Brooklyn BookBeat: Nathan Englander to speak at Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn-based writer Nathan Englander will be appearing at the Brooklyn Public Library on Saturday, March 16, to discuss his latest book, a collection of stories titled “What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank.” The book explores American-Israeli relations, as well as tensions that erupt over the meaning of modern Judaism.
Englander’s title, taken from writer Raymond Carver’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” evokes the sensitive subject of the Holocaust, which Englander spent much time thinking about throughout his Orthodox Jewish upbringing. The subject permeated his life at home and at school, and he infuses his new text with many of his experiences growing up in the shadow of such horrors. In the title story, Englander’s characters play a game in which they must ponder who would hide them if a second Holocaust occurred.
At Saturday’s event, Englander will discuss his book with public radio talk show host Leonard Lopate. The discussion will begin at 4 p.m. at the Dweck Center (located at 10 Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights).