Nicholson Baker: Delighting in the Details

From the tender ruminations of a newly anointed father in "Room Temperature" to the titillating voyeuristic tendencies in "The Fermata" and "House Full of Holes," Nicholson Baker captures the poignancy and pathos of the human animal. Whether in fiction or non, Baker's varied but genuine obsessions—music, newspapers, literature, familial dynamics, video game culture—find their way into his smart, deft, and hilarious prose. This fall Baker is back with a new novel, "Traveling Sprinkler," a witty somewhat-sequel to "The Anthologist" of 2009. There, we met hapless academic Paul Chowder, fitfully trying to compose the introduction to a new collection of rhyming verse. In "Traveling Sprinkler," our feckless but hopeful hero returns, this time attempting to write a pop song, a protest song, or both at once. Join Baker for a conversation with author Sara Levine that will cover his literary career and revel in the charming worlds that he continually creates.