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Gay Talese: His Portraits and Encounters
November 20, 2003
Gay Talese writer, reporter

Gay Talese discusses his newest submission to the literary world, The Gay Talese Reader.

Attention to detail and observation of the unnoticed are the hallmarks of Gay Talese's writing, and The Gay Talese Reader brings together the best of his essays and classic profiles. Whether he is detailing the unseen and sometimes quirky world of New York City or profiling Frank Sinatra, Talese captures his subjects - famous, infamous, or unusual - in his own inimitable and elegant fashion. These carefully crafted works create a portrait of an unforgettable individual, place, or moment, and give insight into the progression of a writer who is at the pinnacle of his craft.

Culture & Identity | Literature & Philosophy
frank sinatra | journalism | New York times | Journalists | Profiles | Non-Fiction | Writing Process
WGBH
Boston Athenaeum
Audio-only
You Want Fries With That?
Prioleau Alexander
00:49:23
Prioleau Alexander tells what it was like when he walked away from a lucrative career as an advertising executive, seeking a life. His jobs included pizza deliveryman, ice cream scooper, construction worker, ER tech, fast food jockey, and even cowboy on a Montana dude ranch.
Audio-only
Writers on War
Sean Hemingway
01:26:41
Sean Hemingway, who has just edited a collection of his grandfather's writings titled Hemingway on War, shares his insights with Paul Fussell, author of The Great War and Modern Memory, and James Webb, author of the acclaimed Vietnam novel, Fields of Fire.
Writers Among Us: Seth Jacobs
Seth Jacobs
01:06:37
Seth Jacobs argues that a midcentury religious revival in America, as well as policymakers' racist perceptions of Asians, led the United States to support the disastrous, autocratic Diem regime in South Viet Nam.
Audio-only
Writers Among Us: David Shrayer-Petrov and Maxim D. Shrayer
David Shrayer-Petrov
01:14:17
David Shrayer-Petrov reads from his new book Autumn in Yalta: A Novel and Three Stories, which includes an autobiographical novel set in Stalinist Russia, Strange Danya Rayev.
Audio-only
Writer's Room Presents: LeHane, Mazur and Perrotta
Dennis Lehane
01:01:23
Writers Gail Mazur, Tom Perrotta, and Dennis Lehane read from their current projects and discuss the New England authors who have been important to their work.
Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Airplane
Tom Crouch
01:11:09
Tom Crouch, expert on the Wright Brothers and senior curator at the National Air and Space Museum, discusses how Wilber and Orville Wright started revolutions in transportation, warfare, leisure, and communication, and changed how we all see our world: as a whole.
Image of The Gay Talese Reader: Portraits and Encounters
Author: Gay Talese
Publisher: Walker & Company (2003)
Binding: Paperback, 256 pages
Image of Thy Neighbor's Wife
Author: Gay Talese
Publisher: Harper Perennial (2009)
Binding: Paperback, 608 pages
Image of Honor Thy Father
Author: Gay Talese
Publisher: Harper Perennial (2009)
Binding: Paperback, 592 pages
Image of Unto the Sons
Author: Gay Talese
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (2006)
Binding: Paperback, 592 pages
Image of Fame and Obscurity
Author: Gay Talese
Publisher: Ivy Books (1995)
Binding: Paperback, 352 pages
Image of The Kingdom and the Power: Behind the Scenes at The New York Times: The Institution That Influences the World
Author: Gay Talese
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (2007)
Binding: Paperback, 576 pages
Image of The Bridge: The Building of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Author: Gay Talese
Publisher: Walker & Company (2003)
Binding: Paperback, 208 pages
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