Sheila Heti is the interviews editor at The Believer. She has also written two novels, a book of short stories, and a book of 'conversational philosophy' called The Chairs are Where the People Go, based on conversations with her friend Misha Glouberman. Her novel How Should a Person Be? was published in Canada in 2010, but came out in the UK early this year. She talked to Tom Cutterham about her book, about the art and practice of the interview, and about the meaning of conversation. [read full interview]
Shlomo Sand shot to prominence and controversy with his 2008 book The Invention of the Jewish People. His follow-up, The Invention of the Land of Israel, examines a nationalist mythology of land which forms a crucial part of the Zionist story of, and justification for, the Jewish State. In this interview Shlomo talks to Lewis Turner about his journey re-discovering his country’s history, his hopes for Israel’s future and the role of historians in social change. [read full interview]