Indian Bengali writer Amitav Ghosh has been writing about empire, the environment, and other subjects for the past 25 years. Now, he has gathered some of his essays into a new collection called Wild Fictions, which asks big questions about the way humans are connected to other forms of life. In today’s episode, Ghosh joins NPR’s Scott Simon for a conversation that touches on climate change as a problem of politics, culture, and imagination. They also discuss an idea central to Ghosh’s thought: that anthropocentrism is responsible for our current planetary crisis.
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NPR's Book of the Day - In ‘Twice Born,’ a daughter discovers her father through his biography of Mark Twain
Hester Kaplan, the daughter of Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Justin Kaplan, knew her father was an esteemed writer and researcher, but she didn’t quite know him personally. After the elder Kaplan died in 2014, Hester began to discover her father, unexpectedly, through his famous biographical account of Mark Twain. In today’s episode, Kaplan speaks with Here and Now’s Tiziana Dearing about the power of biography, and how her memoir Twice Born recounts the stories of a man – and a family – still alive in the margins.
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PBS News Hour - Art Beat - A Brief But Spectacular take on questions of belonging
Taylor Irvine is a photojournalist from the Flathead Reservation in Montana, whose work focuses on nuanced portrayals of life in Native communities. Her recent project examines the U.S. government–imposed system that defines Native identity through fractional measures of ancestry. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on questions of belonging. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
NPR's Book of the Day - ‘The Philosopher in the Valley’ paints an eccentric portrait of Palantir’s Alex Karp
Palantir is one of the world’s most valuable companies, analyzing data for businesses, but also for U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies. The Philosopher in the Valley, a new book by Michael Steinberger, is a portrait of the company’s CEO, Alex Karp. In today’s episode, Steinberger speaks with NPR’s Steve Inskeep about Palantir’s operations at the nexus of technology and national security, Karp’s liberal arts background, and the CEO’s unusual lifestyle.
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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Russ & Daughters’ cookbook documents a century-old New York City establishment
Russ & Daughters opened in 1914 and is one of the last remaining “appetizing stores” in New York City. The shop – which the owners say is not a deli – is famous for its bagels and lox, among other classic Jewish foods. Now, the Russ family is out with a cookbook that includes history, recipes and musings from the last century. In today’s episode, NPR’s Scott Simon visits Russ & Daughters, where he finds the shop brimming with smoked salmon, whitefish salad, chubs, trout, sable, sturgeon and more.
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PBS News Hour - Art Beat - Kennedy Center faces artist cancellations, drop in ticket sales after Trump’s name added
First, a takeover of leadership, then a renaming. Now, the Trump-Kennedy Center is facing canceled performances and a drop in overall ticket sales. Jeffrey Brown reports on the turmoil at one of the nation's preeminent arts centers. It's for our series Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy as part of our CANVAS coverage. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
PBS News Hour - Art Beat - ‘We cannot have art institutions that lose money’: Grenell defends Kennedy Center takeover
The newly-renamed Trump-Kennedy Center is facing canceled performances and plummeting ticket sales. Amna Nawaz discussed the turmoil with Richard Grenell, the man President Trump handpicked to lead the institution. Grenell also served in Trump's first term, including as ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
NPR's Book of the Day - Susan Choi’s ‘Flashlight’ is about an alternate-universe version of her own family
As 2025 comes to a close, we're revisiting interviews with this year's nominees and winners of some of the biggest prizes in literature. Last up: A 10-year-old girl, Louisa, is later found on a beach in Japan – and her father has disappeared. She and her mother are left on their own – but the tragedy doesn’t bring them closer together, at least for a long time. Susan Choi’s novel Flashlight follows this family across generations and a vast historical expanse. In today’s episode, Choi speaks with NPR’s Scott Simon about why her protagonist fends off love, her interest in the historical tensions between Korea and Japan, and the benefit of writing in chronological order.
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PBS News Hour - Art Beat - What the Scandinavian concept of hygge can teach Americans about comfort and happiness
As the holiday season comes to a close and parts of the country face frigid temperatures this New Year's, we explore a concept of comfort, warmth and joy that began in Scandinavian countries and has recently spread to America. Deema Zein reports on the art of hygge. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Feeding Ghosts’ is a graphic memoir grappling with generational trauma
As 2025 comes to a close, we're revisiting interviews with this year's nominees and winners of some of the biggest prizes in literature. Tessa Hulls’ grandmother, Sun Yi, was a dissident journalist in Shanghai who faced intense political persecution during the Chinese Communist Revolution. In today’s episode, Hulls tells Here & Now’s Scott Tong that her grandmother’s trauma often cast a shadow over their family – one she decided to finally face in her new graphic memoir, Feeding Ghosts. It’s a reexamining of Hulls’ matriarchal lineage, of Chinese history and of generational love and healing.
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