Emily St. John Mandel: Hope & Art After the Apocalypse

Emily St. John Mandel’s bestselling novel Station Eleven centers on a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming a post-apocalyptic North America in the aftermath of a flu pandemic. The Traveling Symphony, a group of musicians and actors in horse-drawn wagons going from town to town, risk everything for the sake of preserving art and humanity, striving to live honorably in a damaged world. A 2014 National Book Award Finalist, Station Eleven is equal parts mystery novel and post-apocalyptic tale. The characters’ passionate pursuit of preserving “the best about the world” infuses the story with hope.