Public Radio International

Wisconsin Public Radio

THE DEBUT NOVEL

Program 07-03-25-B

Listen!

William Faulkner, Earnest Hemingway, Virginia Wolfe: they were unknown writers at some point. But, who are the worlds next literary lions? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the young writer. Well talk with the next generation of novelists about to come into their own. And, a re-debut, if you will. The story of the recent rediscovery of the 1939 novel, "Ask the Dust."

SEGMENT 1:

Daniel Alarcon is from Peru and the author of "Lost City Radio," a fable about a nameless country broken in the aftermath of war and the woman who does a radio program for the families of the disappeared. Alarcon tells Steve Paulson he was thinking of Lima, but wanted to create a city that could be anywhere. And he reads from his book.

SEGMENT 2:

Sara Gruen tells Anne Strainchamps why she chose an elephant as a main character for her story of love, avarice and power. It's called "Water for Elephants" and has a happy ending. And Sara Gruen reads bit. Also, Jan Louter is a Dutch film director. The PBS series Independent Lens just aired his piece "A Sad Flower in the Sand" about novelist John Fante. Fante wrote a 1939 novel called "Ask the Dust" which became a best-seller and a film over 60 years later. Louter talks about Fante with Steve Paulson, and we hear excerpts from the Dutch film.

SEGMENT 3:

Steven Hall's debut novel is called "The Raw Shark Texts." Hall reads from the books opening, and talks with Jim Fleming. Also, Uzodinma Iweala lives in America but his parents are Nigerian. His novel "Beasts of No Nation" is told from the perspective of Agu, a child soldier in an unnamed African war. Iweala tells Jim Fleming how he researched the lives of child soldiers.

CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 07-03-25-B.

................................................................

Books:

Daniel Alarcon, Lost City Radio (Harper Collins)
Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants: a novel (Algonquin)
Steven Hall, The Raw Shark Texts (Canongate U.S.)
Uzodinma Iweala, Beasts of No Nation (Harper Collins)

Websites:

• For the list of Granta's top 21 American writers under 35:
  http://www.bestyoungnovelists.com

Music:

• "Common Thread" by Bobby McFerrin off his CD "Medicine Music" on Capital Records.
  "High Roller" by Crystal Method off their CD "Vegas" on Outpost Records.
• "Colonel Bogey" by Wurlitzer Caliola Calliope off their CD Circus Calliope Circus on Calliope Records.

• "Zambita" by Gustavo Santaolalla off of the Soundtrack from the motionpicture "The Motorcycle Diaries" on Deutche Grammaphone Records
  

Film:

• "A Sad Flower in the Sand" written and directed by Jan Louter. Viewpoint Productions and Independent Lens/PBS.
  

Distribution dates: week of 03/25/2007 - hour 2 click here for timings and cues

Listen!

................................................................

Questions and comments can be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org

Wisconsin Public Radio is a service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension.

Page design and management by Jim Fleming at Wisconsin Public Radio and Sarah Fleming.

© 2007 WHA Radio and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. All rights reserved.