Author Interviews

Books

Edward St. Aubyn's 'A Clue To The Exit' Is Released In The U.S.

10:37am August 29, 2015

Charlie Fairburn has been told he has six months to live. He's the central character in Edward St. Aubyn's novel, A Clue to the Exit. He speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about the book.

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Paul Kingsnorth — seen here in front of his writing shed — used a crowdfunding platform to publish The Wake after mainstream houses didn't bite.

'The Wake' Is An Unlikely Hit In An Imaginary Language

12:37pm August 28, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

Paul Kingsnorth self-published The Wake, his tale of the 11th-century Norman conquest of England, written in a pastiche of Old and modern English — and was startled when it became a smash hit.

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Author Alex Gino hopes George will help transgender kids feel less alone.

Books
Arts

'George' Wants You To Know: She's Really Melissa

12:30pm August 28, 2015

by Neda Ulaby

One of this fall's most anticipated books is about a transgender fourth-grader. Publisher Scholastic is employing some of the same marketing techniques it used for megahits like The Hunger Games.

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Stieg Larsson died in 2004, never knowing how popular his Millennium books would become.

Books
Arts

The Girl Who Outlived Her Creator: Salander Returns In 'Spider's Web'

3:52pm August 27, 2015

by Lynn Neary

The fourth book in Stieg Larsson's best-selling Millennium series comes out internationally today — but Larsson died in 2004, so his father and brother hired a new writer to continue the series.

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Books
Arts

Chris Offutt Reveals A Family Secret In 'My Father, The Pornographer'

1:45pm August 27, 2015

Offutt's late father went from running a small insurance agency to writing more than 400 books, mostly pornography. Originally broadcast March 2, 2015.

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U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors are seen parked at Kadena Air Base on the island of Okinawa in Japan. The U.S. military established a presence on Okinawa during World War II.

Do America's Military Bases Abroad Help Or Hinder Global Security?

9:50pm August 25, 2015

by NPR Staff

David Vine's new book argues that the hundreds of U.S. bases in other countries come at a high cost, both at home and abroad. He suggests reducing such bases and increasing diplomatic engagement.

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Books
Arts

In WWII, Millions Of Indians Fought For A Britain They Abhored

4:30pm August 25, 2015

by NPR Staff

As Indians struggled to break free of Britain, more than 2 million signed up to fight with the Allies, the largest volunteer force in the world. Raghu Karnad unearths the story in The Farthest Field.

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Algerian writer and journalist Kamel Daoud's new book, The Meursault Investigation, reworks Albert Camus' The Stranger.

Books
Arts

Novelist Kamel Daoud, Finding Dignity In The Absurd

6:54pm August 24, 2015

by Robert Siegel

His new novel, The Meursault Investigation, reworks Albert Camus' The Stranger from the point of view of the murdered Arab's brother. He says Camus' vision of the absurd gave him back his dignity

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Books
Arts

'I Regret Everything': Toni Morrison Looks Back On Her Personal Life

4:13pm August 24, 2015

"It's not profound regret," Morrison tells Fresh Air. "It's just a wiping up of tiny little messes that you didn't recognize as mess when they were going on." Originally broadcast April 20, 2015.

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'Science Of Mom': Scientist Sorts Through Studies So Parents Don't Have To

3:09pm August 24, 2015

Alice Callahan uses her background in nutritional biology and fetal physiology to help new parents tell fact from fiction in her new book The Science of Mom. She gives tips to NPR's Rachel Martin.

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