The Casual Academic: A Literary Podcast

Episode 36 features Valeria Luiselli's "Faces in the Crowd," a novella we loved and can't recommend enough. Our discussion includes a bit of her non-fiction, especially her essay "Relingos," as well as various interviews in which she shares her approach to writing and structure. Luiselli allows shifts in point of view and temporality to intermingle and eventually blend together in a story of a writer writing of her days obsessing over a poet in New York City. The novella is both dark and funny, and subtly deals with the way in which our pasts integrate and thus disintegrate our presents, and how identities shapeshift when lost in foreign lands and art. Episode 36 concludes our miniseries on Mexican authors, but rest assured it shall be continued! Let us know what you thought of the episode and the novella via social media, or email us at thecasualacademic@gmail.com. Stay casual, Alex & Jake

Rising out of the depths of a busy summer and unreliable internet, we're back to finally put out a miniseries on Mexican literature that's been long in the making. We hope you all have had a wonderful past couple months, and that you've been able to read a few good books. Speaking of good books, Episode 35 on Carlos Fuentes' "The Death of Artemio Cruz" is a discussion on Mexican identity via the writings on Fuentes and Octavio Paz; the good, the bad and the ugly of modernist formal experimentation, and a rehashing of how History as told by the victors is challenged in Latin American fiction. Fuente's novel is a modernist retelling of Mexican history through the life of a revolutionary turned robber baron. As always, we hope you enjoy the episode and be sure to let us know what you think about our discussion via whatever internet superhighway medium you deem your favorite. Thanks for listening and stay casual, Alex & Jake Music credits: "Laid Back Guitars" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

After several editing and technical hiccups, we're happy to present episode 34 on beloved travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor and his only novel. A soldier who led the resistance in Crete during WWII, a spy posing as a shepherd who captured a German general, an insatiable traveler (lest we forget heartthrob), Fermor was a jack-of-all-trades whose travel writing is known the world over. His novel "The Violins of Saint-Jacques," however, presents a West Indies that both gilds and destroys a European presence that reflects, perhaps, more the devastation caused by WWII than decolonization. Check out our discussion on art and context, WWII and British Literature, and the work travel writing does in the wake of quickly disappearing cultures. Happy Listening Alex & Jake Music credits for this episode: "Lost Frontier" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ "Magic Forest" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Good evening from Spain! Allow us to present the 2nd episode of our "Books Casually Left on the Shelf" series on Sylvia Plath's only and much-celebrated novel. Take a listen for some talk on the relevance of existential crises of the 1950's, Plath's style, the novel's structure, and of course two white dudes talking about the feminine experience in American society. Don't forget to join the discussion on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or email us at thecasualcademic@gmail.com! Stay casual, Alex & Jake

Episode 32 inaugurates our new episode series "Books Casually Left on the Shelf" (working title). This book was a hidden gem for us, and we hope you enjoy as much as we did diving into the arabesque and unholy trinities with Jan Potocki's "The Manuscript Found in Saragossa." If you're a patron, make sure you've read up on the novel with the email we sent containing a multitude of sources that we used in preparation for the episode. If not, get a copy and get lost in the mind of a writer of the Renaissance who had a penchant for sexual daydreams involving two or more people, and who might have believed himself to be a werewolf. Come for the unpacking of a novel touching all areas of knowledge, stay for the 17th century sexual intrigue and lycanthropy. We've been receiving many emails from listeners, and it's been the strongest of winds in our sails to continue doing what we love. Thank you all who have written, thank you to our Patreon members and, as always, thanks for listening. Best, Alex & Jake

We are VERY excited to announce that our Patreon page has launched about....24 minutes ago! On this quick Aside we talk about Patreon membership, why we're starting on the website and what you'll get when you become a Casual Academic! Also, listen for the announcement of our new episode series "Books Casually Left on the Shelf" starting in December. We talk about the books we'll be reading, and how Patreon members can vote for the 4th book of the series! We are very grateful to all of you out there who support us and listen to our show, and we hope that through Patreon we can connect more with our listeners and, as always, stay casual. Here's the link to our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thecasualacademic?alert=2 And finally, don't forgot to find us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and at our email thecasualacademic@gmail.com Best, Alex & Jake

In the final episode of our Overlooked Authors Series, we discuss Qiu Miaojin's cult classic, "Notes of a Crocodile." We talk about Miaojin's rejection of gender binaries as well as just about any choice between two things. There is also some talk about the "literariness" of the novel, as well as identity and interiority in the novel. The Overlooked Authors Series was brought to you by The New York Review of Books Classics Series. A big thank you to NYRB for the collaboration!

