Table of Contents

Contents:AcknowledgmentsNote to ReadersIntroduction: The Literary Interview as Public PerformancePart 1. The Traditionalists1. Wild Man: Rick Bass2. The Thinking Poet: W. S. Di Piero3. The Masters' Apprentice: Frank Conroy4. "Bitter" Poet-Prophet: Marge PiercyPart 2. The Raconteurs5. Splendor in the Weeds: Gerald Stern6. The Masked Man of Letters: Richard Howard7. The Translator as Team Player: John NathanPart 3. The Advertisers8. The Performing Artist-Intellectual: Camille Paglia9. The Chilean Scheherazade: Isabel AllendeNotesSelected BibliographySource Acknowledgments

Promotional Information

First in-depth look at the literary interview as performance art includes nine conversations with authors

About the Author

John Rodden is the author of six books, including Lionel Trilling and the Critics: Opposing Selves (Nebraska 1999).

Reviews

"Here is a strong and timely book, rich in implication for all who study the complex culture we inhabit. Anyone interested in our current intellectual trajectory should quickly open these covers."--Michael Levenson, University of Virginia "Performing the Literary Interview makes a major contribution to understanding an increasingly popular genre of public discourse. This book deserves a wide readership."--James van Oosting, Seton Hall University "John Rodden takes the art of the literary interview to a new level of achievement in this book."--James Arnt Aune, The Pennsylvania State University