It’s a great ninety minutes: Peter Slen interviews Robert Caro about his Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson biographies.
When will the final volume of the Johnson biography be out? “Bad question.”
A fun moment: the bookcases.
A chilling revelation, in some discussion of Johnson’s and Robert Kennedy’s hatred of each another: when Robert Kennedy was shot, Johnson was up all night, asking his aides, “Is he dead yet?”
Related reading
All OCA Robert Caro posts (Pinboard)
Monday, August 17, 2026
Robert Caro, interviewed on C-SPAN
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
That he's still writing at 90 is amazing. I first stumbled on Caro in 2000s, while channel surfing. He was being interviewed by Charlie Rose (who, despite his flaws was a great interviewer.). I loved Caro's NY accent. Made him sound like a regular guy who just happened to be a great storyteller who knew more about LBJ than anyone else alive. Fantastic interview. I just wish his books were as approachable. I own The Power Broker and Master of the Senate, but I get tired just looking at their width. Some day.
ReplyDeleteI really, really, really (did I say really?) resisted the idea of reading The Power Broker. Elaine had started it and said I should read it. Did I really want to invest that much time reading about Robert Moses? I bought a copy on impulse (on vacation), and then we read it together. I am so glad I took the plunge — I count it as one of the great reading experiences of my life. The LBJ is my someday.
ReplyDelete