About this episode
Poet and novelist Ocean Vuong joins us to discuss his new novel, The Emperor of Gladness. Set in a fictional small town in Connecticut, it follows a 19-year-old grappling with addiction and despair, who forms an unexpected bond with an 82-year-old widow living with dementia. Together, they navigate memory and survival. He also talks about teaching and why he's put an end date on the number of books he'll write in his lifetime.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
Get every episode summarized
Each time Fresh Air publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Fresh Air
Best Of: Life in the Mojave Desert / Director of ‘The Uprising’
Fresh Air
Sep 12, 202649:17completed
Stories of survival & loss at Ground Zero
Fresh Air
Sep 11, 202646:29completed
How the WNBA became a political prop in the culture wars
Fresh Air
Sep 10, 202646:30completed
How Sept. 11 changed American life
Fresh Air
Sep 9, 202646:26completed