Episode 44: Percival Everett on ‘James’, Writing, Art, and the Magic of Language

In this episode, we chat with acclaimed author, poet, and painter Percival Everett to discuss his award-winning novel James— the 2024 National Book Award winner and Libro.fm’s Audiobook of the Year. Percival shares his thoughts on the magic of language, the role of place in storytelling, and the whirlwind experience of his recent book tour. He also reflects on balancing his many creative passions, his journey as a writer, and the profound power of literature.

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About Percival: Percival Everett is a celebrated American writer and a Distinguished Professor of English at USC whose 2024 novel James won the National Book Award. His work has earned numerous honors, including the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, the NBCC Ivan Sandrof Life Achievement Award, and the Windham-Campbell Prize. In 2023, his novel Erasure was adapted into the feature film American Fiction.

Get Percival’s books:

• James
• The Trees
• Erasure

Books discussed on today’s episode:

• The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler
• Dvorak's Prophecy by Joseph Horowitz
• Last Room On The Left by Leah Konen
• The Snow Killer by Ross Greenwood
• We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin