Joyce Carol Oates : conversations, 1970-2006 /

One of the most prolific writers of the 20th century, Oates (Them) has been less eager about granting interviews. After 40 years as a published writer, she has only started to grant more interviews. Johnson, most noted for his 1998 Oates biography, Invisible Writer, has assembled 20 interviews that Oates granted over a 36-year period. He includes early interviews not found in Lee Milazzo's 1989 compilation, Conversations with Joyce Carol Oates, as well as interviews given since that book's publication. Johnson has also culled interviews originally published in journals (e.g., Contemporary Literature, Paris Review) and magazines (e.g., Newsweek, Playboy). Nearly all were "written-out" rather than "live" discussions. Oates tells one interviewer, "For me, writing-and reading-are ways of seeing." These interviews allow the reader to "see" a bit more into Oates's life, revealing her literary influences and exploring different facets of her experience, including her rural upbringing. Highly recommended for all libraries.-Erica Swenson Danowitz, Delaware Cty. Community Coll., Media, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.