Time Travel, Autofiction, And Pandemics. Emily St. John Mandel's New Novel Has It All
1A
NPR
4.3 β’ 4.5K Ratings
ποΈ 1 May 2022
β±οΈ 25 minutes
ποΈ Recording | iTunes | RSS
π§ΎοΈ Download transcript
Summary
Now, Emily St. John Mandel is back with her latest work of speculative fiction, "Sea of Tranquility." It's a pandemic novel written during a pandemic... about an author who wrote a pandemic novel right before a pandemic β so it also hits close to home.
We talk with Emily St. John Mandel about making meaning with speculative fiction.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I've never seen a flu like this before. |
| 0:05.0 | It's free to push this virus, Kelsey. |
| 0:09.0 | I think this thing is really happening. |
| 0:12.0 | You can see it out there. |
| 0:14.0 | I can use the ear. |
| 0:16.0 | It's not safe. |
| 0:19.0 | I stood looking over the damage, |
| 0:26.0 | trying to remember the sweetness of life on Earth. |
| 0:33.0 | But there is no before. |
| 0:36.0 | Only now. |
| 0:38.0 | That's part of the trailer from HBO Maxx's new adaptation of Station 11. |
| 0:42.0 | In 2014, speculative fiction writer Emily St. John Mandel |
| 0:47.0 | released her career transforming novel Station 11. |
| 0:51.0 | It's a post-apocalyptic pandemic survival story. |
| 0:54.0 | So if it attracted readers back then, just imagine how it's resonating now. |
| 0:59.0 | Now Mandel is out with her sixth novel, Sea of Tranquility. |
| 1:03.0 | It's a pandemic novel written during a pandemic about an author who wrote a pandemic novel right before a pandemic. |
| 1:10.0 | So needless to say it, it's close to home. |
| 1:12.0 | We'll get into all that and more after the break. |
| 1:15.0 | I'm Jen White. |
| 1:16.0 | You're listening to the 1A podcast where we get to the heart of the story. |
| 1:19.0 | To join future conversations, have your questions answered on future topics, |
... |
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