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Audio
Interview with Tobias Wolff |
Tobias Wolff, author of In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, and Back in the Woods, says none of his characters are losers per say, but they are “tested” individuals. Many of them are depictions of the author himself if he had traveled down certain paths. One character has Wolff’s characteristics as a teenage shoplifter. The militant is the nightmare of what Wolff would have become had he stayed in the military. The Catholic priest, again, a depiction of who he would have been had he entered a seminary school. Wolff has worked his way up from waiting tables and writing, to teaching and writing. He hopes to one day write full-time. Writing is something he’s always loved doing since he was a boy – a characteristic of most successful writers. To hear more about Wolff, including his childhood growing up in Utah with no television, click on the link below. Listen to the Tobias Wolff interview with Don Swaim, October 16, 1985 These files are for your personal use only. Four years later, Wolff returns to talk about his newest book, The Boys Life. For this book, Wolff steps beyond the mere "tested" individuals who are depictions of the author himself. This time, he writes a memoir about his childhood - and his childhood was not pleasant. Some of the characters' names are changed, some of them aren't, and everything is based on Wolff's memory. Wolff doesn't shy away from the least pleasant facts, either. Swaim questions if Wolff was ever concerned about invading someone's privacy by revealing some of the more gruesome details. Wolff prefers not to talk about it. Wolff, as the listener can hear in his voice, was very affected by his upbringing. But, his book is not just about his struggles. It's about a boy coming of age and about the love between mother and son - a love that can exist no matter the circumstances. To hear more details about Wolff and his book, click on the link below. Listen
to the Tobias Wolff interview with Don Swaim, February 1, 1989 These files are for your personal use only. Listen to Tobias Wolff's brother, Geoffrey Wolff, interview with Don Swaim
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For over a decade, many of the best writers of the English language found their way onto Don Swaim's daily two-minute CBS Radio show, Book Beat . His New York-based program was derived from longer interviews, sometimes 40-minutes in length. Found exclusively here, Wired for Books proudly webcasts these conversations in their entirety using RealAudio.
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