Writers & Companywith Eleanor Wachtel
Latest
30 years of Writers & Company: highlights from the first season
This special episode revisits memorable interviews from the 1990-91 season: conversations with Alice Munro, A.S. Byatt, J.M. Coetzee, Wole Soyinka and Eduardo Galeano.
Brit Bennett on race, identity and the re-invention of self in her bestselling novel, The Vanishing Half
The American author spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about writing a novel where the issues of racism and colourism in the 1950s carry through to today's world.
30 books to celebrate 30 years of Writers & Company
Writers & Company with Eleanor Wachtel celebrates its 30th anniversary season this year. To celebrate, here's a look back at 30 outstanding books the show has covered since 1990.
Dalia Sofer draws on her family's escape from revolutionary Iran
In conversation with Eleanor Wachtel, the Iranian-American author talks about how the legacy of a revolution informs her novels The Septembers of Shiraz and Man of My Time.
Martin Amis on the inside story of his literary life, loves and losses
The British author spoke to Eleanor Wachtel about writing a fictional account of his connections with family, friends and mentors.
Ayad Akhtar examines the soul of America through his own family's story in Homeland Elegies
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.
Natasha Trethewey's Memorial Drive is a moving tribute to her mother's life
The Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet and author spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about writing a heartbreaking account of domestic abuse, grief and reckoning.
Dionne Brand, Margaret Drabble, Deborah Eisenberg & Andrew O'Hagan reflect on life and writing
2020 marks the 30th anniversary season of Writers & Company. This 2010 episode takes a look back at the 20th anniversary of the CBC radio program with a discussion moderated by Eleanor Wachtel.
Fatima Bhutto on her powerful and tragic political family and the lure of extremism for the young
The Pakistani journalist and writer spoke to Eleanor Wachtel about her novel The Runaways and her family’s painful legacy.
Mira Nair's adaptation of A Suitable Boy looks at family and political tensions in post-partition India
The Indian filmmaker spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about creating a screen adaptation of Vikram Seth's bestselling 1993 novel. A Suitable Boy had its North American premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.
Zadie Smith's latest book, Intimations, reflects deeply on isolation and injustice
The bestselling English author spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about writing a personal essay collection that examines our current time of isolation.
How the tragic story of Shakespeare's son Hamnet inspired Maggie O'Farrell's prize-winning novel
The 30th anniversary season of Writers & Company begins with Eleanor Wachtel in conversation with British author Maggie O'Farrell about her novel Hamnet, winner of the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Ann Patchett on the true meaning of beauty and her prize-winning novel, Bel Canto
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the U.K.'s Women's Prize for Fiction. To celebrate that milestone, Writers & Company is revisiting interviews with past winners.
'Each novel is a journey.' Rose Tremain explores the exile experience in her vivid, engaging fiction
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the U.K.'s Women's Prize for Fiction. To celebrate that milestone, Writers & Company is revisiting interviews with past winners.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on why she can't stay silent
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the U.K.'s Women's Prize for Fiction, Writers & Company is revisiting interviews with past winners.
Ali Smith on art, adolescence and gender ambiguity in her time-bending novel, How To Be Both
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the U.K.'s Women's Prize for Fiction. To celebrate that milestone, Writers & Company is revisiting interviews with past winners.
Of mazes and men: Carol Shields explores both in Larry's Party
2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the UK’s Women’s Prize for Fiction. To celebrate that milestone, Writers & Company will be revisiting interviews with past winners.
P.D. James at 100: The thrills and mysteries of her life as a crime writer
Aug. 3, 2020, marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of P.D. James, one of England's most celebrated crime writers. Writers & Company revisits Eleanor Wachtel’s 2000 conversation with the author, who died in 2014 at the age of 94.
The imaginative leaps of German filmmaker Wim Wenders
In this 2011 interview, the German director spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about making road movies, the magic of dance and his documentary about the late German choreographer Pina Bausch.
Opera superstar Jessye Norman reflects on political activism and her 50-year career in music
The gifted soprano spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about her life and work at the Toronto Reference Library in early 2019. Norman died on Sept. 30, 2019.
The legacy of Milton Glaser: Designer of the iconic I Love New York logo
Milton Glaser died on June 26. In this 2010 interview, the influential graphic designer spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about his profound experience of creating life through pictures.
Eva Hoffman on getting lost — and found — in time, language and memory
In this 2010 interview, the Polish-American author of Time and Lost in Translation spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about our ever-changing perception of time and place.
From The Book of Salt to The Sweetest Fruits, Monique Truong's fiction explores the hunger of the soul
The Vietnamese American novelist and essayist spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about her personal connection to the literary themes of food, hunger and displacement.
A life in movies: John Boorman on Point Blank, Deliverance and his new memoir, Conclusions
In conversation with Eleanor Wachtel, the British filmmaker reflects on the primal power of storytelling — and how modern cinema has evolved.
The enduring appeal of Charles Dickens: still entertaining us, 150 years later
British biographer and author Claire Tomalin spoke with Eleanor Wachtel in 2011 about why Dickens's fiction is still as popular as ever.
