Book Chat: Mother's Bilk

With the big screen adaptation of his hit memoir Running with Scissors set for release, and the recent scandals of authors James Frey and JT Leroy, it's no wonder folks would want gauge the veracity of Augusten Burroughs' memories.

Well, NPR's All Things Considered went right to the prime source, Burroughs' mother Margaret Robison. Unfortunately, she remains rather tight-lipped, not really refuting the facts nor embracing them wholeheartedly, but some interesting tidbits slip out. Like, who knew Augusten Burroughs was christened, uh, Chris?

"First of all, Chris is Chris to me. Augusten Burroughs is a fiction to me," says Robison. "I know a little bit about Augusten Burroughs. I met him in San Francisco. When Chris called me and asked me to come. And he was lost, he said. I met Augusten Burroughs there. But Augusten Burroughs and Chris are not quite the same."

She remains aloof about the book and its impact on her life, preferring to focus on her own work:
"At this point, Running with Scissors the book and the movie are a great part of Chris' life," she says. "But it's part of his life. It's not a part of my life. That book really touches me very little. It's not my focus. My focus is on my spiritual growth, and largely through poetry. And that is what my life is about. That plus, certainly to do everything I can to hold my family in love."

Burrough's himself was asked to participate in the segment, but declined through his agent.
The interview doesn't really answer any questions, but offers a sad portrait of a woman who is still more concerned with her future than her past, and fiercely proud of her son's success, despite what it may have cost her.

Augusten Burroughs' Mother Speaks Out[All Things Considered]

Further Reading:
Margaret Robison [official site]
Augusten Burroughs [official site]


Augusten Burroughs ;Running with Scissors ;All Things Considered