Basic Black; 3007; Conversation With Walter Mosley
- Series
- Basic Black
- Episode Number
- 3007
- Episode
- Conversation With Walter Mosley
- Producing Organization
- WGBH Educational Foundation
- Contributing Organization
- WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip-15-98mcxgz6
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- Description
- Episode Description
- BASIC BLACK catches up with mystery writer Walter Mosley to discuss his new collection, Walkin' the Dog (Little Brown). Socrates Forlow, the ex-con hero of Mosely's story collection Always Outnumbered. Always Outgunned. returns, and BASIC BLACK probes this dark, shady character. Have events like the OJ Simpson trial and the Rodney King beating prompted Mosley to create a less likeable hero? Walter Mosley, author of nine acclaimed novels, talks to Basic Black host Darren Duarte about his life, his career, and his latest collection, Walkin' the Dog (Little Brown). Mosley's mysteries are noted for their authentic characters, period settings, language, and portrayals of segregated inner-city life. Born and raised in a bi-racial family in the Watts neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles, Mosley was a computer programmer before publishing his first novel, Devil in a Blue Dress (W.W. Norton,1990). Set in 1948, the novel introduces Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins, an unwilling amateur detective from Watts. That novel was made into a feature film starring Denzel Washington in 1995, and Easy Rawlins continued his detective work in the novels A Red Death (W.W. Norton,1991), White Butterfly (W.W. Norton,1992), Black Betty (W.W. Norton,1994), and A Little Yellow Dog (W.W. Norton,1997). Mosley introduced his ex-con character Socrates Fortlow in the short story collection Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned (W.W. Norton,1997). Fortlow returns in his newest collection, Walkin' the Dog (Little Brown, 1999). Mosley talks to Basic Black about how Socrates, an anti-hero, helps him and his readers explore the world of black men on the fringes of society. "Socrates has committed some heinous crimes," says Mosley. "The thing that I need the audience to understand is that this man is seeking redemption. I don't expect them to forgive him." Mosley also talks to Duarte about racism, growing up in a bi-racial family (his father is black, his mother is Jewish), and his father's deep influence on his life and career.
- Description
- No description available
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Duration
- 00:28:27;05
- Credits
-
-
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
Production Unit: Local Productions
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
WGBH
Identifier: cpb-aacip-044ba42c413 (Filename)
Format: Betacam
Generation: Master
Duration: 00:26:56
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- Citations
- Chicago: “Basic Black; 3007; Conversation With Walter Mosley,” WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 26, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-98mcxgz6.
- MLA: “Basic Black; 3007; Conversation With Walter Mosley.” WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 26, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-98mcxgz6>.
- APA: Basic Black; 3007; Conversation With Walter Mosley. Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-98mcxgz6