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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)

22:56
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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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15:56

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)

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27:45

Remembering a "Boy's Life"

Tobias Wolff's acclaimed new memoir tells the story of the author's early life with his poor, single mother. The book serves as a unique counterpoint to Wolff's brother Geoffrey's own memoir about life with their father. Tobias Wolff joins Fresh Air to discuss his memories of growing up and how he transformed himself into the person he is today.

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16:00

Writer Tobias Wolff

His first novel, recently published, is Old School. Wolff is best known for his memoir This Boy's Life and short stories, including The Barracks Thief.

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