We're back! On this episode, we discuss the Argentine author Silvina Ocampo. Although she spent her life in the shadow of J.L. Borges, Adolfo Bioy Casares (her husband)and her sister Victoria, Ms. Ocampo deserves her own spotlight. We talk about her famous story "The Imposter" and go over some of her other important works. Ocampo's stories are unnerving and often brutal. Her background as both a poet and a painter shows itself in the language, portraits and characters of her stories. We hope you enjoy the episode, and we want to give a special thanks to NYRB Classics for collaborating with us during our Overlooked Authors Series. As always, join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and if you need a copy of "Thus Were Their Faces" head over to the NYRB Classics webpage and pick one up! Happy Listening. - TCA

In this episode, we marvel at Tatyana Tolstaya's collection of stories, "White Walls," and focus our discussion on topics such as memory, time, perception, art and fairytales (just to name a few). We also, shamelessly, heap relentless praise on her prose and brilliant use of language that she employs to create her woeful and comic worlds. We hope you enjoy the episode, and we want to give a special thanks to NYRB Classics for collaborating with us during our Overlooked Authors Series. As always, join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and if you need a copy of "White Walls" head over to the NYRB Classics webpage and pick one up! Happy Listening. - TCA

Overlooked Authors on The Casual Academic has begun! We discuss our first featured book, U.R. Ananthamurthy's classic "Samskara: A Rite for a Dead Man," translated by A.K. Ramanujan. Our conversation centers on the binary Ananthamurthy sets between the arcane and the modern, religion vs. rationalism, and action vs. inaction in a very Indian context. We also dive into one of Ananthamurthy's major influences, Ingmar Bergman's classic film "The Seventh Seal," and how our featured author found the inspiration to write what is now considered a classic of Indian literature. We hope you enjoy the episode, and we want to give a special thanks to NYRB Classics for collaborating with us during our Overlooked Authors Series. As always, join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and if you need a copy of "Samskara," head over to the NYRB Classics webpage and pick one up! Happy Listening - TCA

On Aside #23, we discuss our upcoming series on overlooked authors! The next four episodes will feature: Samskara: A Rite for a Dead Man - U.R. Ananthamurthy White Walls - Tatyana Tolstaya Thus Were Their Faces - Silvina Ocampo Notes of a Crocodile - Qui Miaojin We talk about why we chose each author and what about them piqued our interest. Overlooked Authors Month is brought to you in part by the NYRB Classics. Check out their awesome selection of books here: https://www.nyrb.com/collections/classics Don't forget to join the conversation on facebook, instagram and twitter, or email us at thecasualacademic@gmail.com. Are you a lover of NYRB Classics as well? Let us know, and in the meantime, happy listening! - TCA Episode Music: "Wolverine Blues" - Jelly Roll Morton

On Part II of our 27th episode, Alex and guest Zak Breckenridge continue their discussion on Carson McCullers' 1940 novel "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," focusing on how gender, sexuality and race are presented in the book and through its characters. Enjoy! ***As always, you can find us on instagram, twitter and facebook, or email us at thecasualacademic@gmail.com. Also, check our website www.thecasualacademic.com for a bibliography of the episode, articles, and a catalogue of all our episodes and asides up 'till now! Thank you for your support! - TCA

On our 27th episode, Alex talks with returning guest Zak Breckenridge about Carson McCullers' 1940 novel "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter". We had to divide the episode into two parts because, well, we got so into the conversation that it ran for an hour and 40 minutes. On this first part, we talk about the problematic nature of place the novel in the genre of Southern Gothic, the differences between High & Low Modernism, and the role socialism plays in the politics of the novel. Enjoy! ***Don't forget, you can find us on instagram, twitter and facebook, or email us at thecasualacademic@gmail.com. Finally, check our website www.thecasualacademic.com for a bibliography of the episode. - TCA

