Marcia Franklin talks with Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin. Called the "first great 9/11 novel" and winner of the 2009 National Book Award for fiction, the novel weaves together the stories of fictional characters all living in New York City in 1974 during the week Philippe Petit made his famous tightrope walk between the Twin Towers. Although the book barely mentions the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, it is considered an homage to that day and its effect on the country.

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Originally Aired: 12/8/2011

The interview is part of Dialogue’s series “Conversations from the Sun Valley Writers' Conference” and was taped at the 2011 conference. Since 1995, the conference has been bringing together some of the world’s most well-known and illuminating authors to discuss literature and life.