Wednesday, January 13 - Riverbig

Aris J. in Studio C, at Bibliocracy Headquarters.

Wednesday, 2:30 pm on KPFK. Barbara Kingsolver, John Steinbeck, and of course William Saroyan. All writers who’ve written a kind of social realism, with the concerns of the land itself as a character, along with its human exploiters and caretakers. Mix in some Carey McWilliams and a level of hard-earned detail and careful description of what it means to grow tomatoes or corn, to tend orchards and to struggle with the elements. Finally, add the political and cultural legacy as lived by the Armenian diaspora in America and you begin to get a preview of the completely realized world of Fresno, California, 1964 as offered by my guest today, Aris Janigian in his new novel, Riverbig. Published by Heyday Books, Riverbig continues the modest saga of the life of Andy Demerjian, a farmer who drinks too much, tries to respect his elders, struggles with his own mistakes and those of others, to redeem himself. About Riverbig, Carolyn See writes that “it combines all the pent-up rages of the old world with the rare and fragile hopes of the new.” Thanks for listening. Programs are archived on the station's website for 90 days, free.