Literary Figures: Novelists

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fisher wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of her novel, Postcards From the Edge, directed by Mike Nichols, and starring Meryl Streep and Shirley McLaine. Best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars trilogy, Fisher also has a new novel called, Surrender the Pink. She is the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher.