Search the Fresh Air Archive

Close Search

Novelist and Memoirist Geoffrey Wolff on Fathers and Brothers

Geoffrey Wolff's books include "The Final Club," "Providence," and a collection of essays, "A Day at the Beach." His book "The Duke of Deception" is about his father, who was a con-man who lied about his background, wrote bad checks, and later had a nervous breakdown and went to jail. His brother, novelist Tobias Wolff, has also written about their father. This interview was first broadcast in 1990. (Rebroadcast)

15:56
Queue

Guest

Host

Related Topics

Other segments from the episode on December 2, 1994

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, December 2, 1994: Interview with Tobias Wolff; Interview with Geoffrey Wolff; Commentary on Tom Snyder.
Queue
22:56

Remembering a "Boy's Life"

Writer Tobias Wolff. Terry talked with him in 1989 after the release of his acclaimed memoir, "This Boy's Life" about his unhappy upbringing in a working-class town in Washington State in the late 1950s. The book was adapted for screen; the movie version stars Robert DeNiro, and Ellen Barkin. Last month Wolff was nominated for the National Book Award for his memoir "In Pharaoh's Army: Memories of the Lost War." (Rebroadcast)

Interview

Transcript

Transcripts currently not available.

Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

You May Also like

Queue
22:42

Writer Geoffrey Wolff.

Writer Geoffrey Wolff. His new collection of essays, "A Day At The Beach" (Alfred A. Knopf), is about the worst vacation ever. It started with over-priced dinners and ended in open heart surgery. Wolff is best known for his book "The Duke of Deception," a memoir about being the son of a con man.

Interview

Did you know you can create a shareable playlist?

Learn How
Advertisement

Recently on Fresh Air Available to Play on NPR

52:30

Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

Queue

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

43:04

This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

In the series Jury Duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden has agreed to participate in what he believes is a documentary about the experience of being a juror--but what Ronald doesn't know is that the whole thing is fake.

Queue

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

08:26

This Romanian film about immigration and vanishing jobs hits close to home

R.M.N. is based on an actual 2020 event in Ditrău, Romania, where 1,800 villagers voted to expel three Sri Lankans who worked at their local bakery.

Queue

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

See All Recent Segments

There are more than 22,000 Fresh Air segments.

Let us help you find exactly what you want to hear.
Just play me something
Your Queue

Would you like to make a playlist based on your queue?

Generate & Share View/Edit Your Queue