Ben Lerner Discusses New Novel Transcription in Interview with The New Yorker

Ben Lerner's novel Transcription centers on a middle-aged writer traveling to interview his mentor, Thomas, an eminent artist and scholar near the end of his life. Thomas is described as protean, stubborn, aging yet ageless, and difficult to pin down.

The character draws from several of Lerner's real mentors, including poet Rosmarie Waldrop and filmmaker Alexander Kluge, both born in Germany. En route to Thomas's house, the narrator breaks his phone, preventing him from recording the interview. Throughout the novel, characters experience mishearing, misremembering, and missing each other's attempts at connection.

The New Yorker reported that earlier this year, Alexander Kluge, aged 94, read an advance copy of Transcription. In an email to Lerner, Kluge wrote, “I am impressed by this text. I find it friendly but also very independent and poetical. The text had not only to do with me but with both of us .

. . You write at the end of your message, with love. ” Kluge died two weeks later. This event provided emotional closure that contrasted with the novel's themes of missed connections.

Lerner conducted an interview with a New Yorker staff member in the interviewer's Brooklyn living room. The discussion covered Transcription, President Trump, the interviewees' late grandmothers, and the rise of AI chatbots. Items on the table included mugs of black coffee, which both consumed and refilled, and a plate of dates and pastries, which neither touched, along with an audio recorder.

The interview was edited for length and clarity.

During the conversation, the interviewer offered Lerner flexibility to take parts off the record to allow free speaking, citing their personal acquaintance to avoid inadvertently publicizing private remarks. Lerner responded that he felt at ease and could ask anything.

He attributed any perceived slowness in thought to factors including COVID effects, cardiac bypass surgery, political developments, and screen usage. The interviewer agreed on the impact of screens. Lerner inquired if the recorder had been used during the interviewer's embeds with far-right groups, to which the interviewer replied affirmatively, noting it had captured many voices.

The interview addressed how Transcription uses interviewing not only as a plot element but to explore recurring themes in Lerner's work, such as superposition—the concept of characters existing in multiple potential states simultaneously, unresolved until later.

This mirrors the interview process, where present dialogue gains meaning through future audiences or transcripts. Lerner has previously published novels and poetry, establishing his reputation in literature. The discussion highlighted fiction's ability to record nuances that transcripts cannot capture, including emotional subtleties and ambiguities.

Transcription also examines technology's influence, with Lerner noting how smartphones charge the air around users and affect interactions. The broken phone in the novel underscores vulnerabilities in recording and memory. As a handheld device, the book itself serves as a counterpoint to digital tools.

The stakes involve preserving human connections amid technological and political disruptions, affecting writers, artists, and readers seeking authentic narratives.

Looking ahead, Lerner's publicity for Transcription may involve meta-discussions on interviewing, given the book's focus. Broader implications include ongoing debates on AI's role in creativity and documentation, potentially influencing literary forms.

Readers and scholars affected by these themes can anticipate further explorations in Lerner's work, while the literary community mourns figures like Kluge and reflects on mentorship legacies.