Jonathan Lethem is one of American literature’s most omnivorous talents, with fingers in science fiction (Gun, with Occasional Music, Amnesia Moon, Girl in Landscape), crime fiction (Motherless Brooklyn) and rock journalism. His whipsmart critical essays have poked at topics including art, used books, Donald Sutherland’s butt, John Wayne and superhero films. Lethem’s latest novel, Dissident Gardens, is perhaps his most political to date, offering a sweeping account of multiple generations of American agitators, communists, and wouldbe revolutionaries.

One of New York’s sharpest and most curious talents joins us for a conversation about his latest book, Dissident Gardens, and much more. With Chloe Hooper.