LARB Radio Hour: John Freeman’s Bright Future for New Writing Across the Globe; Plus Eka Kurniawan’s "Beauty is a Wound"

Who are the writers pushing the boundaries of contemporary literature? How are they doing so? And where can they be found? This is no small matter, as, unlike previous avant-gardes, today's are dispersed across the entire globe. Legendary editor John Freeman, of Granta fame, set out to answer these daunting questions. The result is the spectacular fourth edition of his journal Freeman's: The Future of New Writing. Twenty-nine authors made the cut. Freeman shares his rationales for inclusion, and an abundance of enthusiasm, with co-hosts Medaya Ocher and Eric Newman. Author Garnette Cadogan, one of the 29, joined John in-studio to share his thoughts on today's cutting-edge writing, the necessity of tricksters (to literature and life), and his contribution to the collection: "With Nothing to Hide." Also, John Freeman wasn't about to leave the studio without singing the praises of Eka Kurniawan's gorgeous magical realist epic novel of modern Indonesia: Beauty is a Wound.