The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker Hugo Hamilton Reads “Autobahn”
Sep 15, 2024
Hugo Hamilton, an acclaimed author and winner of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, reads his gripping story 'Autobahn.' The narrative begins with a hopeful hitchhiker's encounter that turns dark when a gun is revealed. Hamilton also delves into deep themes of identity and belonging through a tense encounter with a police officer in Germany. He poignantly explores the bond between a father and son through music, evoking both nostalgia and vulnerability. Listeners are invited to reflect on storytelling's power in uncertain times.
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Misprinted Maps
- The narrator worked at a printing firm producing maps, a job he found both fascinating and alienating.
- He felt "misprinted" and out of place, traveling in his mother's homeland.
Father's Rage
- The narrator reflects on his deceased father's volatile temper and a specific incident of violence.
- He questions the roots of his father's anger and its lasting impact.
The Harmonica
- The narrator recalls his father gifting him a harmonica twice, a gesture of affection and perhaps reconciliation.
- Years later, he still carries the harmonica, a symbol of his complex relationship with his father.