Writers & Companywith Eleanor Wachtel
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From Tripoli to Tuscany: Libyan writer Hisham Matar finds new connections between art and life
In conversation with Eleanor Wachtel, Matar talks about the ways place, art, loss and grief can intersect.
Adam Foulds on celebrity, solitude and the madness of desire
The Toronto-based British author talks about his love of film and society's fascination with actors and celebrity with Eleanor Wachtel.
George Steiner on morality, his love of books and the marvels of language
Eleanor Wachtel revisits her 1995 conversation with the American literary critic and writer about the power of human speech. He died on Feb. 3, 2020.
French filmmaker Céline Sciamma on looking, longing and falling in love in Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Sciamma spoke with Eleanor Wachtel during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival about exploring forbidden love and the concept of the gaze through cinema.
Sarah Broom on family bonds and the meaning of home in her award-winning memoir, The Yellow House
The New Orleans-born author spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about generational love and the power of place.
Susan Choi's Trust Exercise is an intense coming-of-age story — with a surprising twist
In conversation with Eleanor Wachtel, the American author spoke about the novel's timely depiction of power dynamics, memory and consent.
Bernardine Evaristo on black British identity and her Booker-winning novel, Girl, Woman, Other
The award-winning British author spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about amplifying the voices of marginalized people through literature.
How Laura Cumming unearthed the truth about her mother's kidnapping, 90 years later
The Edinburgh-born art critic and biographer spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about investigating the real story behind her mother’s disappearance as a child in 1929.
The haunted landscapes of Téa Obreht — from the Balkans to the American West
The Serbian-American writer spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about how death, afterlife and American West mythology inspired her novel, Inland.
The multi-talented Jonathan Miller: a life of creativity, curiosity and comedy
Eleanor Wachtel revisits her 2000 conversation with comedian, satirist, doctor and stage director Jonathan Miller. He died on Nov. 27, 2019.
The enduring appeal of Middlemarch, 200 years after George Eliot's birth
Francine Prose, Rebecca Mead and Nancy Henry reflect on the continued relevance of the Eliot's novel on the bicentenary of her birth.
Martin Amis and Ian Thomson on the legacy of Primo Levi
To mark the centenary of the birth of Primo Levi, the British writers join Eleanor Wachtel to reflect on the late Italian author's exceptional writing about the Holocaust, science and humanity.
Brazilian novelist Julián Fuks on exile, identity and dictatorship
The acclaimed author spoke to Eleanor Wachtel about his award-winning novel Resistance and the illusory nature of national identity.
Deborah Levy fuses the personal and political in her mind-bending new novel, The Man Who Saw Everything
The British writer's latest book, The Man Who Saw Everything, is an enigmatic story about a striking young man who makes startling connections through time and space.
Bohemian Rhapsody screenwriter Anthony McCarten on turning true stories into award-winning movies
The New Zealand-born novelist, playwright and filmmaker spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about finding his way into the iconic characters at the centre of his dramatic biopics.
The brilliant Zadie Smith on what keeps her urgently engaged with the world around her
The British-born novelist and essayist spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about her latest book, the short story collection Grand Union.
Ingo Schulze reflects on life in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall
To mark the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, we revisit this 2009 conversation with German writer Ingo Schulze.
Tash Aw on the dark side of the modern Asian dream
The Chinese-Malaysian novelist spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about why his latest, We, the Survivors, is a portrait of crime, morality and social inequality.
Master storyteller Rodrigo Rey Rosa on Guatemala, Morocco and his mentor, Paul Bowles
The Guatemalan novelist spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about what the late American expatriate composer and author taught him about writing.
Yiyun Li navigates the loss of a child in her heartbreaking new novel
The Chinese-American author spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about the process of writing about love, pain and grief.
David J. Skal on the enduring appeal of Dracula
Eleanor Wachtel talks to the author of Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man Who Wrote Dracula.
In Late in the Day, Tessa Hadley tests the fault lines of long married love and friendship
The British author's seventh novel explores the nature of love, romance and aging in relationships.
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 in February. Norman died on Sept. 30, 2019.
Uruguayan filmmaker Federico Veiroj mixes deadpan comedy with existential drama in his prize-winning movies
The South American director spoke with Eleanor Wachtel during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
Hungarian writer Gyorgy Konrad dead at 86
The writer and sociologist was an iconic figure of Hungary’s dissident movement while the country was under communist rule. He spoke to Eleanor Wachtel in 2005.
