Editing Chaim Potok (section)

==Literary influences==
Potok's parents discouraged his writing and reading of non-Jewish subjects. Nevertheless, he spent many hours in the public library reading secular novels. Potok cited [[James Joyce]], [[Thomas Mann]], [[Fyodor Dostoyevsky]], [[Ernest Hemingway]], and [[Shmuel Yosef Agnon|S. Y. Agnon]] as his chief literary influences. Many of his novels are set in the urban environments in New York in which he himself grew up.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://potok.lasierra.edu/Potok.faqs |website=Chaim Potok |title=Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=La sierra |access-date=2010-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719231418/http://potok.lasierra.edu/Potok.faqs |archive-date=July 19, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> While not [[Hasidic Jew|Hasidic]], Potok was raised in an Orthodox home. In the book ''[[My Name is Asher Lev]]'', Asher Lev wants to be a painter, which causes much conflict with his father who wants him to do something else, much as Potok did during his childhood. Asher decides to become a painter, which upsets his family. Potok went into writing and painted in his free time. Potok said he related to Asher Lev more than any of his other characters.<ref>{{cite interview |url=http://potok.lasierra.edu/Potok.interviews.MHR.html |title=Mars Hill Review Interview With Chaim Potok |first=Chaim |last=Potok |date=Winter–Spring 1997 |interviewer-first=Michael J. |interviewer-last=Cusick |journal=Mars Hill Review |via=La sierra |access-date=2010-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305165003/http://potok.lasierra.edu/Potok.interviews.MHR.html |archive-date=March 5, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>