Lena Dunham on her memoir 'Famesick' and the intense bond between 'Girls' co-stars

Lena Dunham on her memoir 'Famesick' and the intense bond between 'Girls' co-stars

From NPR's Book of the Day by NPR

May 7, 2026 · 11 min

About this episode

Lena Dunham discusses her memoir 'Famesick' and her experiences during the making of 'Girls'.

Lena Dunham shot the pilot for the HBO series Girls at age 24. Quickly, she was launched into the creative spotlight but the author says she was not prepared for “everything that came with it.” In her new memoir Famesick , Dunham recounts the “Wild West” of the 2010s, which included her rapid creative education, chronic health issues, and intense bonds with her Girls co-stars. In today’s episode, she tells Wild Card ’s Rachel Martin about being welcomed into, and stung by, the cultural conversation of this time period and her creative partnership with castmate Adam Driver. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Host: Rachel Martin

Guest: Lena Dunham

Topics covered

  • memoir
  • creative process
  • cultural conversation
  • health issues
  • television
  • relationships

Keywords

  • Lena Dunham
  • Famesick
  • Girls
  • memoir
  • Adam Driver
  • HBO
  • creative spotlight
  • health issues
  • cultural conversation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: HBO

Books & works: Famesick, Girls

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