The Covenant of Water, Stanford University professor Dr Abraham Verghese’s long-awaited follow-up to his 2009 novel Cutting for Stone, traces the lives of a family in southern India negotiating forces of history, fate, and a genetic condition that takes the life of a member in each generation by drowning. JAMA Arts and Medicine Section Editor Michael Berkwits, MD, MSCE, talks with Dr Verghese about the novel’s clinical insights, the craft of writing fiction, the role of the humanities in medicine, of artificial intelligence in literature, and more. Related Content:

• “The Art of the Craft,” From The Covenant of Water
• Physician as Writer: Abraham Verghese Reflects on the Art of the Craft of Writing Fiction (Part 2 of this interview)
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