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Don Swaim Interviews

Richard Condon, author of The Manchurian Candidate, Winter Kills, Emperor of America, The Final Addiction and others, talks with Don Swaim in this 1982 interview. Condon did not publish his first novel until the age of 42. Prior to that he spent many years working in the film industry as a publicist, until moving to the theater, where he wrote a play, Men of Distinction. Condon and his family have lived in Ireland, Switzerland, and Spain over 27 years. The pair go on to discuss Condon's novel Prizzi's Honor, researching material, organized crime, and the influence of alcohol on writers.

Listen to the Richard Condon interview with Don Swaim, 1982
(26 min. 03 sec.)

Richard Condon returns to talk with Don Swaim about a variety of topics in this 1986 interview. He discusses living in Dallas, Texas, the literary community in the city, Condon's Prizzi books, and the movies made from them. In all of his books, he tries to write about the abuse of power and tries to keep the chapters short.

Listen to the Richard Condon interview with Don Swaim, 1986
(29 min. 06 sec.)

In this 1990 interview with Don Swaim, Richard Condon discusses his novel about former President Reagan, The Emperor of America. He has been writing for thirty years, and has written twenty-five books including, Oldest Confession. He also started the International Confederation of Book Actors, which recognizes characters in books who are based on real people.

Listen to the Richard Condon interview with Don Swaim, 1990
(26 min. 23 sec.)