C O N V E R S A T I O N
FERRETING OUT THE MYSTERIES OF HISTORY—
A Conversation with
ERIK LARSON
SUSAN HAFEN “Gripping and important” and “factual and personal” are adjectives seldom applied to the same books, but are used regularly by readers and reviewers of Erik Larson’s work. Larson’s ability to enthrall the reader with suspenseful narrative and delight the historian with detailed depictions of characters from the past is the reason why five of his books have become national bestsellers: Dead Wake (2015), In the Garden of Beasts (2011), Thunderstruck (2006), The Devil in the White City (2003), and Isaac’s Storm (1999). Two of them, In the Garden of Beasts and The Devil in the White City, have been optioned for movie rights. The Devil in
the White City, which juxtaposed the building of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago with a serial murderer killing his victims near the Fair, won an Edgar Award for nonfiction crime writing, was a finalist for a National Book Award, and stayed on the New York Times’ bestseller lists for over five years. His new book, The Splendid and the Vile, focuses on Winston Churchill from May 10, 1940 (the day when Churchill was appointed prime minister and Hitler invaded Holland) to May 10, 1941 (the night of the Blitz). The coincidence of those dates, exactly one year apart, highlights Larson’s ability to find the unexpectedly fortuitous drama in historical events that shape lives and destinies.