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A Political Reporter Turns to Fiction

As a reporter, Ward Just covered the Vietnam War and, later, Washington politics. Now, he devotes himself to fiction writing. While his novels often draw on his knowledge of D.C. culture, Just is careful to invent his own characters, rather than use fictionalized versions of real politicians.

09:47
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Other segments from the episode on January 24, 1989

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, January 24, 1989: Interview with Stan Freberg; Commentary on the Mod movement; Interview with Ward Just; Review of Michael Dibdin's novel "Rat King."
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27:49

Ad Man Stan Freberg

Freberg created several humorous and memorable ad campaigns for television and radio, and continues to work in the trade today. His new memoir, the first of two volumes, is called It Only Hurts When I Laugh.

Interview
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06:46

The Origin of Mod Culture

Rock historian Ed Ward says the 1960s Mod movement started in working-class London, and was rooted more in fashion than rock music. But the amphetimine-fueled subculture was short-lived, and many Mods became hippies. The re-emergence of Mods in the 1970s didn't last long, either.

Commentary
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03:22

An Italian Detective Takes on the Modern World

Book critic John Leonard reviews the new detective novel Ratking, by Michael Dibdin. Leonard says the narrative, set in Italy, keeps the mystery genre alive by confronting bourgeois life and corrupt politics.

Review

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03:36

An Ironic, Disquieting Novel About Politics.

Ward Just is a former journalist who now writes fiction about the inner workings of American politics. Book critic John Leonard says his unassuming new novel, Jack Gance, about a Congressional candidate, has heart.

Review
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18:28

Journalist Turned Novelist Ward Just.

Writer Ward Just. Just's new novel, "The Translator," is a thriller set in Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Just has written nearly a dozen other novels, including "Jack Gance" and "The American Ambassador." Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Just was a journalist, covering the Vietnam War for Newsweek. ("The translator" is published by Houghton Mifflin). (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Interview

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