Politics & Prose: Elizabeth Strout "The Burgess Boys"

With the masterful storytelling and insight into character that won her a Pulitzer for Olive Kitteridge, Strout's new novel delves into the dynamics of the Burgess family.

One of the many things I like about writing is that I get to be sort of judgement free. Because in real life we're full of judgement, and to some extent we have to be because we have to make decisions about what's safe and what's not safe and how to live. But for me, to write a story or write a novel, you know, I make these people up, so I don't have to condemn them. I can watch them behave badly and love them!

—Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout "The Burgess Boys"
Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C.
April 2, 2013

The Diane Rehm Show: Elizabeth Strout: "The Burgess Boys: A Novel"

Main Street, Port Hope, Maine.
Image used under Creative Commons from Flickr user Kiril Strax

There's an incident that occurs that's based on something that really happened.… It was very interesting to me, because as a citizen, I mean, it's a reprehensible act, and I was very interested in what do we do as a society about that? What laws do we use, or what services do we use, you know, how does society respond to let people know this is not going to be tolerated.

—Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout: "The Burgess Boys: A Novel"
Interview by Diane Rehm
The Diane Rehm Show
April 1, 2013

New York Times: Elizabeth Strout: By the Book

Where and when do you like to read?

For years I did most of my reading on the F train between Brooklyn and Manhattan. … When I travel …  I read as soon as I sit down; it’s very helpful. There’s something about being in the private world of a book that is intensified by the bustle of the “real” world right next to it.

The author of “The Burgess Boys” and “Olive Kitteridge” thinks the president should read Barbara Pym to give him “a few minutes to completely relax.”

"Elizabeth Strout: By the Book"
New York Times Sunday Book Review
March 28, 2013

mfawriting: Elizabeth Strout Interview

Elizabeth Strout discusses Olive Kitteridge, Amy & Isabelle, and Abide with Me, as well as how she got started and narrative voice. Interviewed by Magdalene Brandeis, faculty coordinator at Stony Brook Manhattan.

A story is only going to become a story when it finds its shape. And voice. For me, it can't be planned.

—Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout Interview
Interview by Magdalene Brandeis
mfawriting: Stony Brook Southampton MFA Program in Writing and Literature YouTube channel
January 18, 2011

Syracuse.com: 'Olive Kitteridge' author Elizabeth Strout delivers final Gifford lecture of 2010

She spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of fans of her work about her childhood, her time in Syracuse as a Syracuse University law student, why she believes fiction is important and her writing process.

'Olive Kitteridge' author Elizabeth Strout delivers final Gifford lecture of 2010
Emily Kulkus
Syracuse.com/The Post-Standard
December 22, 2010