Funds for Bookworm are provided in part by Lannin Foundation.

You are a human animal.

You are a very special dream.

Or you are the only animal.

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

From KCRW Santa Monica, I'm Michael Silverblatt, and this is Bookworm.

Listen, I'm very excited.

Today I have as my guest, Joseph McElroy, Joe McElroy, whose novel actress in the house has been published by the Overlook Press.

This is a novel I've been waiting for. Somewhere since his last novel, I got worried and called

him up to ask him how he is, and would there be a novel? I hadn't heard anything of or from him,

and I have to say, from the time I began reading

his second novel in 1969, I've been an enormous and overwhelmed, a constant admirer. There are

months and seasons when I think that Joe McElroy is one of the only serious writers in America.

I am overwhelmed by him.

When I read you this list of books, know that I've read most of them three or four times,

and that it's a genuine honor to be sitting face to face with him. This is the first

time that Joe McElroy has been on Bookworm. His books are a smuggler's Bible, Heinz Kidnap, Ancient

History, a Paraffase, Lookout Cartridge, Plus, Women and Men, The Letter Left to me, and now actress in the house.

Actress in the House is published by Overlook, who are committed to bringing his works back into print.

Already, when you hear this, his first novel, A Smuggler's Bible, will be available in bookstores and paperback.

Others of them, like his masterpiece, women and men, are available from Dawkey Archive Press.

One can find his books, but they're all going to be back in print, which is a great pleasure.

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