Interview with Tea Obreht, author of the ‘The Tiger’s Wife’

Story from PRI’s Studio 360. Use audio player above to listen to full interview.

Tea Obreht, 25 years old, has already received a career’s worth of plaudits for her first novel, “The Tiger’s Wife.” The novel gained attention for the deftness with which it shifts between realism and fable, and for its sense of deep wisdom about memory, faith, family, and death.

Earlier this month Obreht became the youngest person ever to win the Orange Prize, given every year to the best English-language novel by a woman. Not bad for someone who learned English as a child from bootlegged Disney movies, but she still doesn’t quite trust her success. She tells Studio 360’s Kurt Andersen: “In Balkan culture, you find 5 bucks on the floor, next thing you know you’re being run over by a train, because that is how the world works karmically.”

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PRI’s Peabody Award-winning “Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen” from WNYC is public radio’s smart and surprising guide to what’s happening in pop culture and the arts. Each week, Kurt Andersen introduces you to the people who are creating and shaping our culture. Life is busy — so let “Studio 360” steer you to the must-see movie this weekend, the next book for your nightstand, or the song that will change your life.