Lena Dunham at New Yorker Fest

Emmy-nominated actress and writer Lena Dunham was a hit at this year's New Yorker festival, discussing old boyfriends, fans, fame and criticisms of her show. Though relatively new as a celebrity, her fans in New York couldn't have been more engaged in what she had to say.

A year ago, not many people had heard of Lena Dunham.

This year, in a sign of her stunningly swift path to major fame, the young creator and star of HBO's "Girls" was one of the top draws of the weekend's New Yorker Festival, the annual gathering where fans of the magazine flock to hear their favorite authors, actors, directors, artists, and politicians interviewed, of course, by their favorite New Yorker writers.

Dunham, 26, whose appearance sold out in the first 20 minutes that tickets went on sale this year, was interviewed by New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum on Sunday...