Podcast appearances and mentions of Elena Ferrante

Is long form reading a dying pastime? Journalist and cultural critic James Marriott joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to defend the increasingly quaint act of reading a book in our scrolling-obsessed, AI-summarized age. He urges juggling a paper book and a Kindle, recounts ditching his smartphone to rescue his attention, and shares tactics for finding the "right" beach novel and biography. He and Russ also debate the value of re-reading, spar over Dostoevsky, celebrate Elena Ferrante, and swap suggestions for poetry that "puts reality back in your bones." Throughout, they argue that the shallowness of social media makes the best case for diving into the dense, intellectually difficult, yet uniquely transformative power of books.

Concludiamo la terza stagione del podcast analizzando il caso Elena Ferrante con Giulio Passerini, ufficio stampa di e/o. Come si comunica un'autrice che “non c'è”? Nel corso dell'intervista affrontiamo la gestione della scelta dell'anonimato, l'intermediazione della casa editrice con stampa e media, la traiettoria della critica nel corso del tempo e le prospettive future per la memoria della sua opera.

Vi översvämmas dagligen av råd och tips om hur man vårdar en kärleksrelation. Mer sällan riktas ljuset mot vänskapen, som även den kan vara både livslång och problematisk. Alltsedan antiken har filosofer försökt ringa in vari vänskapen består och samtidigt verkar den vara historiskt föränderlig. Det gäller inte minst vänskap mellan kvinnor. Litteraturvetaren Anna Victoria Hallberg läser Elena Ferrante och tittar på TV-serien Industry, och ser frågor väckas om kvinnlig vänskap i vår tid. Manus och inläsning: Anna Victoria Hallberg. Regi och ljudproduktion: Lars in de Betou Redaktör: Hedvig Härnsten Producent och redaktör: Magnus Bremmer Fler essäer hittar du på anekdot.se.

Mercoledì 11 giugno alla biblioteca di Leichhardt si discuterà in un incontro uno dei primi romanzi della celebre e misteriosa autrice.

AudioFile is thrilled to name Hillary Huber one of our 2025 Golden Voices—our narrator hall of fame and lifetime achievement award. Hillary's voice is well known to audiobook lovers everywhere: It's compelling, nuanced, and instantly engaging. With more than 700 audiobooks to her name, she's brought life to everything from chilling thrillers to intricate literary fiction, including Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Quartet and Lisa Gardner's Frankie Elkin series. Hillary brings care and craft to every performance. Host Jo Reed speaks with Hillary Huber about how she found her way to audiobook narration, the craft behind her performances, and what the Golden Voice recognition means to her.  Read reviews of Hillary Huber's audiobooks on AudioFile's website. Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Bob Goff, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and so many more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AudioFile's Robin Whitten joins host Jo Reed to celebrate Hillary Huber's prolific audiobook career and her recognition as a 2025 Golden Voice narrator. They highlight standout moments from Huber's narration of more than 500 titles, including her acclaimed performances of Elena Ferrante's novels. The conversation offers insights into Huber's versatile approach across genres and her ability to engage listeners with authenticity, nuance, and attitude. Congratulations to Hillary Huber, a 2025 Golden Voice! Read reviews of Hillary Huber's audiobooks on our website. Visit AudioFile's website for a full list of AudioFile's Golden Voice narrators. Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from HarperCollins Focus, and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, publishers of some of your favorite audiobooks and authors, including Reba McEntire, Bob Goff, Kathie Lee Gifford, Max Lucado, Lysa TerKeurst, and so many more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Na Trilogia de Copenhagen, escrita pela dinamarquesa Tove Ditlevsen, publicada no Brasil pela Companhia das Letras (tradução de Heloisa Kahn e Kristin Lie Garrubo), memórias de infância pobre, vícios, amores desastrosos e a luta pela arte se misturam na prosa da autora que narra a própria vida.Neste episódio, Arthur Marchetto, Cecilia Garcia Marcon e Juliana Leuenroth (uma das coordenadoras do projeto Leia Mulheres) discutem como Ditlevsen influenciou a escrita autobiográfica que ecoa hoje em Annie Ernaux e Edouard Louis e a construção de narradoras que influenciaram a escrita da Tetralogia Napolitana, de Elena Ferrante.Então aperta o play e vem conhecer a vida de Tove Ditlevsen!---Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apoie o 30:MIN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Siga a gente nas redes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Já apoia? Acesse suas recompensas⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Confira todos os títulos do clube!---Juliana LeuenrothEspanadores (IG)Leia Mulheres (IG)

