9/11 in Fiction

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Jonathan Safran Foer burst onto the literary scene with his celebrated debut novel “Everything Is Illuminated.” It is a fictional tale about his own search for the Ukrainian woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis.

For his second novel, Foer has fixed his literary sights on the terrible events of 9/11. The book is called “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” It is the tale of nine-year-old Oskar Schell, who sets off on a journey across New York City in search of a lock that will fit a key that he found in his father’s closet. He hopes it will also unlock details of his father’s death in the twin towers.

As the story unfolds, it draws in past tragedies like the firebombing of Dresden, in an attempt to reconnect a family with too many secrets. A conversation about memory, meaning and writing 9/11 with Jonathan Safran Foer.

Guests:

Jonathan Safran Foer, author of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.”;