Funds for Bookworm are provided in part by Lannin Foundation.

You are a human animal.

You are a very special breed.

Or you are the only animal.

Who can think, who can reason, who can read.

From KCRW, Santa Monica, I'm Michael Sloverblatt, and this is Bookworm. Today, my guest is

Christopher Sorrentino, the author of a new novel, Trans from Farah Strauss and Cheru. He's the author

as well of a novel, his first Sound on Sound that was published by

Dawkey Archive Press. Now, Trans takes as its occasion the story of a kidnapped American heiress,

who we have come to known as Patricia Hearst, and re-ochestrates

and re-represents that story.

There's an author's note at the end that puts it very well, and I'm going to read part

of that note.

Fiction based on real events always risks appearing

to be coy about its proximity to the actual, whether or not its author hues closely to the facts.

Still, I thought in this case it might be of use to affirm that while many of the situation this novel

depicts and the people it portrays

are drawn from a well-documented episode in recent American history,

I have disregarded the record whenever it served my purpose to do so.

Now, I wanted to ask you about that purpose.

I think my purpose largely was to take a hugely famous moment in American history and have a lot

of fun with it.

...