On this Aside, returning guest Zak Breckenridge joins Alex in a conversation on the emerging academic field of Environmental Humanities, and their first reactions to our new featured book "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers. Many questions are raised for the full-length episode, including Race, Gender, and Politics. Join in on the discussion! Are you a fan of McCullers' work? Let us know at - email - thecasualacademic@gmail.com facebook & instagram - @thecasualacademic twitter - @casualacademic Happy Listening, The Casual Academic

On this episode, we focus on the last three sections of Naipaul's novel, "Ivy," "Rooks," and "A Ceremony of Farewell." Within these three sections, we explore the controversy surrounding Naipaul's status as a postcolonial writer, and how such elements are woven into the latter half of "The Enigma of Arrival." As the title says, we also dive into one of our favorite topics - decadence - but also how that can morph into an understanding of flux and transition, and how all of that is brilliantly played with by Naipaul. As always, we hope you enjoy the episode and let us know what you think. write to us at: email - thecasualacademic@gmail.com twitter - @casualacademic instagram - @thecasualacademic or follow us on facebook! Best, Alex & Jake

Merry Christmas from The Casual Academic! Well...more like Happy New Year! We're just in time with our top reads from 2017 - eight books (four from each of us) that come highly recommended, six of which come with full-length episodes and Asides from yours truly! Do you have a favorite TCA read from this year? Let us know on all those social media platforms, or email us at thecasualacademic@gmail.com. We hope you all have a great NYE, and best wishes for 2018. Cheers, Jake and Alex Twitter- @casualacademic Facebook - @thecasualacademic Instagram - @thecasualacademic P.S. We've received 2 new reviews on iTunes, and we want to thank those two wonderful human beings for taking the time and helping us get out to more book lovers around the world!

In Part 1 of the two part extravaganza on V.S. Naipaul's "The Enigma of Arrival," Jacob and Alex compare Naipaul and W.G. Sebald in their style, substance and techniques. They then give their first impressions of parts one and two of the novel and discuss how 'The Journey' is especially poignant. Finally, Alex and Jacob talk about the complications of travel and what people are looking for when they are visiting a new place. We hope you enjoy the episode and let us know what you think. write to us at: email - thecasualacademic@gmail.com twitter - @casualacademic instagram - @thecasualacademic or follow us on facebook!

In light of current events, on this Aside we talk about if we are capable of separating art from the artist, and which mediums allow for an easier (or more difficult) disassociation of a work of art from its creator. We also look head to our new featured author, V.S. Naipaul, and his acclaimed work "The Enigma of Arrival." Join in on the discussion! Do you still stand by Wood Allan's films? Should we boycott Hemingway from our bookshelves? Let us know at - email - thecasualacademic@gmail.com facebook & instagram - @thecasualacademic twitter - @casualacademic Happy Listening, The Casual Academic

We are back for Part II of our episode on Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw," and as promised we discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of the literary criticism on James' novella. Listen for the many branches of the infamous Freudian reading, the use of fairy tale and folk motifs, the gothic romance, and how James wrote a book where we're not sure who is doing more interpreting - the readers or the characters. Also, stick around for our new segment on our internet deep dives while researching for this episode. Definitely stick around for what Jake found in the black hole of Goodreads. Finally, we'd love to hear your thoughts on our new format, what you like, what you like slightly less, and any ideas for improving your listening experience! Happy Listening, Jake & Alex

On our 25th episode, we are inaugurating a structural change to The Casual Academic. Think of it as an experiment with the goal of making your listening experience the best it can be. We've decided to divide our episodes on our featured books into two parts: part 1 is a general discussion of the novel, the writer, and our initial impressions and questions. Part 2 is a more in-depth discussion in which we interact with secondary literature that critically analyzes the work. Pick your poison, as they say, or listen to both to get a well-rounded discussion of our featured books. We hope you like the changes! However, we did call this an experiment, so please share your thoughts about our new structure, our discussion and of course your opinion about the book! Happy Listening, Jake & Alex write to us at: email - thecasualacademic@gmail.com twitter - @casualacademic instagram - @thecasualacademic or follow us on facebook!

