The Paris Review Interviews
What are the secrets of great writers? According to James M. Cain's scathing assessment, "Working on foreign policy is similar to writing a novel. There are issues that need to be addressed. It isn't all inspiring," according to Joan Didion's description of how she writes a book: "I continuously retype my own lines." Every day, I go back to page one and retype what I've already written. It helps me get into a routine "—Some of the most revelatory and enlightening views from our generation's literary leaders have been produced by The Paris Review. The magazine has interviewed most of America's finest novelists, poets, and playwrights for more than half a century, and the interviews have become classic works of literature, a vital and comprehensive chronicle of the literary life. They've received the prestigious George Polk Award and were a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Now, the editor of the Paris Review, Philip Gourevitch, presents a brand-new collection of sixteen of the most famous interviews. These interactions, which feature Elizabeth Bishop, Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, Rebecca West, and Billy Wilder, are often stunning, always interesting, and contain an enormous range of knowledge, personality, experience, and wit. For all authors and readers, this is a must-have book.
