Literary Figures: Novelists

Hungarian writer Gyorgy Konrad. When he was 11 he bribed local police so that he and his sister could leave town and escape being deported. In 1974 he and a fellow writer were arrested in Budapest and imprisoned shortly for writing a sociological manuscript which was considered "subversive." Asked to leave the country, he decided a writer "should not emigrate, should not turn away from the risks of his profession." Konrad has written several novels, "The Case Worker," "The City Builder.

Novelist James Lee Burke. He's been writing for 35 years but he's best known for his more recent detective novels about Dave Robicheaux (ROW-bah-show), a recovering alcoholic, who is also a troubled Vietnam vet, and a New Orleans police lieutenant. The books are: "The Neon Rain," "Heaven's Prisoners," "Black Cherry Blues," and "A Morning for Flamingos." His fifth Robicheaux novel is, "A Stained White Radiance." (published by Hyperion).

Isaac Asimov [a.k.a. Paul French], the prolific science fiction writer, has passed away at the age of 72. Asimov wrote nearly 500 books, and was honored, among other times, in 1966 with a special Hugo Award for the best science fiction series ever for his "Foundation" trilogy. We present highlights from an earlier interview. (Rebroadcast. Originally aired 9/25/87.)

Israeli writer A. B. Yehoshua. He's one of Israel's most acclaimed authors. His work, written in Hebrew, includes essays, short stories and novels and spans 30 years. His writing has often been compared to William Faulkner. His books include the novel, "Five Seasons," the collected stories, "The Continuing Silence of a Poet," and his latest novel, "Mr. Mani," is about six generations of a Jewish family. (published by Doubleday).

Veteran crime novelist Lawrence Block. He's written nine novels staring Manhattan private eye Matt Scudder. His latest is called "A Ticket To The Boneyard."

First-time novelist Cristina Garcia. Her book, "Dreaming in Cuban," as about three generations of women who are each haunted by a different dream of Cuba. A New York Times review says the book, "announces the debut of a writer, blessed with a poet's ear for language, a historian's fascination with the past and a musician's intuitive understanding of the ebb and flow of emotion." (published by Knopf).

Author Robert Stone. Stone's been widely hailed as a brilliant writer. his first novel, "A Hall of Mirrors," won a William Faulkner Award. He earned a PEN/Faulkner Award for "A Flag For Sunrise," and the national Book Award for "Dog Soldiers." His new novel, "Outerbridge Reach," is the story of one man's search for himself during a solo sailing voyage. (It's published by Ticknor and Fields). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Author Allen Kurzweil. Kurzweil's new book, "A Case of Curiosities," is a comic novel about the life of a 18th Century watchmaker living in France in the days before the Revolution. (It's published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Mystery writer Sara Paretsky. Paretsky's just written the seventh in her series of mysteries starring tough-nails female private eye V.I. Warshawski. (Published by Delacorte Press). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Author Robert Olen Butler. Butler's first novel, "The Alleys of Eden," has been called one of the finest books ever written about Americans in Vietnam. Butler has a new collection of stories, called "A Good Scent From A Strange Mountain." (It's published by Henry Holt). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)