Writers & Company from CBC Radio

From her painful relationship with her mother, to her sexual affair with her father, Kathryn Harrison's memoirs explore her troubled past with remarkable honesty and insight. Now her new book, On Sunset, tells the story of the unusual, well-travelled grandparents who raised her.

From the Toronto International Film Festival, Eleanor Wachtel speaks with the English director about the literary influences in his work, his attraction to road movies, and the making of his latest film, The Wedding Guest.

The English novelist and journalist talks to Eleanor Wachtel from his home in Bangkok about drawing inspiration from his nomadic lifestyle, and reinventing a literary icon in his new book, 'Only to Sleep: A Philip Marlowe Novel.'

The celebrated writers joined Eleanor Wachtel on stage in Toronto for a discussion about the significance of location in literature.

The award-winning author of White Teeth and On Beauty discusses friendship and rivalry in her most recent novel, and her lifelong attraction to musical films.

Three writers were invited to contribute essays to a series called The Face - a look at how our faces do, and don't, reveal who we are. In 2016, they talked to Eleanor Wachtel about the deeply personal experience of writing those pieces.

After winning the Man Booker Prize in 1993 for his novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, the Irish writer talked to Eleanor Wachtel about tackling the topic of domestic violence in The Woman Who Walked Into Doors.

Marlon James won the Man Booker Prize in 2015, becoming the first Jamaican ever to receive the award. Here he talks to Eleanor Wachtel about his prize-winning novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, and how writing has allowed him to create a new reality.

The celebrated English writer talked to Eleanor Wachtel in 2011, shortly after winning the Man Booker Prize for The Sense of an Ending.

The English novelist talked to Eleanor Wachtel in 1997 about her powerful 'Regeneration' trilogy, which explored the impact of trench warfare on soldiers in World War I. The trilogy's final novel, 'The Ghost Road,' won the 1995 Man Booker Prize.

A rare conversation with the South African writer and Nobel Prize laureate. Coetzee talked to Eleanor Wachtel in 2000, soon after winning the Man Booker Prize for a second time, for his novel Disgrace.

The Indian novelist stunned the literary world in 2008 when he won the Man Booker Prize for his very first novel, The White Tiger - a fiercely irreverent take on class and social injustice in modern India.

Australian novelist Peter Carey spoke with Eleanor Wachtel in 2001 about his second Man Booker Prize-winning novel, True History of the Kelly Gang.

The two-time Booker winner talked to Eleanor in 2012 about her novels exploring the reign of Henry VIII. Wolf Hall is shortlisted for the special 50th anniversary Golden Man Booker Award, to be announced July 8, 2018.

The Canadian literary icon joined Eleanor Wachtel onstage at the Rialto Theatre in Montreal. His new novel, Warlight, is being hailed as a masterpiece.

The American novelist draws on her experience growing up in an interracial family in her edgy, prize-winning fiction. In her latest novel, New People, she writes with insight and subversive humour about what it means to be half-black and half-white.

The Swedish novelist and playwright has received international acclaim for his innovative, politically charged work. Khemiri spoke with Eleanor Wachtel about his latest novel, "Everything I Don't Remember," onstage at the Blue Metropolis Literary Festival in Montreal.

The acclaimed American author of novels such as Portnoy's Complaint and The Plot Against America died on May 22, 2018. He spoke with Eleanor Wachtel in 2009 at his apartment in New York City.

One of the most dynamic American novelists writing today, Rachel Kushner has a new novel, The Mars Room, which centres on a former stripper and single mother serving two life sentences in a California prison.

Regarded as a pioneer of New Journalism, the American author, journalist and essayist died on May 14 at the age of 88. He spoke with Eleanor Wachtel in 2005 about his novel, I Am Charlotte Simmons.

Eleanor Wachtel talks to the prize-winning painter and novelist about Iceland's transformation from a forgotten nation to a booming cultural hub. Helgason's latest book, Woman at 1,000 Degrees, is an international bestseller.

Eleanor Wachtel travels to Copenhagen to talk to prominent Danish writer Dorthe Nors. The author's latest novel, Mirror, Shoulder, Signal, is about a woman dealing with family, loneliness and learning how to drive.

The Norwegian author of the epic memoir My Struggle talks to Eleanor Wachtel about a new series, The Seasons Quartet, which takes the form of a letter to his daughter.

Eleanor talks to the Swedish screenwriter, novelist and creator of the hit show The Bridge, in part one of a new series, Darkness and Light: The Nordic Imagination.

The English writer and lawyer talks to Eleanor Wachtel about his groundbreaking book, East West Street, which explores the origins of human rights law at the Nuremberg Trials... and follows Sands on a journey to uncover the truth about his own family's story.

The award-winning British filmmaker talks to Eleanor Wachtel about breaking down barriers in the film industry, and why she turns to period romance to explore modern concerns relating to race and politics.