Literary Figures: Novelists

The African American novelist's books include Appalachee Red, which won the James Baldwin Prize for Fiction, Rosiebelle Lee Wildcat Tennessee, and Baby Sweets. He's just published a memoir, The Last Radio Baby, about growing up the fourth of ten childen in a sharecropper family in rural Georgia.

Welch is a Native American writer whose written a number of books about Indian life. His books include, "Fools Crow," "The Death of Jim Loney," "Winter in the Blood." His latest is, "The Indian Lawyer" about a Blackfeet Indian who rises to power in the White man's world who gets caught up in a blackmail scheme.

Cunningham's new novel, A Home at the End of the World, is about the friendship and sexual relationships between two men and woman. It was inspired in large part by Cunningham's own ambiguous sexuality, as well as living through the AIDS crisis.

James Fogle was a drug addict who, along with others, robbed drugstores to feed his habit. The film Drugstore Cowboy is based on his autobiographical novel of the same name; the book wasn't yet published at the time of production. It's now in stores. Fogle is currently serving a prison sentence, and joins Fresh Air by telephone.

Author Anne Rice created the character Lestat, the antihero in her Vampire Chronicles novels. Rice switches her focus to witches in her new book, The Witching Hour.

Kindcaid's new novel, Lucy, is based on her own experience of leaving her home country for New York City. She says much of her work has been informed by her difficult but loving relationship with her mother, whom she sees infrequently.

The white South African writer's latest book is called My Son's Story, about a mixed-race family. She joins Fresh Air to talk about why she stays in in her home country, despite political unrest. A long-time anti-apartheid activist, she's recently become a member of the African National Congress.

Writer John Updike recently completed his Rabbit series. He says that, while elements of his life show up in the protagonist Harry Angstrom, the books were never meant to be autobiographical.

Vargas Llosa lost a bid for president of Peru last year. His latest novel is called, In Praise of the Stepmother, is an erotic tale about a family love triangle. His best-known work is Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter.

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.