Why Seth Meyers Loves Having Authors on His Show

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/books/review/seth-meyers-by-the-book-interview.html

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“They are, by nature, storytellers,” says the host of “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” whose comedy special “Lobby Baby” is on Netflix now. “Writing is magic, so to have people who can do the tricks talk about it makes for good conversation.”

What books are on your nightstand?

Margaret Atwood’s “The Testaments,” Zadie Smith’s “Grand Union” and John le Carré’s “Agent Running in the Field.” And while it is no indicator of how good the books are, all three covers have bright bold colors and they look great stacked on top of each other.

What was the last great book you read?

“Say Nothing,” by Patrick Radden Keefe, is a thrilling piece of nonfiction that unpacks a mystery while providing, at least for me, an education on the Troubles in Northern Ireland. And “Ohio,” by Stephen Markley, is a book that has stayed with me ever since I put it down.

Are there any classic novels that you only recently read for the first time?

“Scoop,” by Evelyn Waugh. Its timeliness is both hilarious and depressing. Also “Blood Meridian,” by Cormac McCarthy. The Judge now holds first position for “Fictional Character Who Has Given Me the Worst Nightmares.”

Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).

I’m on a couch. It’s the third day of a head cold so I’m getting better but no one in my family expects anything of me yet. It’s gray and rainy outside but the sound of the rain isn’t so loud as to be distracting. And, not that you asked, but the least ideal place to read is the beach because sand is stupid and ruins everything.

What’s your favorite book no one else has heard of?

“Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football,” by David Winner.

Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most?

Martin McDonagh, Marlon James, Lauren Groff, Haruki Murakami, Tom King, David Peace, Celeste Ng, Colson Whitehead, Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, Grant Morrison, Ocean Vuong and Ronan Farrow.

What factors do you consider before having a writer as a guest on your show?

The main factor is, “Was the book good?” But beyond that we’ve really enjoyed showcasing diverse voices not just of background but also of style. It’s been a delight discovering what good talk show guests authors make. They are, by nature, storytellers, and even though it’s rare that a majority of the audience has read the book, people love hearing writers talk about their process. To most, writing is magic, so to have people who can do the tricks talk about it makes for good conversation.

“Late Night” has made you an influential recommender of books. But where do you turn for recommendations? How do you decide what to read?

Two people deserve all the credit. Sarah Jenks-Daly is a producer who covers books for us, and she is constantly showing up to my office with something new she likes. The other is my mom, who not only gifted me with my love of books but also puts novels down as fast as she does a gin and tonic. (For those who don’t know Hilary, this means “quickly.”)

What book would you most like to see turned into a movie or TV show that hasn’t already been adapted?

O.K., so John le Carré’s “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” the first book of the Karla trilogy, was made into a mini-series by the BBC in 1979 and starred Alec Guinness as George Smiley. It’s perfect casting and a perfect mini-series.

In 1982 the BBC made the third book of the trilogy, “Smiley’s People,” into an equally good mini-series.

All I want is for the BBC to adapt the second book of the trilogy, “The Honourable Schoolboy,” with the caveat that George Smiley would have to be played by Alec Guinness so it will need to be a C.G.I. situation. I’ll wait.

Do you count any books as guilty pleasures?

I’m always a little guilty when I reread a book. There are so many I will never get to so I feel a pang when I return to old favorites. But it gives such pleasure, in tumultuous times, to pick up a book and know, “I will enjoy this.” In recent months it’s been a lot of short stories: “Home,” by George Saunders, “A Good Marriage,” by Stephen King, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor, and “Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut, and the short novel “Dreaming of Babylon,” by Richard Brautigan.

What’s the last book you read that made you laugh?

I grin ear to ear any time I read Simon Rich. The last time I laughed out loud was reading Martin Short’s book “I Must Say,” where he says of Steve Martin’s house, “I’m pretty certain that everyone who has ever visited his home for the first time and gone from room to room has been struck by the very same thought: How many portraits can one man possibly sit for?”

The best book about making people laugh is that same Steve Martin’s “Born Standing Up.”

Which genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?

I love spy novels but only when the spies are good at spying. I have no interest in spies who succeed because of dumb luck or coincidence. Keep your deus ex machina out of my spy fiction!

How do you organize your books?

My wife has O.C.D., but even she appreciates that books should live on a shelf with a level of randomness that makes a search slightly difficult while increasing the chances you will stumble on something else.

What kind of reader were you as a child? Which childhood books and authors stick with you most?

My earliest memories of books were my mom reading Roald Dahl to us before bed. “The Witches” stands out as a highlight. On every family road trip we listened to books on tapes — a ton of Jean Shepherd and every Jeeves book by P. G. Wodehouse.

On my own I loved reading John D. Fitzgerald’s “Great Brain” series because, like most kids, I was obsessed with small town Utah in the late 1890s.

And then I started reading things my dad read, which meant Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, the Spenser novels. I was the only 12-year-old who read every book in Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series.

Has a book ever brought you closer to another person, or come between you?

I am a comic book reader and my wife is not, but a few years ago we read the Joe Hill-Gabriel Rodriguez series “Locke and Key” together. While she is not a convert, she now has an appreciation for what the form can accomplish.

You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?

George Saunders, Kurt Vonnegut and Jane Austen. Three writers who are not blind to the worst humanity has to offer but who so beautifully express our best that you can’t help feeling optimistic.

Whom would you want to write your life story?

Those who know me will attest that my life story is a sprawling epic rife with sex, violence, loyalty and betrayal. So it’s gotta be George R.R. Martin.

What do you plan to read next?

“American Spy,” by Lauren Wilkinson, and “Red at the Bone” by Jacqueline Woodson.