Remembering Philip Roth, 1933-2018
Sad to hear of the passing of one of America’s greatest writers, Philip Roth, who died Tuesday at 85. He was certainly one of my favorites and it was great…
Rockers On Tour with Books Not Guitars
Elvis Costello and Patti Smith both made it to town on tour this week, less encumbered than they’ve ever been. There were no trucks, no equipment and no roadies on…
Azar Nafisi on the U.S.-Iran Deal
I had the author of "Reading Lolita in Tehran" on the line. Azar Nafisi was about to receive the 2015 Benjamin Franklin Creativity Laureate in the Humanities and Public Service from…
Don DeLillo Visits the National Book Festival
Nothing like giving out an impressively titled award to bring out a reluctant star. TV awards shows do it all the time, giving some oddly named lifetime achievement award out…
History’s March to Graphic Novels
At the Metro there were all kinds of costumed plushy characters, enough to make you think there was a convention at the nearby Marriott. But it had nothing to do…
Elmore Leonard, Detroiter, 1925-2013
Elmore Leonard, who died today at 87, was not only one of the great crime writers of the day, whose work was the basis of TV and movie scripts from…
Philip Roth Talks About His Retirement
When he finished writing his 2011 book “Nemesis,” Philip Roth says “I didn’t realize it was my last book.” But, he declares, “it is now.” And the retirement he admitted…