Books & Literature

Book critic John Leonard reviews the fourth, and final installment in John Updike's Rabbit novels, Rabbit at Rest. Leonard says the first book was nearly perfect; this one is too concerned with capturing every aspect of the 1980s -- whether or not those references serve the story.

O'Keefe, who wrote the performance piece Shimmer, returns to read excerpts from his newest work, VID.

The Fresh Air poet-in-residence reads a new work, "The Ivory Novel," in which he dreams of writing a novel about saving African elephants from poachers.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan talks about her admiration of Erich Auerbach, Leon Trotsky, and Fernand Braudel, writers who were somehow able to write expansive, well-researched books while in prison or exile -- without notes or access to other texts and documents.

Wolff's new book, The Final Club, is about Princeton students in the late 1950's. His memoir, The Duke of Deception, was about his father, who conned his way through his life and career. Wolff's brother is writer Tobias Wolff, who has his own childhood memoir, This Boy's Life.

Book critic John Leonard reviews The General in His Labyrinth, a fictionalized account of the last days of Simon Bolivar. Leonard says there is plenty of magical realism to be found alongside Marquez's strong, socially conscious writing.

Mexican-American writer Sandra Cisnero is credited as the first Chicana author to publish a book about Chicana women. She joins Fresh Air to read from a new story, called "La Fabulosa."

Recorded at the Geraldine Dodge Poetry Festival, Kumin reads a poem which incorporates the found text of a Canadian pamphlet about how to survive a bear encounter.

Former Sisters of Notre Dame Barbara Ferraro and Patricia Hussey were once known as the "abortion nuns." In 1984, they signed a New York Times ad that called on the Catholic Church to reconsider its stance on abortion. Their new book, No Turning Back, also outlines their differences with Church teachings on divorce and the ordination of women.

Novelist and former academic David Lodge's writing is steeped in the language of literary criticism. Many of his books are set in a university -- including his newest, Nice Work, about a businessman who fall in love with a professor.

Olds reads a poem about her father, centered around his bed -- the site of his romances and, ultimately, his passing.

Farrell had a deep, complicated relationship with her choreographer, George Balanchine. She spent over twenty years with the New York City Ballet. Farrell's new memoir about her career is called is "Holding on to the Air"

Gray has a new piece called Monster in a Box, about the wending process of writing an as-yet unpublished, 1600 page novel, titled Impossible Vacations. He says that his autobiographical writing distances him from his real life, including his experience of pleasure.

The brothers team up to create strips, panels, and movie poster take-offs that appear in Spy Magazine, National Lampoon, and Raw. They are known for their realistic drawings and caustic wit. Their new book is called Warts and All.

Snyder was part of the beat poetry scene in 1950s San Francisco, and inspired a character in several Jack Kerouac novels. He studied Eastern philosophy and religion, and later settled in a more isolated part of the United States -- far from the urban world. He won the Pulitzer Prize, and continues to teach and write. His new collection of essays considers his relationship with the wilderness.

The British horror writer has moved away from macabre imagery and now explores psychological terror in his novels. His latest book, Spider, is an account of schizophrenia. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his influences, and to read from his new work.

In 1985, novelist William Styron fell into a deep depression. He documented the years he was incapacitated by the illness, and how he coped, in his new book, Darkness Visible. Looking back at his early writing, Styron believes depression informed his novels, like The Confessions of Nat Turner and Sophie's Choice.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the new book by ex-nuns Barbara Ferraro and Patricia Hussey, co-written with Jane O'Reilly. Ferraro and Hussey defied the Catholic Church's policies on abortion, birth control, and the ordination of women. Their convictions eventually led them to give up their vows.

Writer Barry Lopez reads from a new essay, called the Rediscovery of North America, about contemporary views of indigenous landscapes, which developed during the era of European conquest.

Jim Morrison's out-of-control, self-destructive behavior nearly drove Densmore out of the band. Morrison died at 27; it took Densmore ten years to come to terms with his death. His new memoir is called Riders on the Storm.