“I Trust Almost Anyone More Than Myself” | Better in Person

The episode features Stephen Dubner hosting a conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan. They discuss her writing process, influences, and her approach to storytelling. The episode is part of the 'Better in Person' series, which is also available as a video on YouTube and as a podcast on Apple Podcasts. Jennifer Egan is celebrated for her original mind, analytical depth, and her ability to craft complex, disorienting yet compelling narratives.

Egan describes her creative process, emphasizing her preference for working against her prior work and her experimental approach to narrative structure. She reflects on her writing about contemporary technology, the importance of storytelling that authentically captures human experience, and her methods for creating rich, multi-layered characters. Their dialogue explores her use of historical settings, her interest in societal shifts, and her techniques for understanding her characters deeply.

Egan recounts her adventurous youth, including punk rock youthfulness, travels, and her philosophical stance on facing fears. She discusses her early life, family background, and the influence of Irish-American culture, especially her grandfather’s role as a Chicago cop with ties to President Truman. She reflects on her own fears and how her life choices, like travel and facing her anxieties, align with her exploration of the human condition in her fiction.

The conversation delves into Egan’s writing routines, including her reliance on a dedicated writers’ group and her focus on aloud reading. She explains her meticulous revision process, her approach to genre and storytelling constraints, and her reflections on the iterative process of drafting and editing. She shares insights into her process for developing plots, characters, and her approach to narrative coherence.

Egan discusses the significance of receiving the Pulitzer Prize, her views on luck and merit, and her perspective on the literary world’s recognition. She emphasizes her focus on producing meaningful stories and confronting universal mysteries rather than seeking external validation. She also touches on her personal connections, including her late brother's impact on her and her thoughts on mental health and societal progress.

The host and Egan discuss AI, specifically ChatGPT, with her expressing strong opposition to the idea of AI-generated fiction, citing concerns about loss of original human creativity, authenticity, and groupthink. Egan articulates her belief in fiction’s role for deep empathy and exploring consciousness, contrasting it with the superficiality of digital representations of inner lives.