logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2022
28m 15s

Storytelling in a data-hooked world | Th...

TED
About this episode
Jennifer Egan is a journalist and writer whose novel "A Visit from the Goon Squad" won both the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. Using a unique format -- including a whole chapter told through Powerpoint -- Egan nimbly explores the mystery and complexity of human life in the digital age. Her newest book, "The Candy House," poses similar questions around technology, memory and authenticity. In this excerpt from The TED Interview, the author talks candidly to host Steven Johnson about her creative process, considers the role of the novelist in a tech-driven world and makes an argument for how fiction can shift our consciousness. This episode is part of the TED Talks Daily summer book club, a series featuring talks and interviews to inspire your next great read.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
The haunting truth of ghost stories | Coya Paz Brownrigg (re-release)
Ghost stories reveal much more than the ghouls and spirits that haunt them. Settle in for a spooky delight as theater educator Coya Paz Brownrigg lays out three types of bone-chilling tales and exhumes the grave truths they hold about longing, meaning and the cultural value of ee ... Show More
14m 15s
Today
What crows teach us about death | Kaeli Swift (re-release)
Rituals for the dead span much of the natural world, seen in practices from humans and elephants to bees, dolphins and beyond. With charm and playful insight, animal behaviorist Kaeli Swift delves into the life (and death) habits of crows and shares what their responses could rev ... Show More
14m 43s
Today
The razor-thin line between contagion and connection | Dan Taberski (re-release)
After a mysterious wave of tics and twitches swept through a small-town high school in New York, documentary podcaster Dan Taberski set out to investigate what was really happening. Drawing on extensive research and intimate interviews with the people involved, he explores the ro ... Show More
15m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2022
Jennifer Egan on storytelling in a data-hooked world
Jennifer Egan is a journalist and writer whose novel “A Visit from the Goon Squad” won both the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. Using a unique format—including a whole chapter told through Powerpoint—Egan nimbly explores the mystery and ... Show More
45m 18s
Jul 2022
Jennifer Egan on storytelling in a data-hooked world
Jennifer Egan is a journalist and writer whose novel “A Visit from the Goon Squad” won both the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. Using a unique format—including a whole chapter told through Powerpoint—Egan nimbly explores the mystery and ... Show More
45m 18s
Apr 2022
Jennifer Egan Talks About 'The Candy House'
<p>Jennifer Egan’s new novel, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/06/books/review/jennifer-egan-the-candy-house.html" target="_blank">“The Candy House,”</a> is a follow-up to her Pulitzer Prize-winning “A Visit From the Goon Squad.” A few characters appear in both books, but ... Show More
40m 44s
Apr 2022
Virtual memories live in 'The Candy House'
It's already pretty hard to tell what's really real when it comes to social media. But Jennifer Egan takes it one step further in her latest novel The Candy House where people can upload their actual memories, and let other people live in theirs. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author ... Show More
8m 9s
Aug 2024
21st Century Books Special Edition: Jennifer Egan on 'A Visit from the Goon Squad'
<p>As part of its recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/best-books-21st-century.html" target="_blank">100 Best Books of the 21st Century</a> project, The New York Times Book Review is interviewing some of the authors whose books appeared on the list. This ... Show More
41m 8s
Jan 2022
Dave Eggers: Writing For A Better Future
Fiction can serve as a window into multiple realities—to imagine different futures or understand our own past. This hour, author and TED speaker Dave Eggers talks technology, education, and the healing power of writing.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and ... Show More
50m 18s
Jul 2023
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novelist Jennifer Egan On: Panic, Awe, Fetishizing Authenticity, and Our Possible AI Futures
<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p>---</p> <p>Jennifer Egan is not only a novelist, she's also written short stories and award-winning magazine journalism. She's one of those wr ... Show More
1h 16m
Oct 2019
Elif Shafak on the urgent power of storytelling
Best-selling author Elif Shafak proves that storytelling can be profoundly political—and makes the case for embracing uncertainty in turbulent times.We're doing a TED Interview survey! If you have a few minutes, we'd love to know your thoughts on the show. Find it at: surveynerds ... Show More
1h 1m
May 2023
Writing For A Better Future
Original broadcast date: January 21, 2022. Fiction can serve as a window into multiple realities—to imagine different futures or understand our own past. This hour, author and TED speaker Dave Eggers talks technology, education, and the healing power of writing. TED Radio Hour+ s ... Show More
50m 29s