The Invention of Everything Else

Samantha Hunt reads a selection from The Invention of Everything Else, in which young inventor, Nicola Tesla makes his way to the workshops of his hero, Thomas Edison. (Running Time: 16:15)

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The Invention of Everything Else is at once a father/daughter story, a love story, and a fantastical and seductive New York story. History and imagination unite to explore the intersection of love and science and to investigate a friendship between the fictional Louisa, a chambermaid at the Hotel New Yorker, and real-life legendary Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla. Reminiscent of work by Steven Millhauser and Michael Chabon, the story brings to life a vibrant and exciting portrait of early-twentieth-century Manhattan.

About the Author:

Samantha Hunt: Samantha Hunt is the author of the acclaimed first novel The Seas, for which she recently received the first-ever "5 under 35" Award from the National Book Foundation. Her fiction has been featured in The New Yorker and on This American Life. Time Out New York called her "a writer to watch," and Dave Eggers described her as having "one of the most distinctive and unforgettable voices I have read in years."