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Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s politically charged fiction paints an intimate portrait of contemporary Nigerian life
The Nigerian writer spoke to Eleanor Wachtel about exploring politics and power through the intimate lives of her characters.
Ayad Akhtar examines the soul of America through his own family's story in Homeland Elegies
In this 2020 conversation, the Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright and novelist spoke to Eleanor Wachtel about exploring his Pakistani heritage in an era of Western decline and division.
Elizabeth McCracken's fictional portrait of her own remarkable mother is warm, witty and wise
American author Elizabeth McCracken speaks with Eleanor Wachtel about her new novel, The Hero of This Book.
Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton's new novel, Birnam Wood, is a moral thriller for our times
The New Zealand author spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about her latest novel, Birnam Wood.
Yiyun Li's new novel, The Book of Goose, is a beguiling tale of childhood imagination, hunger and memory
The Chinese-American author spoke to Eleanor Wachtel about her new novel, set in postwar France.
Zimbabwe's Petina Gappah casts new light on David Livingstone's search for the source of the Nile
The lawyer and writer spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about her fascination with the 19th-century explorer and his obsession with one of the world’s longest waterways.
Nothing is as it seems in Scottish novelist Graeme Macrae Burnet's inventive, genre-defying fiction
Eleanor Wachtel speaks with Scottish novelist Graeme Macrae Burnet about his latest novel, Case Study.
World-renowned South African artist William Kentridge on his wide-ranging, politically engaged work
The South African artist spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about how politics influence his extraordinary artwork.
Kapka Kassabova on the untold stories of Bulgaria's haunted borderland
The award-winning Bulgarian writer explores the unspoken stories of the people and places at the edges of Europe in the 2017 book Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe.
The tragic loss of a close friend became the impetus for Hua Hsu's acclaimed memoir Stay True
The American writer talks to Eleanor Wachtel about how the journals he kept in the aftermath of the murder of a college friend became a book 20 years later.
Amy Liptrot on how she forged a new story in the wild landscape of the Orkney Islands
The Scottish journalist and author spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about the intense personal experiences that led to her memoirs The Outrun and The Instant.
From Kolkata to Mumbai, London to Berlin — Amit Chaudhuri's fiction travels off the beaten path
The Indian author and literary critic spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about writing about a city reckoning with its past in his latest novel, Sojourn.
Fran Lebowitz shares her observations on contemporary life with unfiltered wit and wisdom
In this 2012 conversation, the American author and cultural critic spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about writing, culture and life in general.
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tracy K. Smith ponders life, death and outer space in her memoir Ordinary Light
In this 2016 interview, Eleanor Wachtel spoke with the acclaimed American poet and author about exploring race, faith and family relationships through memoir.
Marie Kreutzer's film Corsage is a fascinating portrait of a 19th-century icon, Empress Elisabeth of Austria
The Austrian filmmaker spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about her latest film, Corsage — a look at the tragic life and death of the longest reigning Austrian empress.
Cleopatra beyond the myth: Francine Prose revisits the life of Egypt's legendary queen
The American novelist, essayist and biographer spoke to Eleanor Wachtel about revisiting the life and legacy of one of the most famous female rulers in history.
In 1992, Salman Rushdie made a secret visit to Canada. Writers & Company looks back, 30 years later
Thirty years ago, Salman Rushdie made a surprise appearance at a Canadian PEN fundraiser while still in hiding because of the fatwa issued against him for his 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses. As Rushdie continues his recovery from injuries sustained in an attack earlier this year, Writers & Company revisits 1992 and 2015 conversations with the celebrated author.
Pierre Jarawan probes Lebanon's troubled past in his affecting new novel, Song for the Missing
The Lebanese German writer and poet spoke to Eleanor Wachtel about poetry, heritage and the legacy of Lebanon's 15-year civil war.
Victorian virtuosity meets rock royalty in Nick Hornby's new memoir, Dickens and Prince
The English writer and lyricist spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about writing a love letter to Charles Dickens and Prince, an unlikely pairing who share similarities in their sheer genius and creative output.
Imani Perry on the remarkable life and legacy of Lorraine Hansberry, author of A Raisin in the Sun
The author and scholar on the late playwright and her seminal drama about black American life in the pre-Civil Rights era.
Nick Drnaso captures modern anxieties with quiet brilliance in his acclaimed graphic novels
The American graphic novelist spoke to Eleanor Wachtel about distilling modern anxieties into brilliant graphic novels.
Ian McEwan on private lives, global events and the accidents of fortune that shape us
The acclaimed English novelist spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about the inspiration behind his latest novel Lessons.
Zambian American novelist Namwali Serpell on death, dreams and the haunting nature of grief
The author of The Furrows spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about writing an epic novel inspired by the tragic real-life passing of a loved one.
Imagination takes flight in Hervé Le Tellier's adventurous hit novel, The Anomaly
The French writer and linguist spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about writing a taut thriller he describes as a "thought experiment."
Gwendoline Riley's new novel My Phantoms charts the fractured ground between mother and daughter
The award-winning English writer talks to Eleanor Wachtel about her latest novel My Phantoms, which charts the fractured ground between a mother and daughter.
