John Barth

We speak with John Barth, senior producer of Marketplace and former colleague from WHYY, about life in L.A. following this morning's earthquake.

Novelist and professor John Barth tried to make his mark as a jazz drummer; instead, he became a maximalist writer known for his sprawling, metafictional books. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his early career, the nature of storytelling, and his experiences at John Hopkins University as both a student and instructor.

White anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman identifies ways in which recent reforms passed by the South African government have led to some desegregation. She believes that the recent sanctions advocated by the Reagan administration will have little impact on her home country's racist policies.