In this episode we're shaking things up with Bookshelf Roulette! No pre-planned selections—just pure randomness. Using a random number generator, we each pick a few books from our shelves and dive into spontaneous discussions. Did we read them? Do we love them? Do we remember them? From forgotten gems to books we've been meaning to get to, we explore what's lurking in the corners of our collections. Tune in for some unexpected literary discoveries, personal stories, and maybe even a few surprises as we take a fresh, unplanned look at what's on our shelves.What surprises are hiding on your bookshelf? Join in the fun—pull out a random book, whether you follow our rules or come up with your own way to pick, and share what you find with us! From forgotten classics to books you've been meaning to read, we'd love to hear about the unexpected gems in your collection.We've got some fantastic author-focused episodes lined up for the foreseeable future, and we want to give you plenty of time to dive in if you'd like to read along with us. These episodes come around every ten episodes, and with our bi-weekly release schedule, you'll have a few months to get ready for each. Here's what we have in store:* Episode 115: Kazuo Ishiguro* Episode 125: Flannery O'Connor* Episode 135: William Faulkner* Episode 145: Elizabeth Taylor* Episode 155: Naguib MahfouzThere's no rush—take your time, and grab a book (or two, or three) so you're prepared for these as they come!Join the Mookse and the Gripes on DiscordWant to share your thoughts on these upcoming authors or anything else we're discussing? Join us over on Discord! It's the perfect place to dive deeper into the conversation—whether you're reading along with our author-focused episodes or just want to chat about the books that are on your mind.We're also gearing up for our second novella book club, where we'll be reading Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin at the start of July. It's a fantastic book, and we'd love to have you join the discussion. It's a great space to engage with fellow listeners, share your insights, and discover new perspectives on the books you're reading.ShownotesBooks* Lesser Ruins, by Mark Haber* Your Absence Is Darkness, by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, translated by Philip Roughton* Three Summers, by Margarita Liberaki, translated by Karen Van Dyck* Great Granny Webster, by Caroline Blackwood* The Short Stories of Elizabeth Hardwick* Giovanni's Room, by James Baldwin* Gould's Book of Fish, by Richard Flanagan* Question 7, by Richard Flanagan* Quartet in Autumn, by Barbara Pym* Hopscotch, by Julio Cortázar, translated by Gregory Rabassa* The Nose and Other Stories, by Nikolai Gogol, translated by Susanne Fuso* Dead Souls, by Nikolai Gogol* A Swim in the Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Masterclass on Writing, Reading, and Life, by George Saunders* The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri* The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov* First Love, by Ivan Turgenev* The Forgery, by Ave Barrera, translated by Ellen Jones and Robin Myers* Cautery, by Lucía Lijtmaer, translated by Maureen Shaughnessy* On Earth as It Is Beneath, by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan* Chilco, by Daniela Catrileo, translated by Jacob Edelstein* The World We Saw Burning, by Renato Cisneros, translated by Fionn Petch* The Oppermanns, by Lion Feuchtwanger, translated by James Cleugh* The Aesthetics of Resistance, by Peter Weiss, translated by Joachim Neugroschel* Hotel du Lac, by Anita Brookner* A Start in Life, by Anita Brookner* Providence, by Anita Brookner* Look at Me, by Anita Brookner* Proustian Uncertainty: On Reading and Rereading In Search of Lost Time, by Saul Friedländer* Paintings in Proust: A Visual Companion to In Search of Lost Time, by Eric Karpeles* Monsieur Proust, by Céleste Albaret, translated by Barbara Bray* Lost Time: Lectures on Proust in a Soviet Prison Camp, by Józef Czapski, translated by Eric Karpeles* Strike Your Heart, by Amélie Nothomb, translated by Alison Anderson* Pétronille, by Amélie Nothomb, translated by Alison Anderson* Life Form, by Amélie Nothomb, translated by Alison Anderson* The Neapolitan Quartet, by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein* H Is for Hawk, by Helen Macdonald* Vesper Flights, by Helen Macdonald* Is a River Alive?, by Robert MacfarlaneOther* The Eclipse Viewer PodcastThe Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a bookish conversation hosted by Paul and Trevor. Every other week, we explore a bookish topic and celebrate our love of reading. We're glad you're here, and we hope you'll continue to join us on this literary journey!A huge thank you to those who help make this podcast possible! If you'd like to support us, you can do so via Substack or Patreon. Subscribers receive access to periodic bonus episodes and early access to all new episodes. Plus, each supporter gets their own dedicated feed, allowing them to download episodes a few days before they're released to the public. We'd love for you to check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

