In the second installment of a two-part episode with best-selling author Kurt Andersen, John and Kurt continue their discussion of Andersen's new novel, “The Breakup." Kurt assesses how the book—set in 2045, following a second American Civil War—fits into his formidable body of work, from acclaimed novels such as “Heyday” and non-fiction hits including “Fantasyland” to the editorial voice he helped fashioned at Spy magazine and the satirical sci-fi web video series he created with Steven Soderbergh. Kurt also explains the challenges AI poses to writing about the future, and how "The Breakup" handles the (fictional) death of the president he famously co-christened a “short-fingered vulgarian."
