Criticism > Contemporary Literary Criticism > Wiesel, Elie (Vol. 165) - Elie Wiesel, Robert Franciosi, and Brian Shaffer (interview date fall 1987)


Wiesel, Elie (Vol. 165) - Elie Wiesel, Robert Franciosi, and Brian Shaffer (interview date fall 1987)

Elie Wiesel, Robert Franciosi, and Brian Shaffer (interview date fall 1987)

SOURCE: Wiesel, Elie, Robert Franciosi, and Brian Shaffer. “An Interview with Elie Wiesel.” Contemporary Literature 28, no. 3 (fall 1987): 281-300.

[In the following interview, Wiesel discusses his literary philosophy, the role of history in his work, and the impact of Holocaust literature.]

The public and private worlds of Elie Wiesel seemed to come together as we talked in his Manhattan office. From the tenth floor we could hear sounds of heavy construction, of automobiles, of the noises that Wiesel says “characterize our generation.” In the midst of this Wiesel himself was a figure of calm with a voice that barely rose above the din.

It is a refreshing and unusual experience to speak with a writer of truly international fame extending well beyond the literary sphere, who nevertheless possesses an inherent reticence of manner and speech. Elie...

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