O Autores e Livros desta semana traz uma edição especial em homenagem ao Dia das Mães, reunindo obras que exploram a maternidade, a feminilidade e os vínculos afetivos. Entre os destaques, está o aclamado romance “A Filha Perdida”, de Elena Ferrante, que retrata os dilemas e incertezas de uma professora universitária de meia-idade ao tirar férias sozinha. A obra aborda temas como identidade feminina, os desafios do papel materno e os conflitos entre os desejos individuais e as responsabilidades familiares. Outro destaque é “Feminina”, da psicóloga Karine Rizzardi, que discute a sobrecarga emocional enfrentada pelas mulheres e a busca por equilíbrio e propósito. Segundo a autora, resgatar o lado feminino com leveza e autenticidade pode tornar a jornada mais suave. A edição conta ainda com uma entrevista especial com a escritora Clara Gavilan, autora de “O Tempo Lá Fora” (VR Editora), livro que retrata a delicada relação entre mãe e filha em meio à correria do dia a dia. Com aquarelas e um texto sensível, Clara convida o leitor a redescobrir a poesia presente nos pequenos gestos e no olhar contemplativo das crianças. Com sugestões de leitura que vão do romance à poesia, o Autores e Livros convida o público a celebrar as mães e as histórias que as inspiram, reforçando a importância da literatura como ferramenta de conexão e reflexão sobre os afetos.

In Ep. 194, Catherine (@GilmoreGuide) and Sarah head back to the year 2017 in the book world with this second annual special retrospective episode!  They share big bookish highlights for that year, including book news, award winners, and what was going on in the world outside of reading. They also talk about how their own 2017 reading shook out, including their favorite 2017 releases.  Plus, a quick run-down of listener-submitted favorites!  This episode is overflowing with great backlist titles to add to your TBR!   This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights The big news that was going on outside the book world. The book stories and trends that dominated 2017. How similar 2017 and 2025 are. The 2017 books that have had staying power.⁠ Was this as dismal a year in books as Sarah remembers? Sarah's and Catherine's personal 2017 reading stats.⁠ Listener-submitted favorites from 2017.⁠ Bookish Time Capsule (2017) [2:12] The World Beyond Books No books mentioned in this segment. The Book Industry Wonder by R. J. Palacio (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [9:59] Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:04] A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[10:40] The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [10:44] Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [12:08] My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [12:18] The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [13:03] If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [13:13] We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [13:23] Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [13:46] Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [13:48] The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [13:50] Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [14:57] Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [15:03] James by Percival Everett (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [15:04] Bookish Headlines and Trends Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [20:41] A Promised Land by Barack Obama (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [20:43] The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (2006) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:48] My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (2011) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [23:04] The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [23:31] Big Books and Award Winners of 2017 A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2012) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [26:01] Beartown by Fredrik Backman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [26:06] The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:21] Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [26:27] The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [26:48] Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [28:09] The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [28:39] Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [29:23] Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (2014) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:40] Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [31:31] Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (2008) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [32:09] Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [32:51] Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:16] Normal People by Sally Rooney (2018) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [33:41] Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [34:32] Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (2011) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [34:38] Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:09] The Sellout by Paul Beatty (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [35:52] What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:56] Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:21] The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:45] Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (2016) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [38:04] The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth, 3) by N. K. Jemisin (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:30]  Our Top Books of 2017 The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:46] Beartown by Fredrik Backman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [41:20] Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [41:22] Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [42:02] If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [42:16] Quicksand by Malin Persson Giolitio (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [42:23] The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [42:36] This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:38] Trophy Son by Douglas Brunt (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [42:48] White Fur by Jardine Libaire (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [43:05] Final Girls by Riley Sager (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [46:38] Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [46:44] Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:46] Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [46:49] The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [47:10] Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (1995) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [47:15] Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [47:19] The Heirs by Susan Rieger (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [47:34] The Takedown by Corrie Wang (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [47:53] Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [48:01] Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [48:09] Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (2014) | Amazon | Bookshop.org   [48:17] Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:28] The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [48:33] Listeners' Top Books of 2017 Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [49:33] Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:51] The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:03] The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[50:07] Beartown by Fredrik Backman (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [50:13] Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:15] The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [50:18] The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [50:24] This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:25] Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong (2017) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:27]

