Andrei Codrescu Reading
Andrei Codrescu reads from his novel entitled Wakefield. Codrescu jokes about the fact that his publishers scheduled the first stop on his book tour for Iowa City, claiming that they must that thought that “if you drop a pebble in Iowa City, the concentric circles will ripple throughout the world—which is possible.” Codrescu goes on to discuss his novel Wakefield, which is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story of the same name. He discusses his experiences with novel writing, claiming that the main characters usually end up “taking over the book"--he ends up “channeling their spirit”, in a sense.
Codrescu goes on to discuss his current projects, one of which is a documentary on the Mississippi River. Codrescu, who has lived in New Orleans, wants to highlight both the musical styles and events that have occurred throughout the length of the river. He also mentions his past experiences with visiting Iowa City, as well as his time spent at the Dada Archive during his most recent visit.
Codrescu discusses his position as a commentator on National Public Radio, as well as how his position as an immigrant to the United States has affected his commentary. He points out that writers are “self-cleaning insects”, they essentially write “to forget.” Codrescu goes on to discuss his experiences with film--his teaching of a documentary film writing class, as well as his experience with creating a film based on one of his novels.
In: "Live from Prairie Lights" Audio Archive | Fiction
Authors: Andrei Codrescu
Date Recorded: May 10, 2004
Works Read: Wakefield, by Andrei Codrescu
Program: Live From Prairie Lights
Format: reading
Contributors: Introduction by host Julie Englander.