Gay Talese tells me it feels strange not to begin a Monday morning in “the Bunker.” By this he means his Manhattan workspace. At eighty-five, the author has lost none of his formidable discipline. His 2016 book, The Voyeur’s Motel, has been picked up by Hollywood, and his current projects include a new look at Frank Sinatra, written with Pete Hamill.

“But today,” he goes on, “is something special. It’s an honor.” Talese has abandoned his desk for New York’s Columbus Day Parade. The grand marshal this year is the head of Barnes & Noble, and to lead the celebration, he’s invited a hundred or so Italian-American writers.