Book Club: Hector Tobar Answers Your Questions About 'Deep Down Dark'
Welcome to the first session of the Morning Edition Reads book club! Here's how it works: A well-known writer will pick a book he or she loved. We'll all read it. Then, you'll send us your questions about the book. About a month later, we'll reconvene to talk about the book with the author and the writer who picked it.
In December we asked writer Ann Patchett to select our first book. Patchett, the author of Bel Canto and co-owner of an independent bookstore in Nashville, selected Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free.
In the book, journalist Hector Tobar recounts the ordeal of 33 miners who were trapped 2,000 feet underground in Chile for 69 days in 2010.
"The subtitle says it all," Patchett tells NPR's David Greene. "It's a riveting story. ... But the real reason that I chose this book was because of Hector and his writing. He just did such an astonishing job taking all of this information, all of these interviews and making it into a piece of art."
Tobar says it was a "great honor" to interview these 33 men, who "lived one of the great adventure stories of the 21st century." Excerpts of Tobar's conversation with Greene, as well as answers to questions submitted by listeners, are below.
Interview Highlights
On how Tobar got the opportunity to write the book — the men had decided underground that they would give their story to only one person
They decided that they needed someone who had written a novel before, because they wanted a work that had more literary qualities. ... They also needed someone who spoke Spanish, was a journalist and knew South America. And that's just a very small group of writers in the United States. And fortunately I was the one chosen. I traveled to Chile, and persuaded the men to trust me. And they did. ...
I spent my whole life as a writer talking to just the average guy in Los Angeles and Latin America, talking to working people. And I thought, "Man, these guys must have an epic story to tell." It never occurred to me, however, that somehow this story would end up in my lap.
On how he wove 33 different stories into one narrative
When I was in Chile — I went five times to Chile — and I would do seven to 10 hours of interviews in a day. And at the end of each day, I would make a list of the best stories I heard that day. The best anecdotes, the most colorful images, the most emotional moments — "Mario sees the devil," "Yonni's mistress feels his presence in their home" — all those moments, all those anecdotes, together they became the heart of the book, y'know? I really try to think of it as a novel, and I would try to be very disciplined and to remain true to these amazing tales that I was hearing.
On his decision to include extremely personal stories about the miners
In the case of the married miner with the mistress, Yonni Barrios, already that story had been out in public for years. It was not a good thing for Yonni Barrios and his wife and his girlfriend to be subjected to this media onslaught — it was terrible, actually ... [and] contributed to Yonni's post-traumatic stress after getting out of the mine. But on the other hand, the book is about these men with these complicated lives. Now that we can stand back several years later and tell their story, it's really about the complete person who went in, and they were flawed individuals. And so Yonni's story of his wife and his mistress is actually, in many ways, kind of a heartwarming story because Yonni was in love with his girlfriend and he actually lived with her. Divorce was illegal in Chile up until 2005 or so. So it was very difficult to get divorced. So there's a love story at the heart of this, and I think Yonni and Susana wanted me to tell it.
On what it was like to go into the San Jose Mine, which is now closed
It's about an hour outside the town of Copiapó, so no one really ever goes there. It's really desolate and lonely, and it's haunted. The mouth of the mine looks like the mouth of a monster. So it's a very haunting, dark place. So the San Jose Mine will never operate again. As far as mining safety, as a result of the accident, the mining safety agency in Chile had a thorough housecleaning: They fired the top three officials. So mining safety in Chile has definitely improved; however, in Latin America as a whole, mining continues to be an extremely dangerous activity. In the years since, men have died in mine accidents in both Bolivia and Peru. ... So mining itself, global mining — the people who get the copper and the iron and the gold that we rely on for so many things — those people are risking their lives every day still.
On the relationships among the miners today
In some ways the miners will always be united because they are the only 33 people on Earth who know exactly what they went through. And they have reunions every once in a while — for the film that's coming out this year in August. It's going to be called The Thirty Three. ... At the same time, they are definitely still divided in many ways. [Shift boss] Luis Urzúa was removed from the leadership of the miners association that they created. And there are strong personality clashes. But still, I think that they are joined in this brotherhood that will last for the rest of their lives.
On what's next for him
I'm at work on a novel that's set in Urbana, Ill., and El Salvador. It's a novel where there are these big public events. But at the heart of the story, there is a family. And there is domesticity. I mean, that's the great lesson for me of this book. It taught me the power of family. These men are trapped underground. They face the prospect of their own deaths. And what do they think about? They don't think about all the money they made in their lives, they don't think about the love conquests they've had — they think about the families that love them and the homes that they wanted to go back to. So my next work will have home at its very center.
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Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
We're pretty excited about our new book club. It's called Morning Reads, and our colleague David Greene is getting the conversation started with a story of survival that took place in 2010.
DAVID GREENE, BYLINE: That's when 33 miners were trapped beneath the ground in Chile for 69 days. They battled starvation. They were isolated. They didn't know if they would live.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)
MELISSA BLOCK, BYLINE: Tonight is the night at the San Jose Mine. Rescue efforts are set to begin for 33 men who've been trapped...
GREENE: Somehow they were rescued, all of them. One by one, they were brought to the surface through a narrow hole that had been drilled. Their country was elated.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
GREENE: Their story is captured in a book by journalist Hector Tobar, and it's the first pick for Morning Reads, the book club we're holding for the first time today. A few weeks ago, we were joined by Ann Patchett, author and owner of an independent bookstore in Nashville, and we asked Ann to choose our first book. This was it - it's called "Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories Of 33 Men Buried In A Chilean Mine, And The Miracle That Set Them Free."
