logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2022
6m 33s

'Anthem' considers the world we are pass...

NPR
About this episode
Noah Hawley is a world builder. He created the TV shows Fargo and Legion, so he is no stranger to getting an audience immersed in his worlds. His new novel Anthem is no different. But it doesn't take that much imagination, despite the fantasy creatures: This world is remarkably similar to ours. Hawley was interested in looking at the state of the world that is getting passed down to future generations. Hawley told NPR's Ayesha Rascoe his goal was to write "a fantasy novel about our real world or a realistic novel about the fantasy world that we're living in." Mission accomplished.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Today
'We Were Liars' author returns for more teenage catharsis in 'We Fell Apart'
E. Lockhart understands the struggle of being a teenager. Her first novel <em>We Were Liars</em> was a standout YA hit of 2014, celebrated (and at times, criticized) amongst teens in particular for its twisty and devastating coming-of-age narrative set on a fictional island near ... Show More
7m 49s
Yesterday
Comic journalist Joe Sacco on his portrait of deadly riots in Uttar Pradesh, India
In 2013, two young Hindu cousins killed a Muslim man in a rural part of Uttar Pradesh, India. What followed was a series of alternating violence in the region between Hindus and Muslims. Renowned comic journalist Joe Sacco's new book, <em>The Once And Future Riot</em>, investigat ... Show More
8m 55s
Nov 24
Justinian Huang’s new novel follows a Taiwanese-American family intent on a male heir
Justinian Huang’s new novel <em>Lucky Seed</em> is about a single, gay son pressured by his Taiwanese-American family to produce a male heir. In an interview with NPR’s All Things Considered, Huang tells NPR’s Ailsa Chang that his own family asked him to have a baby boy – or else ... Show More
8m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2022
N.K. Jemisin on Multiverses, Revolution and the ‘Soul’ of Cities
<p><i>For the next few months, we’re sharing some of our favorite conversations from the archives. This week we turn the mic over to our sibling podcast “The Ezra Klein Show,” for a discussion that aired last month between Klein and the novelist N.K. Jemisin.</i></p><p>The noveli ... Show More
1h 4m
Jan 2023
"Snow Crashing Into The Metaverse" from Imaginary Worlds
This week, we’re sharing an episode of Imaginary Worlds. For the last 30 years, the real world has been catching up to Neal Stephenson’s vision of the future in his 1992 novel Snow Crash, which influenced the creators of Google Earth, Second Life, Oculus Rift and more. Now the ce ... Show More
29m 19s
May 2024
How fantasy worlds can spark real change | Annalee Newitz
<p>When the world's problems have you weary, journalist and science fiction writer Annalee Newitz suggests a good dose of escapist fiction to refresh your perspective. Step into the whimsical world of science fiction, cosplay and "goblincore" to see how fantasy worlds help us rei ... Show More
14m 28s
May 2022
Breaking the boundaries of fiction
How novelists working across popular genres like crime, horror and fantasy are overcoming literary snobbery to get their work the credit it deserves and broaden the definition of what makes truly great writing. South Korean horror writer Bora Chung, shortlisted for the 2022 Inter ... Show More
27m 21s