BEHIND THE BOOK: Henry Alford dishes on "How To Live"

This month, Twelve is proud to publish How to Live: A Search for Wisdom from Old People (While They Are Still On This Earth). Publishers Weekly has called it one of the year's best books, and Vanity Fair has lauded the book for its "intellectual nimbleness," finding it "on par with Wilde and Benchley." Here, Henry answers questions posed by a mysterious stranger-- identified as Q-- summing up what it was like to write the book. You can visit Henry Alford's fabulous website here.

Q: So, what's the wisest thing in the book?
A: There's an Indonesian fisherman named Salama Kalathalay who saw portents of doom on the morning of the tsunami in 2003, and was able to save thousands of lives by telling his fellow tribe members to climb a local mountain.

Q: Nice...And didn't I read somewhere that your mother and stepfather's 23 year-long marriage erupted into flames as a result of this book?
A: Yes. They were NOT able to climb a local mountain.

Q: And, now that you've finished writing the book, what was your favorite part of working on it?
A: I will always cherish the time I spent with Sylvia Miles in her bathroom.

Q: Yes, that would be a high point for anyone...Well, I've heard a lot of buzz about "How to Live," so I'm predicting good things for you.
A: My only worry is that I'll run into the literary equivalent of the Bradley Effect--people who *SAY* they're interested in a book about old people but who, when they get in the store, buy a book about young people.

Q: I hate those people.
A: Thank you for your anger, Q.