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Writer Ved Mehta Says "All Memory, By Definition, Is Current"

A childhood bout with meningitis left New Yorker staff writer Ved Mehta blind. Born in India, he moved to Bombay, then Arkansas, to attend schools for the blind. He joins Fresh Air to discuss how he navigates the world as a blind person, his career in publishing, and the importance of memory to his writing and everyday life.

25:05
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Other segments from the episode on September 22, 1988

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, September 22, 1988: Interview with Ved Metha; Review of Fishbone's album ; Interview with Laurie Colwin; Review of the film "Dead Ringers."
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05:58

New Songs Filled with "Truth and Soul"

Rock critic Ken Tucker says that the black rock band Fishbone takes African American stereotypes and stretches them until they break. The band deserves more attention for their insightful social commentary and screaming live shows.

Review
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08:54

A Fiction Writer Turns to Food

Novelist Laurie Colwin has published a collection of essays about food called Home Cooking. While many of her friends enjoy traveling, her idea of a good time is staying home and making a good meal. She also cooks for the needy at homeless shelters.

Interview
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03:48

Horror as High Tragedy

Film critic Stephen Schiff says some viewers can't get past the graphic violence in David Cronenberg's movies to see the craft beneath. Now they have a chance with Dead Ringers, about twin gynecologists, both played by Jeremy Irons. The film may be less explicit, but it still features Cronenberg's signature psychological dread.

Review

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

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25:29

Indian Writer Ved Mehta on His Life and Career.

Indian writer Ved Mehta. He's written several books of autobiography, most all of which have been serialized in "The New Yorker" magazine. His autobiographies are poignant accounts of his blindness, his education in England, and the role that language came to play in his life.

Interview

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Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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