Rachel Kushner: Postcards from America

‘Clarice Lispector had a diamond-hard intelligence, a visionary instinct and a sense of humour that veered from naïf wonder to wicked comedy.’ This snapshot of the great Brazilian writer is from an essay in Rachel Kushner’s book The Hard Crowd – but it is also a neat summary of Kushner herself. Across her three novels to date – Telex From Cuba, The Flamethrowers and The Mars Room – Kushner has explored aspects of US colonialism, art, activism, inequality and incarceration. She would almost certainly laugh at the notion of the Great American Novel; nevertheless, the poise, fearsome intelligence and political astuteness of her books demonstrate that Kushner is one of the finest chroniclers of the USA’s rollercoaster post-war era. She brings the same qualities to bear on the essays collected in The Hard Crowd. Kushner’s writing is simultaneously tender and razor-sharp. In this event, filmed live at the 2021 Edinburgh International Book Festival, she discusses her ideas with fellow author Colm Tóibín. 

Enjoying this event? You can help us produce more like it.

Donate

Share