Writers & Companywith Eleanor Wachtel
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30 years of Writers & Company: 5 inspiring people who changed how we see the world
Writers & Company celebrates its 30th anniversary season this year. This special episode features interviews with Jane Goodall, Oliver Sacks, Amartya Sen, Jane Jacobs and Desmond Tutu.
Travels with Graham Greene — the remarkable life and times of a master storyteller
Canadian poet and editor Richard Greene spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about covering the life of one of the most popular and admired English writers of the 20th century.
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.
Wayétu Moore tells the story of Liberia through her family's escape from its devastating civil war
The author of The Dragons, The Giant, The Women spoke to Eleanor Wachtel about the impact of Liberia's civil war on the country, her family, and her own life.
Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin on her legendary career and the power of storytelling
The artist, activist and documentarist spoke with Eleanor Wachtel in 2008 about empowerment, resistance and doing what is right.
Amitav Ghosh pursues adventure across the Indian Ocean in his 19th-century saga, Sea of Poppies
The acclaimed Indian author spoke with Eleanor Wachtel in 2008 about migration, identity and the concept of home.
The legacy of John le Carré: master of the political thriller
The British spy-turned-novelist died on Dec. 12, 2020 at the age of 89. In this 2010 interview, le Carré spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about how his childhood and career in the intelligence service shaped his fiction.
John le Carré on his legacy as a spy-turned-novelist
Eleanor Wachtel travelled to London in 2017 to chat with the bestselling British author about his storied career and the book A Legacy of Spies. le Carré died on Dec. 12, 2020.
French novelist David Foenkinos on literary fame, lost artistic genius and John Lennon
In conversation with Eleanor Wachtel, David Foenkinos talks about his acclaimed work, including Charlotte, Lennon: The New York Years and his most recent novel, The Mystery of Henri Pick.
Tsitsi Dangarembga looks at the dreams and disappointments of post-colonial Zimbabwe in This Mournable Body
The Zimbabwean novelist, filmmaker and 2020 Booker Prize finalist spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about how her life and fiction have been shaped by racism and political turmoil.
On finding and losing yourself in the city: from Charles Dickens to Virginia Woolf
London-based author and academic Matthew Beaumont spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about tracing the footsteps of literary writers in his new book, The Walker.
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.
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.
