Arona (NO), 18 aprile 2017

Conosco Garofdalus da parecchio tempo, dalla fine degli anni ’90 quando la passione comune per Alan Parsons Project ci fece entrare in contatto per via informatica (tramite una mailing list, strumento oggi in disuso ma ai tempi importante) con un primo incontro di persona qualche anno dopo in occasione di un suo viaggio di lavoro in Europa.

Fisicamente imponente ma dai modi gentili, ho approfondito la sua conoscenza lentamente perché è una persona riservata, rispettosa dei propri spazi così come di quelli altrui.

La qualità che più mi ha colpito di lui è la modestia che mantiene nonostante la pluralità di attività che svolge: IT Director di una società americana, compositore e musicista con diversi album all’attivo, scrittore… decisamente una personalità poliedrica ed eclettica.

Ho incontrato Garofdalus durante un suo recente viaggio in Spagna e in Italia in occasione dell’uscita del suo nuovo romanzo “El Libro de Galaz” ed ho realizzato l’intervista che propongo di seguito.

Has your passion for writing always existed or is it something recent?
It began when I was in fourth grade of elementary school. I was about nine or ten years old. One day I came from school excited and told my parents that I was going to write a book, and so I did. I titled it “The mystery of the aeroplane.” Then that first enthusiasm somehow faded until five years after, when the story of “El Viejo Pobre y Sabio” was conceived.

Your two previous books were released under the name of “Il Garofalo II”.
What brought you to the decision of changing it to Garofdalus?
I was publishing books as “Il Garofalo II” and music as Ale Garofalo. At some point, I thought it was more practical to use one pseudonym for all my artistic work, and I liked Garofdalus, which is an old form of my surname.

Your everyday job is IT Director, which does not apparently require fantasy or creativity.
What does writing books mean to you? Is it a passion, an escape from everyday life or what else?
Writing and composing music are like a play that is always going on in the back of my mind. They are an intrinsic part of me. I can’t think of myself without them. Therefore, when all my responsibilities are done for the day, music and writing kick in, and they take the whole scenario of my thoughts. I can be shopping, walking through aisles with my wife, and in my mind, I am developing an idea for a new novel or composing a new melody.

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