UpFront

KPFA Fund Drive: Studs Terkel and the Art of Interviewing

Studs Terkel, historian, actor, and broadcaster. Terkel was acclaimed for his efforts to preserve American oral history. His 1985 book “The Good War”: An Oral History of World studsterkel_largeWar Two, which detailed ordinary peoples’ accounts of the country’s involvement in World War II, won the Pulitzer Prize. For Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression, Terkel assembled recollections of the Great Depression that spanned the socioeconomic spectrum, from Okies, through prison inmates, to the wealthy. His 1974 book, Working, in which (as reflected by its subtitle) People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, also was highly acclaimed. Working was made into a short-lived Broadway show of the same title in 1978 and was telecast on PBS in 1982. In 1995, he received the Chicago History Museum “Making History Award” for Distinction in Journalism and Communications. In 1997, Terkel was elected a member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters. Two years later, he received the George Polk Career Award in 1999.

 

Today we listen Studs Terkel discussing the art of interviewing with Pacifica Radio counterpart Elsa Knight Thompson.

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