ODD BIRDS

by

SEVERO PEREZ

Genre: Literary Fiction

Publisher: Texas Christian University Press

Date of Publication: September 24, 2019
Number of Pages: 278 pages

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The year is 1961. Seventy-year-old Cosimo Infante Cano, a Cuban-born artist in need of inspiration, follows his lover to Texas in what was to be a temporary sabbatical from their life in France. Unexpectedly, he finds himself stranded in San Antonio, nearly penniless, with little more than the clothes on his back and an extraordinary pocket watch. His long hair and eccentric attire make him an odd sight in what he has been told is a conservative cultural backwater.

Cosimo’s French and Cuban passports put a cloud of suspicion over him as events elsewhere in the world play out. Algeria is in open revolt against France. Freedom Riders are being assaulted in Mississippi, and the Bay of Pigs debacle is front-page news. Cosimo confronts nightmares and waking terrors rooted in the horror he experienced during the Great War of 1914–1918. His friends—students, librarians, shopkeepers, laborers, lawyers, bankers, and even a parrot—coalesce around this elderly French artist as he attempts to return to what remains of his shattered life.

His new friends feel empathy for his impoverished condition, but his unconventional actions and uncompromising ethics confuse them. He creates charming drawings he refuses to sell and paints a house simply for the pleasure of making a difference. In the process, he forever alters the lives of those who thought they were helping him.

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PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

“A pitch-perfect picaresque tale” –John Phillip Santos, Texas Monthly 

“Judge this book by its cover. It’s a stunning… captivating read.” –Alice Embree, Rag Radio Blog

An “elegantly conceived tale–boasting a culturally and historically astute plot–that demands to be read.” –Kirkus Reviews

Interview with Severo Perez

Are you considering a prequel or sequel? Any unexpected hurdles in doing this?

While researching and writing this book, I wrote chapters to provide background for the writing I was doing. I am considering a prequel since so much already exists. I also have a draft of a story following the three students into the next stage of their lives. I’ve sketched out the idea as a stage play, but it could become a novel.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

The hardest part for me was making the commitment to start. I began writing Odd Birds in the 1980s, but my career and commercial projects kept me occupied. I knew the work would take months, maybe years. Once I started in 2014, I questioned each word, paragraph and chapter. I accepted that as part of the job. The writing took three years.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

The most enjoyable moment for me was after being away from the writing for several weeks, reading my work with fresh eyes and realizing I hadn’t wasted my time.

How did you decide if your main character would be male or female?

The characters came to me pretty much fully formed. While still in my 20s, I encountered a young woman while working at the Roosevelt Branch of the San Antonio Library System. She and I became fascinated by an old man who was a total anomaly in the community. His attire, his bearing and his precise use of language made him stand out. Even though impoverished, his pride made him care for his appearance. He also appeared lonely. It turned out he was an artist displaced by the Cuban Revolution. About that same time, I was hired to work on a film in California. When I returned to Texas, the young woman and the old man were gone. Their characters, not their personal stories, became incorporated into what became Odd Birds.

Are there under-represented groups or ideas featured if your book?

Yes, in the sense that the story takes place in San Antonio and the characters are based on people I have known. They are not immigrants, drug dealers, or victims. Except for a few characters, the majority are local residents, born in San Antonio.

Which character from your book is most or least like you?

All the characters are aspects of me, even the racist librarian. I felt like every character had a sit-down with me. They spoke or lectured me that their portrayals weren’t going to be easy. Cosimo, particularly, paced behind me, looking over my shoulder, anxious about every detail of his character.

Who would you cast to play your characters in a movie version of your book?

Hector Elizondo and Edward James Olmos have been suggested for the lead. I’m open to other possibilities. As written, Cosimo is seventy years-old, dark-skinned, educated in Cuba and France, and is fluent in Spanish, French, and English.

How important are names to you in your books? How do you choose names?

Their names were either obvious to me, or I spent hours trying out monikers until one fit.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it?

On the written page, everything is fair game. However, in movies, the power of charismatic actors can turn portrayals of undesirable people into role models. I couldn’t write or direct a film about barrio street gangs that perpetuated negative stereotypes.

Read more of the interview with Severo Perez on the March 30^th & April 4^th, 2022 features with Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

SEVERO PEREZ, an award-winning filmmaker, playwright, and writer, grew up in working-class Westside San Antonio and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. For over forty-five years he produced programming for PBS and for network and cable television. His feature film adaptation of Tomas Rivera’s novel . . . and the earth did not swallow him (1994) won eleven international awards, including five for Best Picture. His first novel, Willa Brown & the Challengers (2012), is historical fiction based on the real-life African American aviation pioneer Willa Beatrice Brown. Odd Birds is his second novel.

Website

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