French, English, Comics: Proust On Memory, In Any Language
Proust's famous novel Swann's Way is out in the form of — wait for it — a graphic novel. Glen Weldon explains how much of it is substance and how much is gimmick.
Books
Harper Lee's 'Watchman' Is A Mess That Makes Us Reconsider A Masterpiece
Depending on whom you ask, Go Set a Watchman is either a recently discovered first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird — or a failed sequel. Either way, critic Maureen Corrigan calls it "kind of a mess."
How Harper Lee Went From Wannabe Writer To The Jane Austen Of Alabama
Lee once said she wanted to be the chronicler of "small-town, middle-class Southern life." Even without her highly anticipated second novel, Go Set a Watchman, many fans would say she succeeded.
In Palestine, A Child Of Violence Becomes A Music Educator
Children of the Stone tells the story of a rock-throwing Palestinian teen's journey to found a music school. NPR's Lynn Neary speaks with Ramzi Aburedwan and author Sandy Tolan.
She Was Groot: After A Galactic Hit, Marvel Screenwriter Tackles Comics
Nicole Perlman was the first woman to get a writing credit on a Marvel Studios movie, last year's Guardians of the Galaxy. Now, she's taking on a more earthly challenge: Writing her first comic book.
Fearing Her Mind's Decline, Patricia Marx Scrambles To Get 'Less Stupid'
The first woman to write for The Harvard Lampoon, now a New Yorker staffer, Marx still felt like she was getting forgetful with age. So, she put her head to work, doing every brain game she could.
Winning Is For Losers: The Great Stories Of The Guys Who Finish Last
Author Max Leonard says that, when it comes to the Tour de France, the riders in the back often have far more interesting stories than the riders in the front. His new book is called Lanterne Rouge.
In 'New World,' Former British Poet Laureate Returns To 'Treasure Island'
Andrew Motion's new book was inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island. NPR's Wade Goodwyn speaks with Motion about his novel The New World.
'The Way Things Were' Is A Detailed Epic of Modern India
This beautifully conceived story of an exiled princeling and his Manhattan-educated son also manages to include sprawling Sanskrit epics, knotty family dynamics and the recent history of India.
Prolific Crime Novelist Turns Talents To Dissecting 'Forensics'
NPR's Scott Simon speaks with crime novelist Val McDermid about her new book, Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crime.