On our newest Aside, we introduce our new featured author Henry James, whose infamous novella "The Turn of the Screw" we'll be reading for our next episode. After that, we have a bit of a guessing game as to what are our respective top three creepy stories. Spoiler alert: Jake wins. We also posted a new article on our website talking about the stories we've picked, with links so you can read 'em (if you haven't already) and let us know what you think! Happy Listening, Jake & Alex

Hello! We are very excited to present our full-length episode on Adolfo Bioy Casares' beloved novella "The Invention of Morel." Apart from our blatant enthusiasm over his writing, we talk about the influence of Robert Louis Stevenson on Casares & his buddy Borges, as well as discuss into the roles fantastic and detective plotting play in the imaginative worlds of both writers. The plot is so mind-boggling in this book that we don't want to give any spoilers here, although in the episode it couldn't be avoided. Finally, we talk immortality, reality and its representation, and Jake gets very angry at his neighbor's dog. Don't forget to join the discussion on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! We also have a book group on Goodreads, which we hope will be a great platform for continued discussion of the books we read. Check it out here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/198955-the-casual-academic-podcast Hope you guys enjoy! Jake & Alex

TCA is back in full gear! On this Aside, we introduce one of our favorite recent reads, Adolfo Bioy Casares' "The Invention of Morel." Listen for a discussion on Argentine literary history and its relationship to politics & identity; Casares' relationship with Jorge Luis Borges, and the role of the fantastic in his work. Finally, we preview the topics that will be covered in our full-length episode. Don't forget to check out: - our instagram @thecasualacademic for upcoming episodes, our favorite books, and glimpses into our libraries. - our website www.thecasualacademic.com for a reminder of what we're reading next, and bibliographies for all of our episodes. Don't be shy! Write us @casualacademic on twitter or thecasualacademic@gmail.com for recommendations, opinions, and discussions on all things literature. And finally, we've created a group on Goodreads titled "The Casual Academic Podcast," where we are jonesing to talk with you about "The Invention of Morel," or any book we've read or you think we should read. Enjoy and thank you! Jake & Alex

And we're back! The light in august has faded, and that means a return to work and, better news, the return of The Causal Academic. We catch up on our summers, what we read, and warn fellow travelers of the pitfalls of flying with Air Canada. More importantly, however, we discuss at length the return of the serial, and why serializing fiction on paper and digital mediums is a great idea. To wrap up, we talk about Electric Literature's serial "Star Witness," a story of seven installments by Joe Meno. We're excited to be back, and we hope you are too! We'll be jumping into Adolfo Bioy Casares' "The Invention of Morel" next, and then getting lost in V.S. Naipaul's "The Enigma of Arrival," so if you haven't read 'em yet, get on the train! Saludos! Alex & Jake

We're back with a brand new episode, after some delay caused by the ever-dreaded summer camp schedule - just kidding, we love escaping the big city, but it's good to be back and talking about Neil Gaiman's "American Gods," a novel loved by many and recently adapted to TV. It was a lighter turn for us, but we still enjoyed Gaiman's perspective on U.S. culture and its relationship to myths touching religion, identity and the long-established character of the grifter, or con artist. There is a definite postmodern touch to the novel, and we discuss some of our favorite references, as well as Gaiman's use of Joseph Campbell's ideas found in "The Hero With a Thousand Faces." Finally, stick around for the end when we compare the TV series to the book and highlight what we like about the new adaptation. ***Some news - for you Goodreads users out there, we've started a reading group called "The Casual Academic Podcast," where you can find discussion questions on the books we've read, peruse our bookshelves, and get involved in the preparation for our episodes! We're excited about it, and we hope you will be too. **Don't forget, you can find us on instagram, twitter, facebook and soundcloud, or email us at thecasualacademic@gmail.com. Finally, check our website www.thecasualacademic.com for a bibliography of the episode, including articles, interviews and videos on "American Gods." Happy listening!

We're getting the band back together! After a few guest-filled episodes we're back to talk summer reads, weddings and of course Neil Gaiman and his mammoth tome "American Gods." In our introduction to our new featured writer, we outline his decorated and eclectic career, the praise and criticism of "American Gods," and the hullabaloo surrounding the new TV adaptation.

Special guest Shawn Moksvold joins me to discuss Sir Fred Hoyle's "The Black Cloud." We talk about real science in Science Fiction and our conceptualization of aliens. We also think about Fred Hoyle's unique criticism of democracy. If you thought "The Handmaid's Tale" was scary in how it pertains to today, you won't want to miss this episode! *Note: What happens when you try to record in 105 F heat and the A.C. is broken? This episode! We apologize for the occasional background noises. Luckily, we survived.

