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TITLE: A Hole in Texas
SPEAKER: Herman Wouk, William Safire
EVENT DATE: 04/21/2004
RUNNING TIME: 58 minutes
DESCRIPTION:
Herman Wouk, one of America's best-known and most popular novelists, discussed his writing career and his new novel, with journalist William Safire.
Speaker Biography: Pulitzer-prize winning author for "The Caine Mutiny," Herman Wouk was born in New York into a family of Jewish immigrants from Russia. He received hs bachelor's from Columbia University, where he went on to become a radio scriptwriter and joined the United States Navy and served in the Pacific. He was also a visiting professor at Yeshiva University, N. Y., scholar-in-residence at Aspen Institute, Colo., and a Trustee of the College of the Virgin Islands. Other works by him include "Aurora Dawn," "Marjorie Morningstar," "The Winds of War" and "The Hope." His many other accolades include Columbia University Medal of Excellence, Hamilton medal, American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate award, Washingtonian award, U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation award and Kazetnik award.
Speaker Biography: William Safire is a man of many careers: journalist, speechwriter, historian, novelist, lexicographer. He worked on the first Eisenhower Presidential campaign and later became a senior speechwriter in the Nixon White House. He escaped from there in time to write "Before the Fall," a history of the pre-Watergate White House. As a lexicographer, he is author of "Safire's New Political Dictionary," a half-million-word study of the words that have inspired and inflamed the electorate. As an historical novelist, he wrote "Freedom about the Civil War," and his latest novel is "Scandalmonger," about the origins of America's press freedom. His anthology of the world's greatest speeches, "Lend Me Your Ears," has become a classic. As a political columnist, he began his twice-weekly column thirty years ago in The New York Times, writing from the point of view of a libertarian conservative. He is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary, and is now a member of the Pulitzer Board.
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SERIES: Books & Beyond