In part two of my conversation with Tomas Gonzalez in an echoey London hotel, we continued to discuss his dark, autobiographical debut novel In the Beginning was the Sea. ----more---- We began with the influence of Carson McCullers, William Faulkner and Gabriel Garcia Marques, then moved onto: * the beauty and horror of nature * man's environmental transgressions * Gonzalez on how we are turning the planet into a garbage dump * the sea as a symbol in Colombia * humankind's hubris * the place of religion and mysticism in his work * his anger with his brother * how writing can help understand death and pain * the importance of the quiet life for Gonzalez * 'Human beings are too successful for their own good' * writing about Colombia from abroad * Gonzalez's pessimism for the future * Gonzalez on Marquez and magical realism in Colombian fiction * 'It's all so fucking difficult and so fucking beautiful' * horror and beauty in Gonzalez work * on J' wife Elena as character and reality * the future: past novels and future short stories