The Daily Circuit

Sherman Alexie on 'Blasphemy'

11:15 AM, November 26, 2012
11:06 AM, February 11, 2013

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Author Sherman Alexie is out with 'Blasphemy,' his new collection of short stories. He joined The Daily Circuit Nov. 26, 2012 to discuss his work.

From an interview with The Daily Beast:

I called the book 'Blasphemy' primarily because I've been so regularly accused of being blasphemous by white folks and Indians. But they only speak of blasphemy in its most basic terms: disrespect toward religion, toward a philosophy. I think blasphemy is actually more directed toward other human beings, and most often expressed toward those who have lesser power in society. I think human beings are sacred and that all the evil shit each of us does is blasphemous.... White folks talk about finding the sacred in the wilderness, and I suppose it's there, but I hear the sacred in 3 a.m. traffic and 747s descending and loud music from the house down the block and the ship horns in the foggy night and the whirr, whirr, whirr of crowds. If people are sacred then the most sacred places are the ones where the most people have gathered.

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