Alan Furst is the bestselling author of Midnight in Europe, Night Soldiers, and Spies of the Balkans. His latest book, A Hero of France, is out now and available by clicking here. Today, Alan discusses how he first came about creating his own fictional world in the tradition of William Faulkner and William Kennedy (2:00), the question he asked himself which opened him up as a writer (10:30), and the idea of a certain kind of heroism in his books (24:00). Plus, Alan talks about why he hasn't returned to France in years (34:00) and the creative routine he established to become a master of historical spy fiction (44:00).

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