Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'fictional'

National Book Awards Honor Matthiessen In Fiction

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:00:00 EST

The National Book Awards were given out Wednesday night in New York. The fiction award went to Peter Matthiessen's "Shadow Country," a revision of a trilogy of novels from the 1990s. The 81-year-old author last won a National Book Award 30 years ago.

Beatles' Eleanor Rigby May Be Revealed

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST

The mystery around Eleanor Rigby, the main character in one of the Beatles' biggest hit songs, may be solved. The previously believed-to-be fictional character may have actually lived in the Beatles' hometown of Liverpool. A 97-year-old document for auction in London later this month may contain clues to Rigby's identity. Alex Cohen talks with the current owner of the document, Annie Mawson.

Macabre Master Stephen King Returns To Form

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:53:00 EST

After a flirtation with literary fiction, King returns with Just After Sunset, a collection of lurid, gore-spattered tales that can be both horrifying and heartbreaking.

'JCVD': The Muscles Limps Back To Brussels

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:59:00 EST

Belgian-born action star Jean-Claude Van Damme returns to his home country, looking for the respect he's not earning in the U.S. Soon, though, he's caught up in ... a docudrama? A fictionalized autobiography?

Commander-In-Chief In Cinema

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:18:00 EST

Film expert Murray Horwitz discusses the ways in which American presidents have been portrayed in film. Whether battling terrorists, natural disasters or alien invasions, who is your favorite fictional president?

Brian Dewan's Delightful Dewanatrons

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 06:09:00 EDT

The musician, political folk-song enthusiast, inventor and film-strip maker uses outdated equipment to explore new dimensions. His electronic instruments seem to come right out of '50s science fiction.

Behind 'Changeling,' A Tale Too Strange For Fiction

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EDT

In 1928, a 9-year-old boy disappeared — and when the police "discovered" him, his mother said they had the wrong boy. Screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski fills in NPR's Elizabeth Blair on the sad and sordid story that inspired his new film.

Freud And Oedipus Converge In 'Three Roads'

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:19:00 EDT

Where Three Roads Meet, the new novel from British psychologist and fiction writer Sally Vickers, is set in the spring of 1923, and features an invented encounter between the ailing Sigmund Freud and a blind, ancient soothsayer.

Easily Accessible Info Blurs The Line Of Expertise

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:04:00 EDT

The Internet has made it possible for everyday people to have endless information at their fingertips. From celebrities weighing in on child vaccinations to science fiction authors disputing climate change studies, what happens to science when the line between expert and non-expert becomes fuzzy?

Imagining 'Joe The Plumber: The Epic'

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:45:00 EDT

Sometimes that 15 minutes of fame turns into an hour. Satirists Bruce Kluger and David Slavin present the promo for a fictional epic called Joe the Plumber — it's the story about the one man equipped to fix the nation's plugged up economy.

Voting 101: Fact Vs. Fiction

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:15:00 EDT

Just 33 days are left until Election Day, and voter registration deadlines are quickly approaching. News & Notes kicks off this month's series on voting with information you need to know to make sure your voice is heard.

'Grapes Of Wrath' And The Politics of Book Burning

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:04:00 EDT

The Steinbeck classic was banned and burned in a number of cities, including Kern County, Calif. — the endpoint of the Joad family's fictional migration West. Rick Wartzman, the author of Obscene In The Extreme, says the ban was politically motivated.

Comic Portrays French Trader Who Caused Collapse

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:47:00 EDT

Jerome Kerviel, the young French trader who caused the biggest banking collapse in French history, is the subject of a new fictionalized memoir in comic book form.

Power Pages: Pitch-Perfect Works Of Political Fiction

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:01:00 EDT

In American politics, truth has always been more entertaining than fiction, making truly great political novels a rare treasure. Dick Meyer suggests three addictive, incisive gems you won't want to miss.

Auster's New Book Shines

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Man In The Dark is novelist Paul Auster's latest book. The Brooklyn fiction writer, essayist and screenwriter has published more than a dozen novels. His latest adds to his highly praised body of work.

Where's The Oil...

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Offshore oil drilling went from environmental taboo to possible economic savior in a matter of weeks this summer. Robert Kaufmann, director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies at Boston University, separates truth from fiction.

'The Fly' Stirs New Buzz — On The Operatic Stage

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:36:00 EDT

Science fiction isn't typical source material for opera. Which is why Placido Domingo was a little surprised when The Fly landed on his desk. But David Cronenberg and Howard Shore's opera opens Sept. 7 in Los Angeles.

Duluth Sells Historic Window To Make Ends Meet

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:56:00 EDT

Times are tough; city officials in Duluth, Minn. are hoping the sale of a stained glass Tiffany window can help solve some of the city's financial woes. The window, which depicts Longfellow's fictional princess Minnehaha, has been a part of Duluth's landscape since 1893.

Library Honors Oft-Overshadowed Writer

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EDT

During 40 years as fiction editor of the New Yorker magazine, William Maxwell worked with luminaries like Vladimir Nabokov and John Cheever. His own writings were often overshadowed by his job — but now they've been reissued by the Library of America to mark the centennial of his birth. NPR's Jacki Lyden finds out more about the man and his words.

Debut Fiction From Asia Hits Mark

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:29:00 EDT

Tan Twan Eng's debut novel is The Gift of Rain which is set in his home country Malaysia. Mosquito by Roma Tearne is set in Sri Lanka during the ongoing civil war.

Doris Lessing Mines Gold In 'Alfred & Emily'

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:30:00 EDT

Published on the verge of the author's 89th birthday, Doris Lessing's Alfred & Emily is an idiosyncratic combination of personal history, public history and fiction — all about her father and mother.

Science Fiction Writing's 'Pulitzers' Handed Out

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EDT

The Hugo Awards are the Pulitzers of science fiction writing. Saturday, the World Science Fiction Society handed out the Hugos at the group's annual convention in Denver. Michael Chabon, winner of the Best Novel trophy and the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Yiddish Policemen's Union," talks to Andrea Seabrook about the awards.

Ralph Reed Writes His First Novel

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Reviewer Alan Cheuse takes a look at Ralph Reed's debut novel, "Dark Horse," a book about a fictional presidential race from the former head of the Christian Coalition.

Why African-Americans Loathe 'Uncle Tom'

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Folklorist Patricia Turner discusses "Uncle Tom" — the lead character in the anti-slavery novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe — as part of NPR's In Character series. The series examines the fictional characters who have defined American life.

American Teens Hog Spotlight; 'Boy A' Shies Away

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:45:00 EDT

Amid summer's blockbusters, two films offer a change of pace: American Teen, a documentary that plays like fiction, and Boy A, fiction that feels true to life.