyle Hello, Ray. Thank you for the question. In the past, I've also done my own versions of classic stories ("The Overcoat II," for instance), as a way of exploring what they mean for us today. In the case of the Calvino, I loved the idea of relentless nature, impervious to our needs or desires, a theme that looms large throughout my body of work. I had great good fun with this one, as you can see.

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