A decade ago, I read a story by Jorge Luis Borges in which he touches very lightly on the case. In beginning Washington Black, I set out to write a novel that depicted the case through the lens of Bogle. Once you begin to see trees, they start to reveal themselves as creatures with agency and intention, with intricate behaviour and intrinsic meaning. I had an itch to write something longer that would challenge me in a different way. I despaired, but I was also learning what the book was about, hacking the story out of the mess.

Source: The Guardian October 13, 2018 07:52 UTC