Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson
Listen nowDownload file
Embed player
Original Air Date: 
December 11, 2016

On the centennial of Shirley Jackson's birth, we explore the great literary work that she left for us — the stories and novels that continue to resonate in our culture.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

Ruth Franklin is the author of "Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life." In her book, Franklin argues that Jackson's body of work channeled women's anxieties at the time, representing "nothing less than the secret history of American women of her era."

Length: 
13:35
To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

We take a closer look at one of Shirley Jackson's most haunting short stories, "The Daemon Lover." Joan Wylie Hall is our guide.  She's the author of "Shirley Jackson: A Study of the Short Fiction."

To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

In addition to her haunting short stories and novels, Shirley Jackson also wrote comic essays about her struggles to balance her writing career with family life. Her children Laurence Jackson Hyman and Sarah Hyman DeWitt have assembled a collection of that writing called "Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings."

Length: 
9:43
Stills from “The Lottery,” courtesy of Hill & Wang.
Articles

Miles Hyman is Shirley Jackson's grandson. He's an artist who specializes in graphic novels and adaptations of classic literature. His latest book has a lot of personal meaning for him.

Length: 
11:26
To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

Chuck Palahniuk has made a very successful career out of writing transgressive fiction. So maybe it's not surprising that Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" had a huge impact on Palahniuk.

Length: 
11:26
Show Details 📻
Last modified: 
October 12, 2018