In this Aside, special guest Shawn Moksvold joins me to talk about our upcoming episode on Fred Hoyle's "The Black Cloud." We introduce Shawn, talk about Science Fiction in general and why it is maligned, and then preview Hoyle's novel. BE SURE NOT TO MISS: Shawn and I finally settle the great debate on which is a better Sci-Fi movie: Mars Attacks or Independence Day.

In this episode, special guest Zak Breckenridge joins us to talk about Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale." We discuss the power dynamics of language in a dystopia, survival, and maintaining a sense of self. Plus, we consider how exactly to categorize the novel (if that is even important) as well as try to navigate through all the internet noise surrounding this book/television show. If you liked the novel or the show and are fed up with disingenuous internet opinions, don't miss this one!

On our new Aside, Zak Breckenridge is back on the show with us to talk about getting featured on LitHub, the emerging academic field of Environmental Humanities, and of course help us introduce our new featured book "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood. We mention some of the questions we'll be exploring on our full-length episode, and shamelessly gush about how much we love Atwood's 1985 novel. WARNING: we have purposely avoided all talk about the new Hulu series adaptation, and the show itself so please, no spoilers!

On our 20th episode, Alex is joined by frequent casual academic Clay Oppenhuizen to discuss one of their favorite novels, "The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas," otherwise known as "Epitaph of a Small Winner." While Jake is off galavanting through the icy beauty of Finnish Lapland, Clay and Alex talk about their love for Machado de Assis, its unique place in literary history and interpretation, as well as the various philosophical and literary games Machado, or in this case Brás, plays with the reader. Do you also love Machado de Assis? Have you never heard that name before? It doesn't matter! Email us at thecasualacademic@gmail.com or contact us via Instagram, Facebook or Twitter to join the conversation and to share your thoughts about Machado, his novel and our discussion of it.

On our 13th Aside, we are joined by fellow casual academic Clay Oppenhuizen to talk 19th century Brazilian literature and history, as well as introduce our second featured author of Brazilian Literature Month, Machado de Assis. We are reading his 1881 novel "The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas," otherwise known as 'Epitaph of a Small Winner." Apart from presenting an angle of Brazilian culture and society at the end of the 19th century, we also talk (bordering on rant) about how Western media and literary circles, perhaps inadvertently, downplay the importance and uniqueness of Brazilian writers. We hope you enjoy the episode, and don't forget to check out our website www.thecasualacademic.com for articles, bibliographies and further reading for every episode, and a catalogue of all our episodes and asides. To keep this project going, we would like to ask for listener reviews on directories such as iTunes, Stitcher, Tune-in Radio, Podcast Addict, etc. If you are kind enough to have written one, send us the review at thecasualacademic@gmail.com with a request for a book you would like to be featured on our podcast!

Brazilian Literature Month at The Casual Academic is in full swing! On this episode, we discuss the debut novel of Clarice Lispector, "Near to the Wild Heart." We talk about her unique narrative style, it's break with institutionalized novelistic forms in Brazil, and of course "the thing itself." If you are interested in approaching Brazilian literature, this is the place to start. you can send us your thoughts, questions and ideas about Clarice's novel and our discussion at thecasualacademic@gmail.com, as well as read the articles and books we consulted on our website www.thecasualacademic.com. Don't forget, you can also reach us on twitter, facebook and instagram!

The Casual Academic's Brazilian Literature Month has officially started! You might say, isn't it March 20th? Well, you would be right, but we operate on a calendar the likes of Borges would appreciate. On this Aside, we speculate on the reasons why Brazilian Literature isn't the powerhouse it should be, and we present our two featured authors - Clarice Lispector and Machado de Assis. We briefly discuss the life and work of Lispector, and Alex shares his experience reading "The Hour of the Star." Last but not least, we also preview the next episode on Clarice's first novel "Near to the Wild Heart."

The recording of the launch event of La Errante, A Journal of Art & Literature based out of Madrid, Spain. The event was recorded live last Friday (10/4/2017) at the bookstore Desperate Literature in Madrid. The event was a total success and a lot of fun. It was a true pleasure to be able to be in a place with so many amazing people. We are very proud to be able to present this recording to all of our listeners. You'll hear Layla Benitez-James, Martha Sprackland, Robert Greer, Emma Roulette, James Womack and Terry Craven reading poems and flash fiction from the first issue (Layla's poems are her own). A big thanks to Terry, Robert and Charlotte Delattre at Desperate Lit for hosting the event and for letting us record as well as to everyone else involved in such an exciting and worthwhile project. Editors of La Errante -Terry Craven -Robert Greer -Emma Roulette -Martha Sprackland -James Womack Go to our instagram account to check out their profiles.

