If you would have met José Calderon on the street, you might have wondered if he was all there — not because the man lacked substance but because he blended well with shadows and light. Though tall and imposing, his gait was easy and slight, as if a breeze could carry him away like a scent or a leaf. One friend said of him: "He suffered his life silently to the point of indifference." That is until he found inspiration from an old gypsy woman with young girl's smile and set out to chronicle his life, motivated by "a question life had begun to ask of...