Toni Morrison Reads from Song of Solomon

Studio 360

When New Yorker writer Hilton Als signed on to guest host Studio 360, he immediately knew he wanted to interview one of his literary heroes, Toni Morrison. They sat down in her Manhattan home for a rich conversation about literature, politics, and her childhood.

At the end of their visit, Hilton asked her to read the last lines of one of his favorite novels, her National Book Award-winning Song of Solomon, from 1977. (Listen to the audio above.) Hilton has always been fascinated by her depiction of black masculinity, and by this book’s ambiguous ending. Its final scene captures a violent confrontation between Milkman and Guitar, who were once best friends.

You canhear their conversation on this weekend’s show.

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