The distinguishing merit of Michael Ehrenreich's first novel 'Amaranth' (iUniverse Inc, Nebraska, 2005) is its striking modern realism. A rich imagery of modern city environment, modes of life, and tearing stresses of disease and ugliness make Ehrenreich's literary fiction a twenty first century classic.

Ernest: Michael, would you like to tell the readers how you took a turn towards medicine from investment banking?

Michael: After having been involved in healthcare investment banking for more than a decade, I felt like a spectator. I wanted to be on the other side; participating in the development and delivery of medical technology to patients.

Ernest: What motivated you to write?

Michael: I started writing when I was around 20, mostly to see if I was any good at it. Writing is often relaxing, despite my dark themes. Also, I enjoy language for its own sake.

Ernest: And why a fiction book?

Michael: The mark of a mature writer is the ability to write fiction that is so believable that people feel it must be autobiographical. One cannot express oneself fully if they are limited by the boundaries of their own experience.

Ernest: The events in 'Amaranth' are disturbingly construed. Did you mean it to be that way, anticipating its effect?

Michael: Yes. 'Amaranth' is a disturbing book that creates an uncomfortable feeling in the reader. A good book must make you feel something (even the things you do not want to feel.)

Ernest: In a sense, 'Amaranth' is another Julius Caesar; a character driven work in which you hardly conclude who the hero is. Can we rightly take Dr. Denton as the hero?

Michael: Dr. Denton is certainly the protagonist, but there is no real hero. It is simply a group of people moving through life, as it is dealt to them.

Ernest: How far are the characters modeled on real life personages?

Michael: Not at all.

Ernest: Deborah is one soul in 'Amaranth' whom we might take for the Amaranth of the novel. Is she more of a person or a message to the readership?

Michael: The Amaranth of the title is actually Liza—the flower that never fades. It is a reference to her eternal sleep. Although not intended, Deborah, too, can be viewed as the Amaranth, in that she blooms anew despite the hardship of her life. She is a symbol that hope can sometimes be found in an unlikely place. The strong may prove weak, and the weak strong.

Ernest: A first venture into fiction and a work like Amaranth! Have you been an enthusiastic and inspired fiction reader?

Michael: Yes. In my younger years I read avidly: Nabokov, Sartre, Camus, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, and many more. I have been influenced by many, but would specifically mention Nabokov, Sartre, and Faulkner.

Ernest: What is more horrible to Dr. Denton, disease, ugliness, or the necessity on him to be in touch with these?

Michael: Dr. Denton’s idealistic intention of youth was not sufficiently strong to overcome the stark realities of life. He realizes that he is just a single man against an unstoppable tide. After a while, the battle seems pointless; the dreams of youth impossible. The ugliness weighs on him, but it is now the only world he knows.

Ernest: Don’t you think the novel is a more laden on the side of disease? A set of dejected faces surrounding the single healing soul Deborah?

Michael: Yes. It is a dark novel that focuses on the physical and spiritual challenges of our world. I agree that the overriding darkness is not equally balanced by the occasional light.

Ernest: What would you do if you were in Denton’s dilemma?

Michael: I try not to internalize my characters.

Ernest: Have you plans for another book in the near future?

Michael: I have a book from my youth, Bang Oblivion that I am considering re-editing for publication. It is another dark and very unconventional piece. I am working on two other novels that also feature doctors and scientists as protagonists. These both follow more closely the standard form of a novel, with regular chapters and linear narrative.

Ernest: Thank you Michael for your precious time!