Originally Aired September 2004; Ferit Orhan Pamuk, or just Orhan Pamuk, won the Nobel prize for literature in 2006. He was born and still lives in Istanbul, though he has visited the U.S. and has taught at Columbia University. He is Turkey’s best-selling writer and the recipient of numerous prizes. Among his important works are My Name is Red; The Black Book; Snow; The White Castle; and Colors. He is a Muslim, though more in a cultural sense, and as a human rights activist has been outspoken about the Armenian genocide and also about Turkey’s treatment of the Kurds. Besides his huge writing talent and heart, Pamuk, at least in my opinion, is very funny.

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One of the most original and outspoken voices now writing, James Elroy,  “The Demon Dog of American Crime Fiction” earned great respect and loyal fans from his L.A. Quartet The Black Dalhia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, and White Jazz. He joins me to talk about his latest, Blood’s A Rover, and about his life which is rich, dark and fascinating. A character in the best sense of the word. . . .you’d best hold on to your seats for this one.

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Caryn James in The New York Times Book Review said of Lorrie “She may be the most acute and lasting writer of her generation,” and personally I don’t doubt it. One has only to read some of Lorrie’s short stories in “Birds of America,” “Like Life,” or “Self-Help,” or her novels, “Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?” “Anagrams,” or her latest “A Gate At The Stairs,” to realize that you are in the presence of a major talent. Yes she has won dozens of prizes for her writing, and yes she is a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin, but Lorrie Moore possesses that literary je ne sais quoi that is not immediately translatable until you meet her in the flesh. She has a certain charm, look, and disarming modesty that at first takes you off guard but soon announces itself as quiet confidence fused with high intelligence, playfulness, and a crackling sense of humor. A devastating combination I might add. Join me when I meet Lorrie for the first time in person and we get to know one another for you on the air. I think you’ll enjoy this remarkable writer. I did.

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“Atlas of Unknowns” is a sisterhood tale from India like nothing you’ve ever read before.  Sample the bright new fiction of Tania James a young talent Knopf plucked right out of Harvard and Columbia journalism school.  Nathan Englander calls her “The Real Deal.”  Judge for yourself. 

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Flora Fraser, the elegant biographer of Pauline Bonaparte, who incidentally is the stepdaughter of playwright Harold Pinter (Nobel Prize 2005) who married her mother, Lady Antonia Fraser, stops by to discuss Napoleon’s sister who was once considered the most beautiful woman in Europe. Not only was Pauline Bonaparte beautiful, she was also apparently frisky and kinky. . .

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While Adam is probably best known as an essayist and commentator for The New Yorker he is also the author of the widely admired memoirs “Paris To The Moon,” and its sequel “Through The Children’s Gate.” In our interview Adam talks with me about “Angels and Ages,” a recent book about Darwin and Lincoln. Adam is smart and articulate. . . .I think you’ll enjoy our exchange.

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If you are into mathematics, music, and love, you will find Jeanette Turner Hospital’s ORPHEUS LOST, entrancing. We discuss it and literature on this program.

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If you’ve ever read This Boy’s Life you know that Toby Wolf is one of our literary treasures. Here he talks to me about Our Story Begins, a recent book of selected new stories

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Probably one of the most eloquent men I know, Pico writes with style to spare. His prose is not only invariably interesting and elegant, but languorous as well which happens to be his favorite word. On visiting North Korea once Pico found it curious that North Korea one of the least travelled places on earth by tourists was building the tallest hotel in the world. Whether it is Pico writing travel books like Cuba By Night or his most recent thoughts about the Dalai Lama,  you will find yourself unable to put his work down.

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Born in Viet Nam and raised in Australia Nam Le  along with Sana Krasikov is one of the talented newcomers on the contemporary literary scene. Currently fiction editor of  the Harvard Review, he talks to me about The Boat , a stunning collection of short stories recently published by Knopf.

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