Host David Naimon speaks with writer Anthony Doerr about his latest book, Memory Wall. Doerr is the author of three other books, The Shell Collector, About Grace, andFour Seasons in Rome. Doerr’s short fiction has won three O. Henry Prizes and has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories, The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories, and The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Fiction. He has won the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, the Rome Prize, the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award, aGuggenheim Fellowship, an NEA Fellowship, the National Magazine Award for Fiction, two Pushcart Prizes, the Pacific Northwest Book Award, and two Ohioana Book Awards. His books have twice been a New York Times Notable Book, an American Library Association Book of the Year, and made lots of other year end “Best Of” lists. In 2007, the British literary magazine Granta placed Doerr on its list of 21 Best Young American novelists.
I have been reading some of the stories from Memory Wall for class and so far, I love them! They challenge me to think not only about memory, but about deeper issues as well. Some of those issues include nature vs. civilization, tradition vs. progression, relationships with family and friends, human nature and emotion, etc.. It has been great to hear this interview, so thank you, Mr. Naimon!
Thanks for reaching out Colleen. I love that collection too. Particular the title story, Village 113 and River Nemunas if I remember well (at least those are the ones that stick with me). I highly recommend The Shell Collector and The Caretaker from his first collection of stories too. A wonderful writer.