Tom Robbins, the modern day master of the metaphor, was in Albuquerque Friday night to kick off a tour to promote his new book Villa Incognito.
About 250 people packed into Bookworks at 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. to hear Robbins read selections from Villa and other works and to get their copies of his classics signed.
Clad in his trademark outlaw black and a Spam T-shirt, Robbins began by reading a passage he said was the most autobiographical he "had ever been foolish enough to write" from Still Life with Woodpecker.
"Contrary to what you might have heard, I have not led a wild and wicked life," Robbins said before reading a passage about Bernard Mickey Wrangle's brush with the law in his younger days.
Robbins also read from his new book, something he said he had never done for an audience before.
"Now I'm going to subject you to some pages from this new affront to the world's literary sensibilities," Robbins said.
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Villa Incognito is a beautifully interwoven tale involving a group of American MIAs from the Vietnam War and four generations of headstrong women, all mixed with Japanese mythology.
When he finished reading, Robbins gracefully took time to field questions from his hungry fans.
He spoke on topics as wide-ranging as his writing process to life, as well as what he calls the great mystery.
Robbins also spoke of his place in mainstream society.
"The important thing is, I don't fit in," he said. "Fitting is not the goal. There is great joy in not belonging."
Of his huge following, Robbins said people are always searching for a greater meaning.
"There is a great hunger for meaning beyond what we're being fed by our various institutions," he said. "Not just in the United States but all over the world. It sounds corny when you talk this way but some kind of cosmic connection, some kind of connection to the Mystery, with a capital M. Not many novelists are offering that connection."
Robbins wrapped up the evening by giving his outlook on modern times.
"These are dark times but that's OK," he said. "This is the time we were born in so what are we going to do? Sit around, wring our hands and weep about it? The fact of the matter is, is if life is a novel and I believe it is a novel, this is the part where you're turning all the pages really fast to see what happens next."