On our 18th episode Clay Oppenhuizen joins us for a heady discussion of Yukio Mishima's 1949 novel Confessions of a Mask. We continue our brief overview of some historical and cultural background of Japan's Meiji Restoration to lay the groundwork for Mishima's love/hate relationship with the Western world, his narrator's struggles to accept himself and his society in post-war Japan, and the influence of German literature and philosophy on Mishima's thought-provoking, brilliant novel. You can send us your thoughts, questions and ideas about Mishima's novel and our discussion at thecasualacademic@gmail.com, as well as read the articles and books we consulted on our website www.thecasualacademic.com. Don't forget, you can also reach us on twitter, facebook and instagram!

On our 11th Aside we welcome back our old friend and frequent guest Clay Oppenhuizen, who catches us up on his life, studies and upcoming article on our website about Ursula LeGuin's "The Left Hand of Darkness." We then introduce our new featured author Yukio Mishima and discuss his diverse artistic output, various personae, beliefs and his novel "Confessions of Mask" for our upcoming 18th episode. Don't forget to look for us on social media, send us comments, questions or recommendations at thecasualacademic@gmail.com, and to check out our website thecasualacademic.com.

On this episode we discuss Shirley Jackson's unsettlingly masterpiece in light of a general renewed interest in her work and life. We discuss her refreshing take on the gothic story and setting, the various interpretations of the castle and its relationship to the minds of Merricat and Constance, and celebrate the dark humor that abounds in "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" as well as the recently published "Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings." We hope you enjoy the episode, and don't forget to check out our website www.thecasualacademic.com for new articles, bibliographies and further reading for every episode, and a catalogue of all our episodes and asides. To keep this project going, we would like to ask for listener reviews on directories such as iTunes, Stitcher, Tune-in Radio, Podcast Addict, etc. If you are kind enough to have written one, send us the review at thecasualacademic@gmail.com with a request for a book you would like to be featured on our podcast!

It would seem that we are starting a schedule of sorts. Will it last? We hope so. Anyway, on this Aside we talk about our current featured article on Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice," the books we read over the winter holidays, and mostly importantly, introduce Shirley Jackson as our new featured author here at The Casual Academic. We are reading "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" for our 17th full-length episode, so if you haven't, go out and read it! Don't forget, you can find us on Facebook and Twitter, where we post articles and interviews pertinent to our discussions, as well as on Instagram where our favorite books, books to be read, and anything literary can be seen. Lastly, our website is always getting better, and now you can find all of our articles catalogued for your reading pleasure, and also all of our episodes and upcoming reads. You guys rock, and thank you for listening!

On our 16th episode, we fall at the feet of W.G. Sebald, a German writer and academic whose work "The Rings of Saturn" blew us away with its haunting voice, genre-exploding form, and dizzying presentation of history, memory and memoir. We discuss the careful layering of connections and inter-textual references Sebald wove into "The Rings of Saturn," as well as his take on historical discourse and the role memory plays on individuals as well as collective consciousness. From the book's title to beetles, connections are discovered and marveled at, and we believe you will be as excited as we are about this writer and his unique vision. Don't forget to check out our website, www.thecasualacademic.com, where you'll find all of our episodes for your listening pleasure, as well as our new featured article on Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice." If you'd like to join the discussion on W.G. Sebald, Thomas Mann, or any writer or book for that matter, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, as well as send us an email at thecasualacademic@gmail.com!

