JON KRAKAUER REVEALS INSPIRATION FOR INTO THE WILD

Into The Wild novelist Jon Krakauer tells how he was inspired to write the story.

Novelist Jon Krakauer become known for writing stories of survival namely Into Thin Air about his account of climbing Mt. Everest.

When he came across the story of Chris McCandless in the New York Times, he felt compelled to learn more about his miraculous journey.

“And it talked about, they called him the hiker; an unknown hiker had been found in the wilderness in Alaska and the more that I read the hairs on the back of my neck all stood up because it told about how they thought he’d been there for months. And he died of starvation and they found by his body, this notebook, this journal that told of an increasingly feudal and desperate attempt to survive. Then they found this S.O.S. note and ultimately when he knew he was gonna die this goodbye note and it just got to me.”

His research into Chris’ reasons for leaving behind modern civilization to live in the wilds of Alaska became Into The Wild, now a motion picture directed by Sean Penn.

“It’s all based on research. Having said that I was obsessed with researching my book Into The Wild for three years. I would get a lead and I would hop in my Nissan pick-up truck and drive from Seattle where I was living at the time and to Arizona for the weekend. So I interviewed everyone I could find who knew him on his journey. I interviewed his high school friends, his family, and I feel like I really came to understand who he was and he was.”

Jon was pleased with Sean Penn’s adaptation of his book which became the vivid screenplay for Into The Wild opening Friday, October 5th nationwide.