Literary Figures: Novelists

John Updike. America's preeminent writer has written forty-six books, including 17 novels. His latest work is a four-generation saga, a historical novel, "In the Beauty of the Lilies." (Knopf).

Novelist/screenwriter Hanif Kureishi. Kureishi has been termed by the British press a "literary terrorist" for his works which encompass racist and sexual themes. He wrote the screenplays for "My Beautiful Laundrette," and "Sammy and Rosie Get Laid." Both were directed by Stephen Frears. His new novel is "The Black Album," (Scribner). Kureishi was born and brought up in south London; his father is Pakistani, his mother English.

Veteran crime novelist Lawrence Block. He's written 11 novels featuring Manhattan private eye Matt Scudder. His novels have followed Scudder through alcoholism and into recovery through an Alcoholics Anonymous program. His newest Scudder novel, A Long Line of Dead Men will be published in February

Novelist R.S. Jones. His first novel, Force of Gravity was published in 1991. One reviewer called it, "a moving, acutely intelligent story about going insane." He's just published his second novel, Walking on Air (Houghton Mifflin) about a man who is dying of AIDS. A reviewer for The New York Times writes, "The novel's power resides in its almost total refusal to do anything but starkly describe this process, to trace the effects of the disease on this suffering man and his two friends. It rings true from start to finish."

Novelist and poet Robert Morgan. He's written nine volumes of poetry and four novels. His latest novel is The Truest Pleasure (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill). Morgan's work centers on the place where he grew up, The Blue Ridge Mountains. Morgan also teaches English at Cornell University.

Canadian author Robertson Davies. He died last weekend at the age of 82, from a stroke. Terry talked with him earlier this year upon the publication of his novel, The Cunning Man (Viking) The Washington Post called it "one of [the] author's most entertaining and satisfying novels." Davies had three successive careers. He began as an actor, then was a journalist and newspaper publisher, and in 1981 retired as professor of the Massy college at the University of Toronto. Davies wrote more than thirty books. (REBROADCAST from 2/23/95)

Larry McMurtry is considered one of Texas most prominent fiction writers even though he has not lived in that state for nearly two decades. Over his career, he has written 19 novels...including the 1986 Pulitzer Prize winning book Lonesome Dove.. His newest Dead Man’s Walk (Simon & Schuster 1995) takes readers to the early days of his Lonesome Dove heroes Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call. Other books by McMurtry include: Streets of Laredo (sequel to Lonesome Dove), Terms of Endearment and The Last Picture Show.

An inside account of the world of high-fashion. Nina Blanchard is founder of Nina Blanchard Agency which is considered one of nation’s most prestigious modeling agencies. Blanchard herself discovered supermodel Cheryl Tiegs. She’s been called The Beauty Broker. She has written a novel based on the fashion world The Look, (Dutton 1995) Blanchard talks about what it takes to be a model, the pressures they’re under and why she herself finally had enough.

Miami Herald columnist and novelist Carl Hiaasen. His newest comic thriller set in South Florida is Stormy Weather, about the rip off artists and corrupt construction and insurance industries that take advantage of hurricane victims. He's also the author of five other books in the same vein: Strip Tease, a yarn, pitting a seamy Florida politician against the star stripper at Miami's Eager Beaver club. Mr.

Novelist Amy Tan. Her best-selling books include The Joy Luck Club, and The Kitchen God's Wife. Her newest novel is The Hundred Secret Senses (Putnam's), about two half-sisters. One is Chinese-American, the other is Chinese, and has the ability to see ghosts.