Paarfi is the author of the Khaavren Romances, much as S. Morgenstern is the author of _The Silent Gondoliers_. (Sadly, I've lost my hardcover that actually had S. Morganstern printed on the spine as the author.) S. Morganstern might be more popularly known as the author of _The Princess Bride_ but that is ostensibly an abridgement of the original by William Goldman so we never actually "meet" Mr. Morganstern. _The Silent Gondoliers_ is narrated by Morganstern himself; but I digress. The point being that Paarfi is as much a character in the Khaavren/Piro stories as any of the protagonists. He's only an alias for Brust inasmuch as Vlad is also an alias for Brust. In the Brustiverse, Paarfi is a real person. Vlad has read some of his books. You may also recall the interview between Paarfi and Brust if you think of one being an analog of the other. *heh* Of course, that doesn't mean that Paarfi isn't modeled after Steve. The business at the end of _Sethra Lavode_ where the guy writing the afterword talks about Paarfi entertaining a young groupie by attempting to teach a strange bird to curse, I believe it was - That sounds like a colorful description of Steve playing with his own bird, possibly even at a Sci-Fi convention. Anyway, while the more "colorful" side of Paarfi could be based on Brust to some extent, Paarfi himself is a character in his own right and not just "the author in Dragaeran clothing", IMO. -----Original Message----- From: dragaera-bounces at dragaera.info [mailto:dragaera-bounces at dragaera.info] On Behalf Of tom sausman Sent: Saturday, June 24, 2006 4:49 PM To: dragaera at dragaera.info Subject: Paarfl? Who is Parrfi? I thought it was an alais for Brust during his 5 volume triology. Sorry for the spelling. -- Your favorite stores, helpful shopping tools and great gift ideas. Experience the convenience of buying online with Shop at Netscape! http://shopnow.netscape.com/