Cord Jefferson Finds Catharsis With 'American Fiction'

科德·杰斐逊用“美国小说”找到宣泄

Fresh Air

艺术

2023-12-13

44 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

The movie American Fiction is a satire about a Black writer who can't get his latest book published because it's not "Black" enough. He decides to write a book with every offensive Black stereotype he can think of — and gets a $1 million book deal. Screenwriter/director Cord Jefferson says he experienced something similar as a writer in Hollywood. Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new album from tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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  • On the TEd radio hour, linguist Ann Curzan says she gets a lot of complaints about people using the pronoun they to refer to one person.

  • I sometimes get into arguments with people where they will say to me, but it can't be singular.

  • And I will say, but it is the history behind words causing a lot of debate.

  • That's on the Ted radio hour from NPR.

  • This is FRESH AIR.

  • I'm Tanya Moseley.

  • In the new satirical film american fiction, Thelonious Ellison is a frustrated writer who can't get his latest book published because editors say it's not black enough.

  • So he decides to write the kind of black book they want out of spite.

  • Using every tired and offensive trope he can think of, he submits the manuscript under a pseudonym, and to his surprise, he's offered a million dollar book deal.

  • This film is tv writer court Jefferson's directorial debut.

  • He got his start as a journalist before becoming a screenwriter for shows like Succession, the good Place, Master of None, and Larry Wilmore's former late night tv series the nightly show.

  • In 2020, he won an Emmy for his writing of episode six of Watchmen, titled the Extraordinary Being, along with Damon Lindelof, american fiction features a star studded cast that includes actors Jeffrey Wright, Issa Rae, Adam Brody, and Sterling K.

  • Brown.

  • Cora Jefferson, welcome back to FReSh Air.

  • Thank you so much for having me.

  • Okay, so the main character in american fiction, Thelonious, whose nickname is Monk, played by Geoffrey Wright, is a writer and college professor who writes this book out of spite.

  • And the book's contents play into all of the stereotypes about violence and trauma with these over the top characters.

  • But of course, Monk writes it under a fake name.

  • So to add to the lies, he says he can't reveal his true identity because he's running from the law.

  • I want to play a scene.