Fiction

Fiction by edNovember 30, 2007February 25, 2012

Andrea Barrett (BSS #156)

Andrea Barret is most recently the author of The Air We Breathe. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Praising the smell of authors. Author: Andrea Barrett Subjects Discussed: The similarities between pre-World War I and contemporary environments, stumbling upon 1916, sanatoriums, The Magic Mountain, ethnic backgrounds, dwelling upon immigrants and working class backgrounds, blowhard intellectuals, cure cottages, […]

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Fiction by edNovember 30, 2007February 25, 2012

Tom McCarthy, Part Two (BSS #155)

Tom McCarthy is most recently the author of Remainder. (This is the second part of a two-part interview with Tom McCarthy. To listen to Part One, go here.) Condition of Mr. Segundo: Baffled by French artistic references. Author: Tom McCarthy Subjects Discussed: Guns and weapons, the smell of cordite, authenticity, Remainder‘s protagonist as revolutionary, the […]

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Fiction by edNovember 30, 2007February 25, 2012

Tom McCarthy, Part One (BSS #154)

Tom McCarthy is most recently the author of Remainder. (This is the first of a two-part interview with Tom McCarthy. To listen to Part Two, go here.) Condition of Mr. Segundo: Pondering whether he may be a reenactment. Author: Tom McCarthy Subjects Discussed: Really good rhubarb tarts, cappuccinos and loyalty cards, the relationship between caffeine […]

Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 37:36 — 34.4MB)

Fiction by edNovember 2, 2007February 25, 2012

Ursula Hegi (BSS #153)

Ursula Hegi is most recently the author of The Worst Thing I’ve Done. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Contemplating the worst thing he’s ever done. Author: Ursula Hegi Subjects Discussed: Collage artist protagonists and collage-inspired novels, stream of consciousness and italics, using specific fonts, Mason’s voice as a pulse, how Hegi communicated with typographers, the problems […]

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Fiction by edOctober 31, 2007February 25, 2012

Richard Russo (BSS #152)

Richard Russo is most recently the author of Bridge of Sighs. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Spending the days sighing. Author: Richard Russo Subjects Discussed: The origins of Bridge of Sighs‘s dual narrative, writing a long novel without an end in sight, Byron, characters who approach Lucy’s elbows, a protagonist’s blind spots, Marconi — the character […]

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Fiction by edOctober 5, 2007February 25, 2012

Jeff Parker (BSS #145)

Jeff Parker is most recently the author of Ovenman. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Contemplating memories in a pizzeria. Author: Jeff Parker Subjects Discussed: Growing up in Florida, working in a pizzeria, John Sheppard’s Small Town Punk, the working class in fiction, setting the book in the early ’90’s, unexpected parallels to current events, music references, […]

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Fiction by edOctober 5, 2007February 25, 2012

David Peace (BSS #144)

David Peace is most recently of Tokyo Year Zero. [podpress] Condition of Mr. Segundo: Empathizing with surnames. Author: David Peace Subjects Discussed: Why it took so long to set a book in Japan, stereotypes, research, the occupation period, the effects of serial killers, language and repetition, dissociation, Japan vs. the UK, Zodiac, police investigation, the […]

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Fiction by edOctober 5, 2007February 25, 2012

Brian Francis Slattery (BSS #142)

Brian Francis Slattery is most recently the author of Spaceman Blues. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Objecting to snobbish Manhattan types who use three names. Author: Brian Francis Slattery Subjects Discussed: Matt Cheney’s “leap of faith,” paranoia, the advantages of writing in Guatemala, secret economies, food as cultural shorthand, the underground world of Darktown, H.P. Lovecraft […]

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Fiction by edOctober 5, 2007February 25, 2012

Chimamanda Adichie (BSS #141)

Chimamanda Adichie is most recently the author of Half of a Yellow Sun. [powerppress] Condition of Mr. Segundo: Finding uses for his Kleenex supply. Author: Chimamanda Adichie Subjects Discussed: Young novelists and ambitious war novels, horrible Nigerian critics, the novel as the ideal prism for the Biafra conflict, A Woman in Berlin, the advantages of […]

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Fiction by edSeptember 28, 2007February 25, 2012

George Saunders (BSS #139)

George Saunders is most recently the author of The Braindead Megaphone. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Feeling a little dead down there. Author: George Saunders Subjects Discussed: Writing fragmentary travelogue pieces, trying not to pre-process experiences, observational criteria, Dubai, responding to Ben Ehrenreich’s claim of “pulled punches,” journalistic integrity, on taking people to task, writing comprehensive […]

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Fiction by edSeptember 9, 2007February 25, 2012

Rupert Thomson II, Part Two (BSS #138)

Rupert Thomson is most recently the author of Death of a Murderer. [This is the second of an in-depth, two-part conversation with Rupert Thomson, conducted over the course of two days. The first part, which can be heard in Show #137, details primarily with Death of a Murderer. The second part extends into his career. […]

Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 44:08 — 40.4MB)

Fiction by edSeptember 9, 2007February 25, 2012

Rupert Thomson II, Part One (BSS #137)

Rupert Thomson is most recently the author of Death of a Murderer. [This is the first of an in-depth, two-part conversation with Rupert Thomson, conducted over the course of two days. The first part details primarily with Death of a Murderer. The second part, which can be heard in Show #138, extends into his career. […]

Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 48:22 — 44.3MB)