#633 HORSE - Geraldine Brooks

The Not Old - Better Show

HORSE - Geraldine Brooks

The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Author Interview Series

Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series on radio and podcast. I’m Paul Vogelzang and today’s episode is part of our Art of Living, artist interview series.

Our guest today is Smithsonian Associate Geraldine Brooks. Geraldine Brooks will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up, and you can find out more details on our website and the Smithsonian Associates website in our show notes today.

The true story of the remarkable 19th-century racehorse Lexington, who became America’s greatest stud sire, provides the framework for Horse, the newest novel from Pulitzer Prize–winning author Geraldine Brooks.

Our guest today, author Geraldine Brooks braids three time periods in the narrative: 1850s Kentucky, where an enslaved groom named Jarret and the bay foal forge a bond of understanding that carries Lexington to record-setting victories across the South. New York City in the early 1950s, where a gallery owner becomes obsessed with a 19th-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance. And the Smithsonian in 2019, where a scientist from Australia and a Nigerian-American art historian find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse—one studying the stallion’s bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other using the portrait to uncover the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success. Let’s listen as Geraldine Brooks reads a passage from her new book, ‘Horse.’

In our conversation, Pulitzer Prize winning Geraldine Brooks offers fascinating insights into a novel that explores art and science, the bond between people and animals, and the continuing story of race and injustice.

Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates author interview series on radio and podcast, Smithsonian Associate, Geraldine Brooks.

My thanks to Geraldine Brooks for her generous time, and reading from her new book, ‘Horse.’ Geraldine Brooks will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up, and you can find out more details on our website and the Smithsonian Associates website in our show notes today. My thanks to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show, and my thanks to you, my wonderful audience on The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates author interview series on radio and podcast.

Please be well, be safe, and let’s eliminate assault rifles, keeping our grandchildren and children safe everywhere, but especially in school. Thanks, everybody and we’ll see one another next week.

For more information, please click here at Smithsonian Associates:

https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/geraldine-brooks-on-heart-of-horse