Steven Gubser

Steven Gubser, author of The Little Book of String Theory (Princeton University Press, 978-0-691-14289-0)

When did you start reading, and what did you like to read as a kid?

I started reading in first grade. I mostly remember reading a book about a boy and his pig, and another about the lion who got a thorn in his paw and a mouse helped remove. Other early favorites (though not quite so early) were the Wizard of Oz books and the Narnia books, and, a bit later, Isaac Asimov’s fiction and non-fiction.

When you were growing up did you have books in your home?

Yes. There was also a good local library in Aspen where I grew up, which has now expanded quite a bit.

When did you think about becoming a writer? Was there someone who got you interested in writing?

My fifth grade teacher Willard Clapper was a big help in getting me interested in writing. He had all the students write stories and poems. Also, my Dad has written a couple of books, and a little later, in my early teens, I read the shorter one, “Back to the Damn Soil,” co-authored with his mother.

How do you write? Do you have a daily routine?

I write quickly. Then I revise. Then I revise again. Usually the first and second revisions are fun, and the fifth and sixth aren’t. I admit I often don’t get to the fifth and sixth revision. If I do it’s usually because there’s something really wrong with how I originally pictured the section in question.

What is some good advice that you’ve received concerning writing? What’s some advice that you could offer young writers?

Learn to touch-type. It’s best if you get really fast because you then type without thinking about it. That’s good because then you can concentrate on what you’re saying.

How did you find the publisher for this book? What has your experience as a publisher been like?

I got an agent.

What are you working on at the moment?

Research. I recently wrote a paper on relativistic hydrodynamics, which is the theory of how fluids flow when the pressure is so high that parts of the fluid move at speeds comparable to the speed of light.

What are you reading?

I recently read Christopher Buckley’s “Supreme Courtship.”