Anatole

Anatole asked Colson Whitehead:

Was it a conscious decision to begin The Underground Railroad in a more realistic style and only introduce the fantastical elements later, or did that develop organically as you began writing the novel?

Colson Whitehead I wanted to ground the reader in reality, and then "leave the station." I wanted to get the plantation right, to pay witness to all the slave dead, and be true to their struggle. Then Cora steps out of her first station and the fun begins. (Fun=as a writer being able to finally let it rip. None of it is fun for Cora.)

More Answered Questions

Evelyn

Evelyn asked Colson Whitehead:

How did you feel when you found out Oprah was going to select your novel for her book club?

Libby

Libby asked Colson Whitehead:

There's obviously a fantastical element to your book as the railroad is real, but how much research did you do into the actual Underground Railroad to inform your writing?

Andy

Andy asked Colson Whitehead:

Hi! One of the subtle yet extremely powerful motifs in the novel is the invocation to look out the windows and see America. This is interesting in itself as well as in how rail travel reshaped aesthetics of landscape. Would you say a bit more about what those passage and/or that motif invoke for you now? I'm not necessarily asking for your intended meaning so much as what you might see in these passages now.

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Colson Whitehead

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