Neal Pollack will most likely be remembered as the most famous writer of the 20th century. In 1950, Ernest Hemingway called Neal Pollack the “greatest young writer alive;” and he was only twenty years old at the time. He went on to write a biography of Stalin, become one of the Hollywood blacklisted, and cover the Vietnam War.
Along the way, he won three National Books Awards, the Booker Prize, the PEN/Faulkner Award for his acclaimed “Memories of Myself” and last year, at the age of 69, was named “Hot Indie Novelist to Watch” by Salon Magazine. He’s hobnobbed with the century’s most important political figures — Fidel Castro, Jack Kennedy, Nelson Mandela — and married its most fascinating women – Mary McCarthy, Claire Bloom and Janeane Garafalo.
Recently, he has compiled the definitive book of American journalism in the second half of this century – an anthology of his own work.
(Hosted by Christopher Lydon)
Guests:
Author Neal Pollack, Author/Editor/Publisher David Eggers, and John Hodgman.