82. Kiran Desai in Conversation

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Fans of Kiran Desai’s work have been eagerly awaiting a new novel for nearly 20 years. Her 2006 book, The Inheritance of Loss, won both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Masterpieces take time, and it was undeniably worth waiting for The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, which has once again earned her a nomination for The Booker Prize. This sweeping and intimate love story follows two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years, as they navigate the many forces that shape their lives: country, class, race, history, and family. Desai delves into her writing life, the nature of artistic ambition, and the complicated bonds that link us. Moderated by Eleanor Wachtel.

Presented in partnership with Indian Summer Festival and The Dhahan Prize.

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Kiran Desai

KIRAN DESAI is the bestselling author of two novels, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard and The Inheritance of Loss, which won both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Born in India, she came to the US when she was sixteen and now lives in New York City.

Eleanor Wachtel

ELEANOR WACHTEL loves books and their authors and has managed to gagner her vie by sharing that passion. Five books of her interviews have been published, including Random Illuminations, a collection of reflections, correspondence, and conversations with Carol Shields; Original Minds; and for the show's twenty-fifth anniversary, The Best of Writers & Company. Last year she chaired the jury of the International Booker Prize.