S5 Ep. 42: Frenemies of the State: Yiyun Li on Complicated Friendships Real and Imagined

fiction/non/fiction

Frenemies of the State: Yiyun Li on Complicated Friendships Real and Imagined

Novelist and memoirist Yiyun Li joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss frenemies in writing circles, in literature, and in politics (with a tip of the hat to Joe Manchin). Li explains how intention helps her to distinguish between friendship and frenemyship, talks about finding frenemies in literature more interesting than those in politics, and offers examples ranging from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to Sweet Days of Discipline. She also reads from her own new novel, The Book of Goose, and reflects on discovering the intense connection between her two central characters, Agnès and Fabienne, young girls growing up together in France.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/.

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Yiyun Li

• The Book of Goose
• Must I Go
• Dear Friend, From My Life I Write to You in Your Life
• Where Reasons End

Others:

• The Best Frenemies in Fiction ‹ CrimeReads
• The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
• The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
• The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
• My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
• Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy
• A Separate Peace by John Knowles
• “Harry Styles Has Entered the SpitGate Chat” by Adrienne Westenfeld (Esquire)
• Milan Kundera
• Chelsea Clinton Talks Candidly About Crumbling of Friendship with Ivanka Trump: 'She Went to the Dark Side'
• "'Checked Out': Trump rebukes Ivanka over Jan. 6 testimony" by Kelly Hooper (Politico)
• Column: Bill Barr is telling the truth about Trump. Too bad it’s too little, too late by Jackie Calmes (Los Angeles Times)
• F/N/F Season 4 Episode 25: Tolstoy Forever: Brigid Hughes and Yiyun Li on Retweeting a Russian Classic

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