The author and writer Michael Finkel discusses his new book, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit (Knopf, 2017), about Christopher Knight, with Joseph Planta.

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel (Knopf, 2017). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Stranger in the Woods

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

For 27 years, Christopher Knight lived in the woods, with no one to talk to, all by himself. In 1986, at 20, he left Massachusetts, went on a bit of a road trip, and ended up in Maine, where he disappeared into the forest. He would break into nearby cottages for food, books and magazines, clothes and other items to get through the monotony of solitude. Michael Finkel has just published The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit. It’s a terrific book, one that’s difficult to put down, and gripping from start to end. Mr. Finkel, who joins me now, conducted exclusive interviews with Knight following his arrest for stealing food from a children’s camp. He wrote to Knight, visited him in prison, and in the time following his re-entry into the society that seemingly had no place for him. The book talks about Knight’s background and family, the possible reasons for wanting to get away—clinical and psychological—and much more. I’ll get Michael to tell us more about this book, Christopher Knight, and his own experience in getting Knight to talk. Michael Finkel is the author of True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa, which was adapted into film in 2015. He has written for National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, and GQ, where his initial piece on Christopher Knight was one of its most-read pieces ever. This new book is published by Knopf. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in Toronto earlier this week, Michael Finkel; Mr. Finkel, good morning.

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