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The Last Love Song: inside the new Joan Didion biography

Guest host Gill Deacon speaks to Tracy Daugherty about his new biography on influential American novelist and journalist Joan Didion.
Joan Didion is at the centre of a new biography by Tracy Daugherty entitled The Last Love Song. (Nancy Ellison)

Acclaimed writer Joan Didion has penned plenty of books over the years (Slouching Towards BethlehemThe White AlbumThe Year of Magical Thinking), but this is one she had no hand in.

Tracy Daugherty has written a new biography of the incisive and influential American novelist, journalist, and memoirist called The Last Love Song. The book truly is a love song to Didion's life and work, but she didn't approve it — which Daugherty says is right on brand for the candid but aloof writer, whose paradox is part of her charm.

Daugherty joins guest host Gill Deacon to talk about digging deeper into Didion's story for his book, released this week.