Interviews

Jay Parini’s New Biography of Gore Vidal Was 30 Years in the Making

Jay Parini's new biography of Gore Vidal, Empire of Self, is an honest and beautifully told story of the life of an author, screenwriter, and TV personality (READ MORE)

Justice Breyer on the Court, the World, and the Staid Role of SCOTUS

With his book The Court and the World, Justice Breyer seeks to explain and demystify the Supreme Court and its role as an American democratic institution.(READ MORE)

The Odd and Expert Mind of D&D Creator Gary Gygax

We spoke with Gary Gygax biographer Michael Witwer about Empire of Imagination, his experiences with Dungeons and Dragons, and much more. (READ MORE)

Listening In: Luke Nichter on Richard Nixon and the Nixon Tapes

In this edition of the Friday Five, historian Luke Nichter joins us to discuss five books that influenced him in writing his new book, The Nixon Tapes: 1973.(READ MORE)

Superforecasting: For Today’s Crystal Ball, Look to the Crowd

We sat down with Dan Gardner, author of Superforecasting, to discuss foxes, hedgehogs, "The X-Files," crowdsourcing, and the odds of an Asian border war.(READ MORE)

Wil Haygood on the Hard-Won Victories of Thurgood Marshall

Wil Haygood, author of the biography Showdown, recalls the race-related hurdles Thurgood Marshall had to cross in order to be sworn in as a Justice.(READ MORE)

Fear, Hate, Repeat: On Holocaust Warnings with Timothy Snyder

We caught up with historian and award-winning author, Timothy Snyder, whose latest book puts forth some controversial ideas about the origins of the Holocaust. (READ MORE)

We’re Going to Need a Bigger Cake: Don Quixote Hits the Big 4-0-0

We sat down with Ilan Stavans, author of Quixote, to talk about the influence of Don Quixote on the development of the novel, Star Wars, and Stavans’ own writing career.(READ MORE)

The Rising: One Doctor’s Resolve in the Wake of an Unthinkable Crime

Ryan D'Agostino, author of The Rising, revels at how Dr. Bill Petit found solace and strength in the wake of a brutal home invasion.(READ MORE)

The Art of Biographical Fiction: On Thomas Mallon’s Presidential Novels

We talked with Thomas Mallon, author of Finale, about a host of topics, including biographical fiction, getting inside the heads of presidents, and writing a version of his friend Christopher Hitchens.(READ MORE)

Illustrations

Elvis Costello Lets Down His Guard in New Memoir Writer-illustrator Nathan Gelgud interprets the new Elvis Costello memoir, 'Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink.'
The Best Reading List of the Year is in Patti Smith’s M Train In her new memoir M Train, Patti Smith does a lot of inventory taking: Coffee cups, manuscripts, mescal, and a whole...

Quotes

The Complicated Life of Arthur Miller in 12 Quotes Celebrated playwright Arthur Miller confronted injustice in his work, but the realities of his life were much more...
Mad as a Hatter: 13 Weirdly Wise Words from the Works of Lewis Carroll Usher in Mad Hatter Day on October 6 with these kooky quotes from across Lewis Carroll's works.

News

Controversial Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei to Write Memoir Ai Weiwei, an artist and outspoken criticism of the Chinese government, will write a memoir for publication in early...
The Telephone Owes Its Invention to the Power of Ambiguity Jamie Holmes, author of Nonsense, discusses the breakthrough of the telephone, the concept of "functional fixedness,"...