Hernan Diaz, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'Trust,' dives deep into the world of finance and personal relationships. He discusses his novel's unique narrative structure, showcasing four distinct voices that provide conflicting accounts of a tycoon’s life during the Roaring Twenties. Diaz emphasizes the abstract nature of finance, intertwining it with themes of trust and ethics. He also reflects on the joys and challenges of writing, the impact of language and identity on creativity, and the struggle for literature to thrive in an age of distraction.
The novel 'Trust' employs a multi-voiced narrative structure to explore the complexities of financial capitalism and moral ambiguity.
Hernan Diaz emphasizes the disconnect between capital and labor, critiquing the ethical dilemmas in the financial world through his characters.
Deep dives
Narrative Complexity in Trust
The novel 'Trust' utilizes a unique narrative structure, featuring four different narrators who present conflicting perspectives on the life of a wealthy couple. This multi-voiced approach allows readers to engage more deeply with the themes of financial capitalism and the moral ambiguities surrounding wealth accumulation. Each narrator contributes a layer of complexity, enabling the exploration of their lives and the tycoon's questionable actions leading to the 1929 crash. By intertwining various formats such as fiction, memoir, and diary entries, the book challenges readers to navigate these distinct narratives and reflect on the reliability of each voice.
Critique of Financial Capitalism
At the center of 'Trust' is a critical examination of financial capitalism, emphasizing the abstraction of capital as it grows apart from labor’s tangible realities. The characters’ interactions with money illustrate a disconnection where financiers, viewed as 'pure artists', engage with capital without considering the human labor it affects. Diaz’s focus deviates from traditional narratives that often glorify wealth, instead exposing the ethical dilemmas and exploitative practices within the financial world. This examination aligns with historical themes, drawing parallels to figures like Benjamin Franklin and the complexities of early economic systems.
Personal Influence and Literary Legacy
Hernan Diaz’s background and formative experiences significantly influence his writing, especially his interactions with diverse languages and literary traditions. Despite initial challenges in getting published, he remained committed to his craft, ultimately finding his voice in English and gaining acclaim for 'Trust'. His literary influences, including writers like Joan Didion and Lillian Ross, shape his narrative style and thematic focus, particularly around trust and perspective in storytelling. Diaz reflects on the changing landscape of literature and the attention economy, pondering the future of deep engagement with texts in an increasingly distracted world.
In honor of what is for many people the final days of summer, the New Yorker Radio Hour team presents a conversation that may inspire your end-of-summer reading list: David Remnick talks to Hernan Diaz about his book, Trust, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2023. The novel’s plot focuses on the daughter of eccentric aristocrats after she marries a Wall Street tycoon of dubious ethics during the Roaring Twenties. The novel is told by four people in four different formats, which offer conflicting accounts of the couple’s life, the tycoon’s misdeeds, and his role in the crash of 1929. “What I was interested in, and this is why I chose finance capital, I wanted a realm of pure abstraction,” he tells David Remnick. Diaz’s first book, In The Distance, will be released in hardback for the first time in October.
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