Writing

Writer Andre Dubus. Dubus' short stories earned him 1991's Bernard Malamud Award from the writers group, PEN. In 1986 DUBUS was crippled when he was hit by a car as he was trying to assist another motorist. His new collection of essays is "Dancing After Hours." (Knopf)

Novelist Stephen McCauley was a yoga instructor and travel agent before writing his first novel, "The Object of My Affection". His newest and third novel is "The Man of the House". (Simon & Schuster)

John Updike. America's preeminent writer has written forty-six books, including 17 novels. His latest work is a four-generation saga, a historical novel, "In the Beauty of the Lilies." (Knopf).

Veteran crime novelist Lawrence Block. He's written 11 novels featuring Manhattan private eye Matt Scudder. His novels have followed Scudder through alcoholism and into recovery through an Alcoholics Anonymous program. His newest Scudder novel, A Long Line of Dead Men will be published in February

Novelist R.S. Jones. His first novel, Force of Gravity was published in 1991. One reviewer called it, "a moving, acutely intelligent story about going insane." He's just published his second novel, Walking on Air (Houghton Mifflin) about a man who is dying of AIDS. A reviewer for The New York Times writes, "The novel's power resides in its almost total refusal to do anything but starkly describe this process, to trace the effects of the disease on this suffering man and his two friends. It rings true from start to finish."

Novelist and poet Robert Morgan. He's written nine volumes of poetry and four novels. His latest novel is The Truest Pleasure (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill). Morgan's work centers on the place where he grew up, The Blue Ridge Mountains. Morgan also teaches English at Cornell University.

Canadian author Robertson Davies. He died last weekend at the age of 82, from a stroke. Terry talked with him earlier this year upon the publication of his novel, The Cunning Man (Viking) The Washington Post called it "one of [the] author's most entertaining and satisfying novels." Davies had three successive careers. He began as an actor, then was a journalist and newspaper publisher, and in 1981 retired as professor of the Massy college at the University of Toronto. Davies wrote more than thirty books. (REBROADCAST from 2/23/95)

Larry McMurtry is considered one of Texas most prominent fiction writers even though he has not lived in that state for nearly two decades. Over his career, he has written 19 novels...including the 1986 Pulitzer Prize winning book Lonesome Dove.. His newest Dead Man’s Walk (Simon & Schuster 1995) takes readers to the early days of his Lonesome Dove heroes Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call. Other books by McMurtry include: Streets of Laredo (sequel to Lonesome Dove), Terms of Endearment and The Last Picture Show.

Miami Herald columnist and novelist Carl Hiaasen. His newest comic thriller set in South Florida is Stormy Weather, about the rip off artists and corrupt construction and insurance industries that take advantage of hurricane victims. He's also the author of five other books in the same vein: Strip Tease, a yarn, pitting a seamy Florida politician against the star stripper at Miami's Eager Beaver club. Mr.

Novelist Amy Tan. Her best-selling books include The Joy Luck Club, and The Kitchen God's Wife. Her newest novel is The Hundred Secret Senses (Putnam's), about two half-sisters. One is Chinese-American, the other is Chinese, and has the ability to see ghosts.

Novelist Elmore Leonard. He's 70 years old and has been called "the greatest living writer of crime fiction" (New York Times). Though he'd been writing for decades, critics didn't take notice of him until the 1980s. Now his work is known for it tight prose, "ear-perfect" dialogue and depiction of lower class life. Leonard's written thirty-two novels, including the bestsellers Pronto, Maximum Bob, and Get Shorty which has been made into a film, starring John Travolta and Gene Hackman.

Television anchor and author Robert MacNeil. He steps down tonight as co-anchor of the PBS news show The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour. Terry talked with him this week. We'll hear that interview and one from 1989. His books include, Wordstruck, a memoir that explores the roots of MacNeil's fascination with language and the best-selling The Story of English. (Contains excerpt of MacNeil's March 14, 1989 interview).

Kazuo Ishiguro won international recognition with his novel The Remains of the Day. He won the distinguished Booker Award for this book in 1989. It was later adapted to a movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. The Japanese born British writer has released his latest book The Unconsoled, Alfred A. Knopf 1995. A story about the mixed blessings of celebrity from the point of view of a concert pianist. Other titles by Ishiguro include: A Pale View of the Hills, An Artist of the Floating World.

British writer Nick Hornby. His autobiographical memoir about being an obsessed soccer fan, Fever Pitch (1992, now in paperback, Penguin) achieved cult status. With his second book, and his first novel High-Fidelity one reviewer writes that Hornby has "established himself in England as a maestro of the male confessional." High-Fidelity (Riverhead Books, div. of Putnam) is about 36-year old Rob Fleming, an obsessed record-collector, who's just lost his girlfriend, a casualty of his devotion to music.

Novelist Lynne Sharon Schwartz. Her new novel is The Fatigue Artist, (Scribner) about a 40 year old woman who comes down with chronic fatigue syndrome. One reviewer calls it "witty and hopeful and fierce." Schwartz is also the author of Disturbances in the Field, and Leaving Brooklyn.

Illustrator and comic-book artist Peter Kuper. His work has appeared in Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, The Village Voice, and his "Eye of the Beholder" was the first comic strip to regularly appear in The New York Times. He is also co-founder and co-editor of World War 3 an illustrated political comics magazine. He's illustrated a number of books. Most recently, Give it Up! And Other Short Stories by Franz Kafka, (NBM Publishers)

Novelist Jane Hamilton. Her novel A Map of the World (Anchor Books), is a searing account of guilt and forgiveness and an unflinching portrait of small town mean spiritedness. This is Hamilton's second novel, her first, The Book of Ruth, won the PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award in 1989. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Mystery Writer R.D. Zimmerman (real name Robert Alexander). He is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, and has written mystery jigsaw puzzles as well as short mysteries that appeared on the backs of 15 million boxes of Total Cereal. His new book Red Trance (Morrow), is a Russian mystery of hypnotic detection. Zimmerman also talks about his business dealings in Russia, and the corruption he faced as a result.

Writer Tim McLaurin. He has a new novel called Cured by Fire (Putnam). McLaurin is also the author of two other novels The Acorn Plan, and Woodrow's Trumpet. He has been a Marine, a Peace Corps volunteer, and a snake handler. He currently teaches writing at North Carolina State University.

Writer Michael Chabon. This 24 year old graduate student gained his fame when his master's thesis became a critical and commercial success. His book was not only on the New York Times bestseller list for for three months, but he was also featured in People Magazine's 50 most important people edition. CHABON has a new novel called Wonder Boys. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)