In the following interview, Jones talks to Publishers Weekly about the literature that inspired him to write, as well as how he developed the idea for The Known World.

PW: How did you get the idea for a historical novel, The Known World, after writing a contemporary work, Lost in the City?

Edward P. Jones: The seeds for The Known World were planted over 10 years ago. When I started writing the book in 2000, I had about 26 pages of chapter one done and a few pages of the section where the sheriff realizes he might know where Moses is hiding. In a certain way, I didn't know it would be a full-length book, but I stuck with it. The story carried me along with it.

PW: How did you get the idea to use a black man as a slave owner to address some of the ironies of...