James A. Michener
He won a Pulitzer Prize, but James Michener did not start writing books until he was almost 40. He talks to Douglas Cooper about the rest of his career--his "preparation"--as an editor and academic.
The first half of the interview focuses on the process of writing--reacting to criticism, imagination, knowledge of "the structure of the world," unpublished work, and more.
In the second half, they discuss current events and Michener's books. “I think a great deal of human life has to be conducted in secrecy, and government is a prime example of this,” Michener says of the documents leaked from the Nixon White House, “I wish we could cut off the leaks.”
They also talk about relations with India and Pakistan, Nixon's upcoming trip to China, Michener's hopes that the U.S. will withdraw from Vietnam before it further weakens the morale of the military, Kent State, assimilation, and the impending "catastrophe" of overpopulation.
Michener discusses his new book, which focuses on American youth, and expresses his hopes that an older book about the problem of the electoral college will influence the upcoming campaign.
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The Douglas P. Cooper Distinguished Contemporaries Collection (1967-1974) contains rare interviews with influential writers, statesmen, artists, songwriters, journalists and others who have left their mark on our culture.
The Origins of The Cooper Collection
WNYC archives id: 92274
