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Don Swaim Interviews

In this 1984 interview with Don Swaim, Robert Ludlum, author of The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Chancellor Manuscript and the Jason Bourne series of novels, talks about his meandering path toward writing.

He started out acting on Broadway at the age of fourteen. He said "since all of the descent actors were drafted, I could find a job." After acting for a few years, he decided to try out producing, which he found came much easier. By the time he reached age 40, Ludlum grew bored of his career in show business. While he supported himself and his wife by doing voice-overs, Ludlum wrote his first novel which became an instant success.

The tricky part, however, came when it was time to write the second novel. "It’s the hardest thing in the world to write the second book. The first one was easy. We’ve all got a story to tell. But writing the second book, that’s the difference between a professional and a not a professional."

To hear more about his life, click on the link below.

Listen to the Robert Ludlum interview with Don Swaim, 1984
(24 min. 40 sec.)

Two years later, Ludlum returns. During this 1986 interview, Ludlum discusses the first two novels in the Jason Bourne trilogy The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy. He also discusses how he got the idea for the trilogy after his own experience with temporary amnesia. Ludlum does not remember 12 hours of his life after publishing his first book. He was later diagnosed as having a medical condition. This event, combined with the hot stories of the times pertaining to Carlos the Jackal (the Venezuelan-born supreme assassin, Ilich Ramírez Sánchez), created the Jason Bourne trilogy.

Listen to the Robert Ludlum interview with Don Swaim, 1986
(25 min. 25 sec.)