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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
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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.
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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)

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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.

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