A Four Part Series from TTBOOK!

Public Radio International

Wisconsin Public Radio

FROM SUBURBIA TO THE SURREAL:
WRITERS' LIVES

Program 09-05-03-A

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John Cheever was sometimes called the "Chekov of the Suburbs." Cheever's characters often find themselves struggling with issues of conformity and class in American suburbia. Much like their creator himself. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we'll explore the life and work of John Cheever with his biographer, Blake Bailey. Also, the playful, postmodern fiction of Donald Barthelme.

SEGMENT 1:

Blake Bailey is the author of the new biography "Cheever: A Life." He tells Steve Paulson that John Cheever wrote hundreds of short stories and kept an extensive private journal, fabricated his accent and was primarily gay despite siring three children and remaining in a long marriage. We also hear Cheever reading from "The Swimmer" and Meryl Streep reading rom "The Enormous Radio."

SEGMENT 2:

Elizabeth Strout just won the Pulitzer Prize for her book "Olive Kitteridge." Marilynne Robinson's most recent novel, "Home," was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her previous book, "Gilead," won the Pulitzer. Both woman joined Steve Paulson before a live audience at the Wisconsin Book Festival to read from their work and talk about it. The writers discuss the appeal of small town life and their interest in religion and the question of how to live a good life.

View a video of the entire Book Festival interview with Marilynne Robinson & Elizabeth Strout
1000kbps High Resolution Version: mms://clipcast.wpr.org:8080/wpr/vid/20081019-ttbook-1000.wmv
256kbps Medium Resolution Version: mms://clipcast.wpr.org:8080/wpr/vid/20081019-ttbook-256.wmv

SEGMENT 3:

An excerpt from the "Earplay" production of Donald Barthelme's "The Photographs" sets up a conversation with Tracy Daugherty, author of "Hiding Man: A Biography of Donald Barthelme." Jim Fleming asks Daugherty about Donald Barthelme, Senior, and the writer's passion for jazz. Also, Natalie Goldberg is the author of many books about writing including the classic "Writing Down the Bones." Her latest is "Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir." Goldgerg tells Anne Strainchamps why she loves the memoir genre.

CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 09-05-03-B.

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Books & CDs:

Blake Bailey, Cheever: A Life (Knopf)
Tracy Daugherty, Hiding Man: A Biography of Donald Barthelme (St. Martin's Press)
Natalie Goldberg, Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir (Free Press)
Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (Picador)
Marilynne Robinson, Home (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge (Random House)

Websites:

• -- Blake Bailey/“Cheever: A Life”
  http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400043941
• -- Elizabeth Strout/ “Olive Kitteridge”
  http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9781400062089.html
• -- Marilynne Robinson/“Home”
  http://us.macmillan.com/home
• -- Marilynne Robinson/“Gilead”
  http://us.macmillan.com/gilead
• -- Tracy Daugherty/“Hiding Man: A Biography of Donald Barthelme”
  http://us.macmillan.com/hidingman
  http://oregonstate.edu/cla/english/faculty/daugherty
• -- Natalie Goldberg
  http://www.nataliegoldberg.com/
  http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=1&pid=633389&er=9781416535034

Clips:

• -- “The Enormous Radio” read by Meryl Streep and “The Swimmer” read by John Cheever
  from “The John Cheever Audio Collection: Unabridged Stories” (Caedmon)
  http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780060554835/The_John_Cheever_Audio_Collection_Unabridged/index.aspx
  http://www.harpercollins.com/imprints/index.aspx?imprintid=518000

• -- Donald Barthelme’s “The Photographs” from the NPR Radio Drama Project, “Earplay”
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earplay

Music:

• -- “Tiny’s Tempo”/Charlie Parker
  from the CD, “BIRD/The Savoy Recordings, Vol. 1” (Savoy Jazz)
• -- “The Artifact and Living”/Michael Andrews
  from the CD, “Donnie Darko: Music from the Original Motion Picture Score” (Enjoy Records)
• -- “Liquid Spear Waltz”/Michael Andrews
  from the CD, “Donnie Darko: Music from the Original Motion Picture Score” (Enjoy Records)
• -- “Meandering”/Charlie Parker
  from the CD, “BIRD/The Savoy Recordings, Vol. 1” (Savoy Jazz)
• -- “Time Travel”/Michael Andrews
  from the CD, “Donnie Darko: Music from the Original Motion Picture Score” (Enjoy Records)
  

Distribution dates: week of 05/03/2009 - hour 1 click HERE for timings and cues

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