John Ralston Saul's "Dark Diversions"

Canadian essayist John Ralston Saul is considered one of the world's leading thinkers.  Time magazine has called him a 'prophet'. He's probably best known for the philosophical trilogy that began with "Voltaire's Bastards."

John Ralston Saul is also engaged in a number of international causes. Recently he signed on for a second term as president of PEN International,  which promotes literature and freedom of expression. Small wonder then that John Ralston Saul, who is also a novelist, hasn't published any fiction for 15 years.

He's back with a new novel, Dark Diversions: A Traveler's Tale. It's a black comedy, told from the perspective of a journalist who loses himself in privileged international circles, from exiled princesses to the nouveaux riches. 

John Ralston Saul joined Sonali Karnick in studio.