70. Claire Messud in Conversation with Eleanor Wachtel

“Is it a betrayal?” bestselling author Claire Messud wrote of her choice to draw on her family’s history, including relatives’ letters and memoirs, for her latest novel, This Strange Eventful History. Her answer is as rich and nuanced as this exceptional novel, chosen by Oprah, New York Magazine, The Guardian and the Globe and Mail (amongst others) as a Book of 2024 for its sweeping telling of a family through seven decades of upheaval, from 1940 to 2010. She speaks with former CBC Writers & Company host, Eleanor Wachtel, about art imitating life, the freedom and responsibility of writing family, and her process for creating such rich interior lives of characters we quickly grow to understand. Join us for a conversation with one of the finest novelists of this generation.

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Event Participants:

Claire Messud

CLAIRE MESSUD has been awarded Guggenheim and Radcliffe Fellowships and the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and children.

Eleanor Wachtel

ELEANOR WACHTEL has earned a reputation as one of the world’s best literary interviewers during her 30 years as host of Writers and Company on CBC Radio. She has been awarded nine honorary degrees, and Officer of the Order of Canada.