This is the New Yorker Fiction Podcast from the New Yorker magazine.

I'm Debra Treesman, fiction editor at The New Yorker.

Each month we invite a writer to choose a story from the magazine's archives to read and

discuss.

This month we're going to hear The First American by Laurie Siegel, which was published in

The New Yorker in May of 1983.

Ilka looked at Fish couple.

Only a persevering spirit could have parlayed that pure skin and wonderful black hair and

those sweet clever eyes into such doubtingness.

The story was chosen by Alice Madison, who's the author of four story collections and six

novels.

Her nonfiction book The Kite and the String, How to Write, was spontaneity and control

and lived to tell the tale.

Comes out this month.

Hi Alice, welcome.

Hi Debra, thank you.

So what made you pick Laurie Siegel's The First American to read today?

As soon as I was asked, I knew I wanted to read that story.

I remember, I think I remember reading it in the magazine in 1983 and then shortly after

that read The Novel, but it's a part of.

I always loved the story.

I think it's marvelous.

...