Colum McCann was assaulted in New Haven last summer while attending a conference on empathy. He was knocked unconscious and suffered physical and emotional injuries that lingered long after the attack.
McCann is a critically-acclaimed author noted for his ability to immerse his readers into the body and soul of his characters. We feel their pain, joy, ambiguity.
So, how does a writer with deep empathy react when tested by a vicious attack from a remorseless attacker? He tells us how his latest collection of stories reflect this personal brush with mortality.
David Mitchell is a master of interwoven narratives that cross time and space and genre to dive into the angst of our mortality. His riveting style invites us to places we've never been, leading us slowly toward a growing and complex universe not yet complete. We'll talk to him about his latest work, which takes us for a fun, yet deadly serious journey through a haunted house.
GUESTS:
- Colum McCann is the author of acclaimed novels like Let The Great World Spin and Transatlantic. Thirteen Ways of Looking is his latest collection of stories and was released this month. He is also the co-founder and president of the non-profit global story exchange organization, Narrative 4.
- David Mitchell is the author of 7 books, most of which have been short or long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. His most recent books are Cloud Atlas, The Bone Clocks, and Slade House, which was published last month.
You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
