Joyce Carol Oates called him “the very Mozart of literary interviewers.” Norman Mailer, “the best reader in America.” Susan Sontag, “a national treasure.” As the host of the literary talk show Bookworm for 33 years, from 1989 to 2022, Michael Silverblatt interviewed more than 1,200 writers, among them Joan Didion, Tom Wolfe, Gore Vidal, Martin Amis, Ocean Vuong, Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, Marilynne Robinson, David Foster Wallace, Fran Lebowitz, and Bret Easton Ellis. Look up your favorite author in the show’s archives, and it is almost certain that Silverblatt interviewed them.
He once described his preparation for interviews as “infinite,” familiarizing himself not only with the book the author was promoting but their entire oeuvre. He didn’t see himself as an interviewer—“Interviewers are supposed to be neutral and faceless, and I don’t believe in that”—but “first and foremost as a reader and a conversationalist.” Nevertheless, his interviews were astounding, with his tailored and erudite questions often leaving his interviewees flabbergasted and delighted in equal measure. Here, authors pay tribute to Silverblatt, who died this week at the age of 73.
SALMAN RUSHDIE: I was very fond of Michael. Bookworm was always my favorite stop on book tour. Nobody else asked Michael’s questions. It was always the best conversation. He knew so much and wore that knowledge so lightly. And he was a lovely, gentle man. I’m so sad he’s gone.
George Saunders: Michael was the finest, most intense, most feeling interviewer I’ve ever met, whose insights more than once brought me to tears. For years, it was never a book until Michael and I had discussed it. And every conversation we had altered the trajectory of my work. I miss him very much and will miss him forever.
MARGARET ATWOOD: Michael Silverblatt was the genial, legendary magic gnome of books. He really did know everything! Being interviewed by him was like taking an in-depth orals exam on yourself, except more fun. He will be deeply missed, by readers and writers alike.
RACHEL KUSHNER: When Michael interviews a writer, it feels like psychoanalysis, but the writer is the analyst, and Michael the confessor, and it’s very relaxing because you sit and listen to him give this rich interpretive testimonial about your novel, and you find moments to intervene. He was an extraordinary person who found a special calling as Michael Silverblatt, a person who cared more about novels than anyone else I’ve ever met.
SANDRA CISNEROS: When I think about the great interviewers, Michael is there, with Studs Terkel and Terry Gross. Not only did he read your book in its entirety and adored your work, he analyzed it and understood it in ways that were surprising to you. I have rarely met anyone who was as brilliant and passionate a reader as Michael was. He was a kindred spirit. I felt at home with him. We laughed. I owe him so much. I’m very sorry that he’s gone, though he’s not really gone. But I want to celebrate him and raise a glass to him.
DAVE EGGERS: There was no more careful and passionate reader, anywhere in the world, than Michael Silverblatt. When you got scheduled to discuss a new book with him in his subterranean studio, you knew that he’d see things that no one else did; he’d make connections no one else would. His read on a book was the last word, the final step, the ultimate verdict. But though his intellect was vast, he still had the bright eyes and giggle of a kid, always wanting to be delighted. You could see the bookish boy he’d been, and that capacity for wonder never left him.
