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Arundhati Roy on The God of Small Things
An interview with Indian author Arundhati Roy. She talks about her rich and sensuous novel, The God of Small Things, which is nominated for the Booker Prize. (Update: Roy won the 1997 Booker Prize for this novel).
All about Ireland! A panel with Dermot Bolger and Roy Foster. And Roddy Doyle reads from his Booker Prize-winning novel Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha
A reading by Roddy Doyle, from his book Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha.. Also - a discussion with writer and editor Dermot Bolger and historian Roy Foster about the myths and changes in Irish literature.
Alice Munro on her new book, Runaway
This week on Writers and Company, host Eleanor Wachtel talks with Alice Munro - described as "Canada's Chekhov", "Canada's Flaubert" - you name it: a wonderful story-teller with a new book, Runaway, which is already a finalist for the 2004 Governor General's Literary Awards and winner of the Giller Prize.
"Perils and Pleasures of Literary Prizes" - a panel
This week: a panel on the perils and pleasures of literary prizes. Eleanor talks with four literary prize winners, including England's Justin Cartwright, Ireland's Kevin Barry, Canada's Charlotte Gray, and American Meg Wolitzer.
An interview with the award-winning American poet Terrance Hayes
This week, Eleanor speaks with award-winning African-American poet Terrance Hayes. His latest collection is called American Sonnets for my Past and Future Assassin.
From the Victoria Literary Arts Festival - "Eyes on the Prize", a panel
From the Victoria Literary Arts Festival - "Eyes on the Prize": Five writers in conversation with Eleanor Wachtel, talking about the joys and pitfalls of winning literary prizes: Jane Urquhart, David Adams Richards, Lorna Crozier, Bonnie Burnard and David Malouf.
Carol Shields on Dressing up for the Carnival
Eleanor speaks with Canadian author Carol Shields about her new collection of short stories, Dressing Up for the Carnival. Then: a reading of Shields' short story "Soup du Jour" at the Toronto International Festival of Authors.
An interview with South African author J.M. Coetzee
Eleanor Wachtel heads to Cape Town, South Africa, to talk with multi-award winning author J.M. Coetzee. Coetzee reads from his Booker Prize-winning novel Disgrace.
Interviews with playwright David Eldridge and filmmaker Ken Loach
This week on Writers and Company, host Eleanor Wachtel wraps up the special series from England with two voices with a working class perspective - up-and-coming playwright David Eldridge, and veteran film-maker Ken Loach.
Imagination takes flight in Hervé Le Tellier's adventurous hit novel, The Anomaly
In his provocative novel, The Anomaly, French writer Hervé Le Tellier asks a simple but compelling question: what would it be like to meet yourself? That question is at the heart of his remarkable story, which blends speculative fiction, noir thriller, satirical comedy and romance. Winner of France's Prix Goncourt, the novel sold a record-breaking million copies at home and is being translated into 40 languages. *Note: The audio for this episode was recorded during the Covid-19 lockdown and…
30 years of Writers & Company: highlights from our very first season
To celebrate Writers & Company's 30th anniversary, Eleanor revisits some of the best interviews from season one: Alice Munro, A.S. Byatt, J.M. Coetzee, Wole Soyinka and Eduardo Galeano.
Original Minds: 30 Years of Writers & Co Special, with Jane Goodall, Oliver Sacks, Amartya Sen, Jane Jacobs and Desmond Tutu
In celebration of Writers & Company's 30th anniversary, we present some of the best interviews from the special series Original Minds — five inspiring people whose work has made a difference to how we see the world: Jane Goodall, Oliver Sacks, Amartya Sen, Jane Jacobs, and Desmond Tutu.
Quiara Alegría Hudes on her journey to writing the hit musical In the Heights
From New York, playwright and screenwriter, Quiara Alegría Hudes. The Pulitzer Prize-winner is best known for her collaboration with Lin-Manuel Miranda to create the popular musical and feature film, In the Heights. In her new memoir, My Broken Language, she explores the intersection of identity and language, in relation to home. *Note: The audio for this episode was recorded during the Covid-19 lockdown and contains occasional low-level equipment-related distortion.
American poet Jericho Brown speaks with power and urgency about racism and violence
The winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Jericho Brown, talks to Eleanor Wachtel about the legacy of racial injustice and his award-winning collection, The Tradition.
A conversation with former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey
Today on Writers & Company, Eleanor talks with the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey. The two-time U.S. Poet Laureate has a haunting new memoir, Memorial Drive, which deals with race, her Southern childhood, and the trauma of her mother's murder. CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frank discussion of some of the painful experiences in Natasha's account, including physical and psychological violence.