Audio Geek...Fiction...week of August 18

A few gems from NPR...

Junot Díaz interviewed by Terri Gross in 2007 (airdate 18 October 2007) regarding his debut novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Gross starts off going the autobiographical conflation route which is somewhat problematic, but Díaz navigates it well. Eventually, she begins to approach the interview from the perspective of fiction writing, and Dominican Republic history, as well as the complicated history of individual Dominican's and Dominican neighborhoods in Santo Domingo in relation to the Trujillo dictatorship. As usual Díaz's love of history comes through in this part of the interview. There's also a thoughtful response from Díaz regarding language, the immigrant experience, and speaking in a multiplicity of idioms in relation to the language of the novel. Includes Díaz reading a selection from the book. (pictured above, Junot Díaz; photo credit: Lily Oei)

Chris Abani interviewed by Farai Chideya (airdate 19 May 2006) about his novella Becoming Abigail. Abani explains the impetus behind the work, the experience of writing from the point of view of an adolescent Nigerian girl who has immigrated to London, the Nigerian (specifically the Igbo) obsession with and silences concerning the dead, and questions of displacement and recovery. Includes a link to Abani reading an excerpt from the work.