On our 9th Aside, we talk about the ins and outs of our recently launched website, and introduce our author and work for our 16th and final episode of 2016, W.G. Sebald and his phenomenal book "The Rings of Saturn." We also ask our listeners for bourbon recommendations in order to properly thank our webmaster for all his help on our website. If you have any thoughts on bourbon, Sebald, or the decadence of civilization as we conceive of it, let us know on twitter, instagram, facebook, or email us at thecasualacademic@gmail.com! We are very proud of our website, take a look here! www.thecasualacademic.com

On our 15th episode, we tackle Tayeb Salih's widely acclaimed novel Season of Migration to the North. Voted as the most important book written in Arabic of the 20th century, Salih's novel writes back to the empire, but leaves problematic spaces that make the postcolonial condition anything but black and white. Also featured on this episode are writers Edward Said, Joseph Conrad, Chinua Achebe and even a little Shakespeare. Our new episode coincides with the launch of our new website! Check it out here at http://thecasualacademic.com/ You will find all of our episodes catalogued, as well as our bibliographies and recommended reading for each episode! Be sure to check out our featured article on Jorge Luis Borges, written by Jacob Welcker.

In our 8th Aside, we preview our upcoming episode on Tayeb Salih's "Season of Migration to the North," and its place among Arabic as well as postcolonial literature. We also introduce Edward Said and his landmark text "Orientalism," which we will be using in our full-length episode on Salih's novel.

It is the beginning of the end of Horror Month here at The Casual Academic. Our 14th episode is a collection of some of our favorite short creepy tales, as well as a few that were recommended by some of our listeners. We discuss ambiguity, some more about atmosphere, and talk about the following authors - Edgar Allan Poe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Algernon Blackwood, Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Kazuo Ishiguro.

We continue our streak of Horror Month 2016 with an episode dedicated to H.P. Lovecraft's famous 1936 novella. Our 13th episode no less. Listen for a continued discussion on the perennially fascinating use of the "Terra Incognita," a comparison to Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," as well as the Shoggoth as allegory and our new favorite academic field, Mirage Studies. If we missed anything, make sure to let us know on our Facebook page, tweet us at @casualacademic, or write us an email at thecasualacademic@gmail.com. Happy listening!

We are back with our first full episode of Horror Month, and equally proud to present the FIRST podcast episode dedicated to the writer Thomas Ligotti (on iTunes and Stitcher at least). Jake reads a passage from one of our favorite stories, which launches us into a discussion on Ligotti's technique and vision; two things that are intricately linked to his philosophy of Pessimism. Our discussion includes stories from "Grimscribe: His Lives and Works," "Songs of a Dead Dreamer," "Teatro Grottesco," and his non-fictional work "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race."

In this special Aside for Horror month, Alex and Jake discuss Thomas LIgotti, H.P. Lovecraft and the weird history of the American Novel. They also preview the upcoming episodes on Thomas Ligotti (Songs of a Dead Dreamer/Grimscribe) and H.P. Lovecraft (At the Mountains of Madness). Finally, they ask for listener input on what short stories to read for the Halloween episode.

We are joined by our returning guest Zak Breckenridge in a conversation about the theories, ideas, and books behind Umberto Eco's debut novel. With his help, we establish a baseline understanding of Semiotics in order to make sense of the ways in which our author incorporated his own academic pursuits in "The Name of the Rose," as well as discuss the myriad of ideas, philosophies, authors and other books that appear in this labyrinthine "detective novel." We have to ask though, can we consider Eco's novel a whodunnit? We have our own opinions, but we would like to hear yours as well! Let us know what you think on Twitter, Facebook or email us at thecasualacademic@gmail.com. Enjoy!

In this Aside, Alex is joined by Clay and Zak to talk about their days at University of Chicago, broader themes about academia and preview the next episode on Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose."

We are happy to bring you our 10th episode on Ta-Nehisi Coates' "Between The World And Me." Alex is joined by returning guest and fellow casual academic Clay Oppenhuizen and a new voice on our show, Leselle Hatcher. These three ex-pats dissect race in the U.S., and the history of black thought that can be seen in Coates' phenomenal book. Two authors are focused on in particular: Richard Wright and James Baldwin - how their work and thought permeate "Between The World And Me" and help shape it into the demasking, truth-seeking book that it is. The American Dream is interrogated, hard looks are taken at the soul of the United States of America, and history invades the present on this episode. NOTE: This episode is not for the closed-minded. If you find that you have one, you're invited to listen at your own risk of offense...which is your own problem.

In Part ll, the 2016-2017 season of The Casual Academic is decided in an intense and electrifying five-round book review draft. Psyche-outs, sleight of hand, and a book nobody wants on their kickball team. Alex might have made a comparison between Venedikt Erofeev and Allen Iverson. Maybe. You'll have to listen to find out.