Author Interviews

Portrait of Marie Duplessis by Charles Chaplin (1846)

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Arts

The Tragic Story Of 'Traviata' Muse Marie Duplessis

8:12pm July 02, 2013

by NPR Staff

The 19th-century courtesan died at 23 of tuberculosis, but her legacy inspired a successful play, several movies and the great Italian opera La Traviata. In The Girl Who Loved Camellias, Julie Kavanagh tracks her journey from Normandy peasant girl to romantic heroine.

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Steamy Novel An 'Education' In Youth, Love And Mistakes

1:23pm July 02, 2013

by NPR Staff

Susan Choi departs from research-heavy books to write about people and relationships — and winds up writing about love and sex. My Education looks at a graduate student who doesn't learn what she anticipated.

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Tomi Ungerer's 1967 book Moon Man follows its lonely protagonist as he visits Earth for the very first time.

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From Kids' Books To Erotica, Tomi Ungerer's 'Far Out' Life

4:00pm July 01, 2013

The famed author and illustrator broke the rules of American children's literature in the '50s and '60s, but many Americans have never heard of him. A new documentary, Far Out Isn't Far Enough, looks at his life and work.

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An ancient tablet contains records written in Linear B — a script that was discovered in the 19th century and remained undeciphered for decades.

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How One Woman Nearly Deciphered A Mysterious Script

12:17pm July 01, 2013

by NPR Staff

For decades, no one could crack the code to a mysterious ancient script called Linear B. In her new book, Margalit Fox tells the story of the forgotten woman who almost figured it out.

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From the Toronto Islands, one of many real-life Toronto locales in Robert Rotenberg's legal thrillers, visitors have a clear view of the city's skyline.

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Rotenberg's Toronto Thrillers Mix Canadian Courtesy With Murder

11:10am July 01, 2013

by Linda Wertheimer

Lawyer turned author Robert Rotenberg takes great pains to re-create the relatively calm atmosphere of Canadian courtrooms in his suspense novels. But not all of his characters play by the rules. "Well, they are murder mysteries," he says.

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For Carole King, Songwriting Is A 'Natural' Talent

10:55am July 01, 2013

Carole King wrote songs for others before becoming a performer and writing for herself. In her memoir, A Natural Woman, she details the stories behind some of her most famous songs and her relationships with songwriters like James Taylor, Gerry Goffin and Paul Simon.

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Leitzel is remembered as the first true circus diva.

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Lillian Leitzel, The High-Flying 'Queen' Of The Circus

7:52pm June 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

In the golden age of the circus, aerialist Lillian Leitzel captivated crowds around the world with her effortless, high-flying stunts under the big top. Dean Jensen's new book, Queen of the Air, chronicles Leitzel's difficult but glamorous life, and the lives of her performing family.

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'Empire Falls' Author Richard Russo Gives E-Publishing A Try

3:44pm June 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

The author admits he was once weary of e-book publishing, but when he found himself writing a novella — too short for a book, too long for a magazine — he decided to test it out. He says he's happy with the experience, both economically and artistically.

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'Americanah' Author Explains 'Learning' To Be Black In The U.S.

3:02pm June 27, 2013

When the novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie moved from Nigeria to the United States for college, she was suddenly confronted with the idea of what it meant to be a person of color in America. Her new novel explores issues of race in contemporary America.

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In his new memoir, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson describes his life in music — and how he mimicked beats at just 10 months old.

Questlove's Roots: A 'Meta' Memoir Of A Lifetime In Music

4:55pm June 24, 2013

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, the co-founder of and drummer for the hip-hop band The Roots, has been a musician since he was a teen. In Mo' Meta Blues, he explains how his musician father groomed him for a life in show business from an early age.

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