ANN PATCHETT: The subtitle says it all. It's a riveting story. It was an amazing story in the news. A mine in Chile collapsed, trapping these 33 men, and there was a heroic effort, kind of a miracle of tenacity and science that rescued these men. But the real reason that I chose the book was because of Hector and his writing. He just did such an astonishing job - hands-down my favorite book of the year.
GREENE: And there's a pretty amazing story behind the book. The 33 miners, while fighting for their lives underground, decided to make a pact - if they lived, they'd work together and recount the events to just one person. They were eventually put in touch with Hector Tobar, a Pulitzer prize-winning Latin American writer.
HECTOR TOBAR: I spent my whole life as a writer talking to just the average guy in Los Angeles and Latin America, talking to working people. And I thought, man, these guys must have an epic story to tell. It never occurred to me, however, that somehow this story would end up in my lap. It was just the journalistic project of my life.
GREENE: And today we have Hector Tobar and Ann Patchett with us. Welcome both of you to our book club.
PATCHETT: Thank you.
TOBAR: Thanks.
GREENE: And you're with us as well, even if you haven't read the book. Over the past month, some of you submitted questions to us, including about the miners' privacy under the media glare. The world learned that one miner had a mistress. She and his wife would come to the mine, praying for his survival. And that made listener Kelli Delaney from Billings, Montana, wonder...
KELLI DELANEY: Mr. Tobar, do we need to know everything about the miners the public wants to know? But is it our right to know everything?
GREENE: Did you feel, Hector, that you included too much about their personal stories in some cases?
TOBAR: Well, in the case of the married miner with the mistress, Yonni Barrios, already that story had been out in public for years. It was not a good thing for Yonni Barrios to be subjected to this media onslaught. It was terrible, actually contributed to Yonni's post-traumatic stress after getting out of the mine. But on the other hand, the book is about these men with these complicated lives. Now that we can stand back several years later and tell their story, it's really about the complete person who went in, and they were flawed individuals.
GREENE: Ann Patchett, if Hector had held back, not given so many personal details, could this have been the same book?
PATCHETT: It would've been the Encyclopedia Britannica if he hadn't.
(LAUGHTER)
PATCHETT: As somebody who is a writer, Hector did hold back, I'm sure, more than we can possibly imagine.
GREENE: Is that true, Hector?
TOBAR: There some things I did not put in, yeah.
PATCHETT: I mean, there's such restraint in this book. It's not a long book.
GREENE: Well, let's get to another question.
RICK HUDSON: My name is Rick Hudson (ph). I'm from Charlotte, North Carolina. My question really was that, you know, when you have 33 different people you're getting interviews from, and then on top of that you got all these families, and you've got the politicians and the mine owners - how do you take all that information and weave that story together?
GREENE: Hector?
TOBAR: Well, you know, when I was in Chile, I would do seven to 10 hours of interviews in a day. And at the end of each day, I would make a list of the best stories I heard that day, the most colorful images, the most emotional moments - Mario sees the devil, Yonni's mistress feels his presence in their home - all those moments together, they became the heart of the book.
GREENE: I think, Ann, you have a question from Luis Lee (ph) in Sacramento, right? You want to read that for us?
PATCHETT: Sure. And she asked on Facebook, number one, is the San Jose Mine still open for business? That's a good question. And, two, have the safety requirements for mines and miners changed for the better in Chile and for the rest of the mining communities worldwide after this incident?
GREENE: That's a good question. Hector?
TOBAR: The San Jose Mine is closed and will remain closed for the rest of eternity. All the things that the men left behind are in this time capsule that may actually never be opened because it's a very dangerous place.
GREENE: Hector, what's it like to go to that mine - the San Jose Mine - now that it's closed?
TOBAR: Well, you know, it's about an hour outside of the town of Copiapo, so no one really ever goes there. It's really desolate and lonely. The mouth of the mine looks like the mouth of a monster. So it's a very haunting, dark place. As far as mining safety, as a result of the accident, the mining safety agency in Chile had a thorough housecleaning. They fired the top three officials. So mining safety in Chile has definitely improve; however, mining continues to be an extremely dangerous activity.
GREENE: OK. Let's take a listen here to our last listener question.
AMY ABANDRAPH: Hi. I'm Amy Abandraph (ph) from Missoula, Montana. I'm wondering about the lives of the miners now. Have those groups that jelled together inside the mine remained close?
TOBAR: Well, in some ways the miners will always be united because they're the only 33 people on Earth who know exactly what they went through - to be trapped, buried alive, to see death, and to feel that your death is imminent. And then to be transported into this media circus and to have the world call you a hero and to visit Jerusalem and Disney World just after you've been trapped, no one else has been through that. So they will always be united by that. And they have reunions every once in a while.
At the same time, they are definitely still divided in many ways, and there are still many strong personality clashes. But still, I think that they are joined in this brotherhood that will last for the rest of their lives.
GREENE: Hector Tobar, thanks so much for bringing your book to our book club and for joining us. We really appreciate it.
TOBAR: Thanks so much for having me.
GREENE: And Ann Patchett, thank you for picking such a great book for our first read.
PATCHETT: It's such a pleasure.
GREENE: We will have the next pick for Morning Reads soon, so stay tuned.
MONTAGNE: And it's clear MORNING EDITION knows how to pick them. Yesterday "Deep Down Dark" was named as one of the five finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award in nonfiction. This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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