
Literary Figures
'Fresh Air' Remembers Pulitzer Prize-Winning Writer Tony Horwitz
Horwitz, who died Monday, spoke to Fresh Air in '98 about Confederates in the Attic, his book about the legacy of the Civil War. Plus, Maureen Corrigan reviews his latest book, Spying on the South.
Forget 'Good Times,' David Sedaris Is Far More Interested In 'Bad Behavior'
From intestinal distress to family dysfunction, writer David Sedaris has spent decades sharing some of the most intimate aspects of his life. Still, there are some topics that make him uncomfortable.
Mexican-American Author Finds Inspiration In Family, Tragedy And Trump
Growing up with a Mexican father and an American mother, author Luis Alberto Urrea often felt like there was a border wall running through his family's San Diego apartment.
Playwright, actor and director Sam Shepard
Playwright, actor and director Sam Shepard has a new book of short stories, Great Dream of Heaven. Shepard won a Pulitzer Prize for his play Buried Child and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff. This interview first aired Mar. 31, 1998.
Novelist John Le Carré Reflects On His Own 'Legacy' Of Spying
The 85-year-old novelist worked for MI5 and MI6 early in his career. "I felt I had to suppress my humanity," he says of those years. Originally broadcast Sept. 5, 2017.
During World War II, Even Filmmakers Reported For Duty
Mark Harris says the military worked with Hollywood directors to create movies about the war. His book, Five Came Back, is the basis for a new Netflix docu-series. Originally broadcast March 3, 2014.
An 'Intimate Portrait' Of Dorothy Day, The Catholic Activist With A Bohemian Past
Kate Hennessy drew from family letters, diaries and memories in writing Dorothy Day, a biography of her late grandmother. Day founded the Catholic Worker Movement and is now a candidate for sainthood.
'Doonesbury' Creator Has 'Great Fun' Putting Trump In A Comic Setting
"Donald and I go all the way back to when his hair was dark brown," Garry Trudeau jokes. His new book, Yuge!, is a collection of 30 years of comic strips featuring Trump as a character.
Getting the Shmootz on Yiddish
In his new book Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods, Michael Wex explores the history and culture of Yiddish: its complaints, curses and codes.
What Etgar Keret Learned From His Father About Storytelling And Survival
The Seven Good Years spans the time between the birth of his son and the death of his father. Keret says his father, who was a Holocaust survivor, taught him to "look reality straight in the face."