Season 2 Ep 3 | Louis Bayard | #1 Netflix Novelist Tells Oscar Wilde's Story

Today’s guest is Louis Bayard, the critically beloved and ever popular novelist, whose novel The Pale Blue Eye was adapted into the global #1 Netflix release starring Christian Bale. I’m honored to call Lou a friend, but I’ve been a fan since long before I met him, and it was a true pleasure to name him 1455’s Storyteller of the Year in 2022. The New York Times has written that Lou “reinvigorates historical fiction,” rendering the past “as if he’d witnessed it firsthand.” Anyone familiar with his work knows Lou combines brilliant storytelling with deep research, and his titles include like Courting Mr. Lincoln, Roosevelt’s Beast, The Black Tower, and Jackie & Me (ranked by the Washington Post as one of the top novels of 2022). A former instructor at George Washington University, his reviews and articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and Salon, and Lou is also a contributing writer to the Washington Post Book World.

Lou is, quite simply, one of the most productive, respected, and erudite writers of our times, and to top it off, he’s also one of the nicest human beings, in the literary or wider world. We connected to discuss his latest novel, The Wildes, which Joyce Carole Oates praises as “a boldly audacious re-visioning of the martyrdom of Oscar Wilde, one which would have astonished Wilde himself.” We talk about his painstaking research (which fuels all his work), his indefatigable imagination, the routines and habits of any successful writer, and what it’s like to see famous actors playing roles he created. An hour is never enough with Lou, but this conversation is a continuation of an ongoing dialogue I look forward to continuing soon.

ABOUT GUEST LOUIS BAYARD

Learn more about Lou's work at louisbayard.com

ABOUT SOME THINGS CONSIDERED

Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings.

This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression. Tune in and subscribe here on Substack at seanmurphy.live

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About Sean Murphy

I’m Sean Murphy, and you might have heard me on NPR’s “All Things Considered” or seen my name in The New York Times or The Huffington Post, among others. As a contributor to outlets ranging from The Good Men Project and PopMatters to The Village Voice and The Weeklings, my aim has always been to connect, provoke, and celebrate the stories that define us.

I founded 1455, a non-profit dedicated to celebrating creativity and community, and I direct the Center for Story at Shenandoah University, but I’ve been telling—and savoring—words for as long as I can remember. Since I first began writing, I’ve been obsessed with the ways powerful narratives explain our world while creating new possibilities, how art broadens awareness and builds empathy. I think we’d all agree that understanding how storytelling works—and why it’s important—has never been more critical, for our collective and individual well-being.