A Master Class with David Grann

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The New Yorker

President, Barack, News, Politics, Wnyc, Obama, Lizza, Washington, Wickenden

4.3 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 11 September 2023

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

David Grann is a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of two nonfiction books that topped the best-seller list this summer: “The Wager” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” from 2017, which Martin Scorsese has adapted into a film opening in October. Grann is among the most lauded nonfiction writers at The New Yorker; David Remnick says that “his urge to find unique stories and tell them with rigor and style is rare to the vanishing point.” Grann talks with Remnick about his beginnings as a writer, and about his almost obsessive research and writing process. “The trick is how can you tell a true story using these literary techniques and remain completely factually based,” Grann says. “What I realized as I did this more is that you are an excavator. You aren’t imagining the story—you are excavating the story.” Grann recounts travelling in rough seas to the desolate site of the eighteenth-century shipwreck at the heart of “The Wager,” his most recent book, so that he could convey the sailors’ despair more accurately. That book is also being made into a film by Scorcese. “It’s a learning curve because I’ve never been in the world of Hollywood,” Grann says. “You’re a historical resource. … Once they asked me, ‘What was the lighting in the room?’ I thought about it for a long time. That’s something I would not need to know, writing a book.” But Grann is glad to be in the hands of an expert, and keep his distance from the process. “I’m not actually interested in making a film,” he admits. “I’m really interested in these stories, and so I love that somebody else with their own vision and intellect is going to draw on these stories and add to our understanding of whatever this work is.”

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Discover Earth's ultimate untamed places with wilderness. With access to 6 million acres of private land
0:07.7	in eight African countries, wilderness offers intimate wildlife encounters and experiences that will
0:13.0	leave you changed forever. The accommodations are luxurious and stay true to the vibrant soul
0:19.8	and spirit of each destination and the trips are
0:23.0	meticulously planned from arrival to departure, making them perfect for a group, family or
0:28.5	solo travellers. Wilderness is among the leaders of conservation hospitality, with more than 60
0:34.5	of the most highly awarded lodges in camps in Africa.
0:43.0	Wilderness is especially excited this year to focus on wellness, providing experiences that immerse you in beautiful places to restore your sense of self through nature.
0:48.1	To learn more and book your own wilderness adventure, go to wilderness destinations.com
0:52.9	slash women who travel.
0:55.7	eBay, it's a place to fall in love with new pre-loved vintage and rare fashion over and over
1:01.6	again. Your favorite designers, expertly authenticated. Yeah, eBay. Things people love.
1:12.6	This is the political scene, and I'm David Remnick.
1:21.8	Here's my man.
1:22.9	Hey, how are you? That's good. Good to see it.
1:26.6	The New Yorker, over 99 years, has been privileged to publish a lot of astonishing writers of nonfiction.
1:34.5	And David Grant is certainly among the best. And yet David's work lately has become as popular as it is great.
1:42.1	Killers of the Flower Moon has held a spot on the bestseller list for almost two years running,
1:47.3	and a film version directed by Martin Scorsese opens in theaters next month.
1:52.6	David's latest book, The Wager, also hit number one this summer,
1:56.8	and it's been sold to the very same Martin Scorsese for a movie as well.
2:01.8	And at the same time, I can report from long years together as friends and colleagues
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The New Yorker, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The New Yorker and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.