Books

Italian Journalist Sets Out To Unmask True Identity Of Author Elena Ferrante

6:49pm October 04, 2016

Over the weekend, an Italian financial journalist outed the identity of author Elena Ferrante, whose pseudonym lent intrigue to her bestselling novels. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with Dayna Tortorici of n+1 magazine about the outing.

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The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

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'The Angel Of History' Says 'I Will Not Forget'

4:32pm October 04, 2016

by NPR Staff

Rabih Alameddine has much in common with the hero of his new novel: Both are gay, Arab writers in San Francisco. And both lost friends to the AIDS epidemic, and are angry that it's being forgotten.

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A team member from NPO Japan Rescue Dog Association and his dog search for victims in Rikuzentakata, Miyagi prefecture in the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.

From Fire Hydrants To Rescue Work, Dogs Perceive The World Through Smell

3:30pm October 04, 2016

Dogs can sniff out people, drugs, bombs, cancer, time of day, oncoming storms and much more. In her new book Being A Dog, Alexandra Horowitz explores the mysteries and mechanics of canine noses.

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Books

A Chinese-American Family Faces Financial Ruin In 'The Wangs Vs. The World'

8:49am October 04, 2016

Steve Inskeep talks with writer Jade Chang about her comic novel "The Wangs vs. The World." It's the story of a Chinese-American family that comes together following the 2008 financial crisis.

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Moving, Memorable 'Today Will Be Different' Balances Humor And Tragedy

7:00am October 04, 2016

by Michael Schaub

Maria Semple's new novel centers on erratic, overworked mother Eleanor, who makes a promise before the book begins: Today will be different. And it is, but not the way she expected or hoped for.

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Why It Took 'Forrest Gump' Author Nearly 20 Years To Write A New Novel

4:30pm October 03, 2016

by Tom Vitale

After Forrest Gump became a best-seller, Winston Groom says he ran out of good ideas for novels — until now. His new book, El Paso, is set during the Mexican Revolution.

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Elena Ferrante books are photographed at the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Mass., on April 8, 2016.

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For Literary World, Unmasking Elena Ferrante's Not A Scoop. It's A Disgrace

4:24pm October 03, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

An investigative journalist claims to have uncovered the true identity of a famously private novelist. Writers and readers alike have rejected the claims as an egregious, unnecessary intrusion.

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Arts

A Tight, Intense Drama Unfurls Within The Confines Of A Sick Room In 'The Wonder'

1:41pm October 03, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Emma Donoghue's latest novel focuses on an 11-year-old girl who refuses to eat, and the nurse who is responsible for her care. Critic Maureen Corrigan says The Wonder is aptly named.

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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her chambers in Washington, D.C.

No, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Does Not Intend To Retire Anytime Soon

11:26am October 03, 2016

by Nina Totenberg

"I will retire when it's time," the 83-year-old Supreme Court justice said in an interview with NPR. She also shares wedding advice from her mother-in-law and reads a letter from her late husband.

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Rose Tremain On Her New Novel, 'The Gustav Sonata'

8:57am October 02, 2016

Gustav Perle is a young boy growing up in Switzerland after World War II. And the defining factor in his life is that his mother does not love him. The Gustav Sonata is Rose Tremain's 13th novel.