Readers: Books and Conversation with Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak joined us at the PBC for a special edition of Readers: Books and Conversation to celebrate the 20th anniversary of publication of his acclaimed novel ‘The Book Thief’.

He shared stories and reflections on what it was like to write that book, how he threw everything he had at it, what it taught him about fear and the kind of writing he wants to do. He also spoke about the way it has been received (and continues to be received) by readers all over the world and why it continues to grab people the way that it does. He spoke with frankness and openness about his writing life, how a success like The Book Thief shapes that life, and what he looks when he’s writing, that will fire him to keep going. It was a deep delight to host him at the Bowling Club and to get these insights into both how he does what he does and how this much loved novel came to be