Funds for Bookworm are provided in part by Lannin Foundation.

Boots!

Where would we be without boos?

Where would we be without good?

No, Zendiburg.

It's a rhetorical question, sir.

But where would we need without books?

From KCRW and KCRW.com, I'm Michael Silverblatt, and this is Bookworm. Today, my guest is Tom McCarthy.

He's the author most recently of C, the letter C, published by Knopf.

This novel, which was shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize, brings up provocative questions.

What is the true nature of literature? Where does it come from?

If we are living in a post-literate age, what is the future of literature? The novel

sea is a kind of historical fantasy. It uses materials at any rate from history, and it's

about a time when 20th century technology, particularly radio waves and telegraphic waves, waves were first taking hold.

It begins the way a Dickensian novel would, you know, at an estate.

You know, this really is the home of the British novel.

Yes.

I mean, that's a Trojan horse, really.

But it's true.

I mean, I was very aware that that was the horse I needed to get into Troy, right?

Mm-hmm.

The 19th century Dickensian novel, you know,

...