In the following Publishers Weekly interview-essay, Conroy gives background on the creation of Body & Soul.

Legions of authors have produced a shelf-full of books without coming close to the literary reputation that Frank Conroy earned with his first effort, his now-classic memoir of a miserable youth, Stop-Time, published when he was 37. Seventeen years elapsed before the appearance of a highly praised short story collection, Midair, Conroy is 57 now, and he seems surprised that his first novel, Body & Soul has been so eagerly awaited. He's somewhat stunned that it has thrust him into the limelight. In fact, commercial success, in the form of celebrity status, sales and a perch on the bestseller ladder, appears imminent for this book,    out   from   Houghton Lawrence early next month.

Mifflin/Seymour

A second major career is surely one reason why Conroy's literary output has been limited. He has a distinguished reputation as...