Bohaterką tego odcinka jest Natalia Ginzburg – jedna z najwybitniejszych pisarek XX wieku, której zbiór esejów zatytułowany „Małe cnoty” po 6 dekadach od włoskiej premiery możemy czytać po raz pierwszy w polskim tłumaczeniu.Teksty Natalii Ginzburg, mimo że pisane były w połowie ubiegłego stulecia, dziś wydają się bardziej aktualne niż pół wieku temu. I nie przestają inspirować, do fascynacji „Małymi cnotami” przyznaje się bowiem wiele współczesnych pisarek, między innymi Zadie Smith, Sally Rooney czy Elena Ferrante.Natalia Ginzburg była mistrzynią prostego, ascetycznego języka, w którym nie było miejsca na przypadkowe czy zbędne słowa. Dlatego jej zdania z jednej strony urzekają prostotą, z drugiej zaś niosą w sobie ogromną siłę.Prowadzenie: Agata KasprolewiczGość: Ewa WieleżyńskaKsiążka: „Małe cnoty” Natalia Ginzburg/przekład: Weronika Korzeniecka/  wydawnictwo Filtry---------------------------------------------Raport o stanie świata to audycja, która istnieje dzięki naszym Patronom, dołącz się do zbiórki ➡️ ⁠https://patronite.pl/DariuszRosiak⁠Subskrybuj newsletter Raportu o stanie świata ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠➡️ ⁠https://dariuszrosiak.substack.com⁠Koszulki i kubki Raportu ➡️ ⁠https://patronite-sklep.pl/kolekcja/raport-o-stanie-swiata/⁠ [Autopromocja]

No episódio #292 do Bom dia, Obvious, Marcela Ceribelli conversa com Karla Tenório sobre toda a complexidade multifacetada da aventura que é a maternidade e aborda temas como:- Qual é a nova performance da maternidade?- De onde vem o arrependimento materno?- A sociedade adoece a saúde mental das mães?- Quem paga a conta da decisão sobre maternidade?- Como o patriarcado rouba e distorce pautas femininas?- O que é - ou melhor, existe - “maternidade real”?- Dá pra ter tudo? Aliás, essa pergunta faz sentido?Referências: Livros de Viviane Mosé - https://amzn.to/4jGUMoZFilme “Bruxas” (2024), disponível no MubiDocumentário “Eu Deveria Estar Feliz”, disponível no Globoplay“A maternidade e o encontro com a própria sombra”, Laura Gutman - https://a.co/d/g0UD2MN“A filha perdida”, Elena Ferrante - https://a.co/d/beVKPgmNos acompanhe também:Instagram da Obvious: https://www.instagram.com/obvious.cc/ TikTok da Obvious: https://www.tiktok.com/@obvious.cc Chapadinhas de Endorfina: https://www.instagram.com/chapadinhasdeendorfina/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1592iJQt0IlC5u5lKXrbyS?si=0fbc7820427446b2 Marcela Ceribelli no Instagram: https://instagram.com/marcelaceribelli/Karla Tenório no Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karlatenoriome/

Un'autrice è ospite del podcast oggi: Enrica Ferrara ci parla del suo romanzo d'esordio “Mia madre aveva una cinquecento gialla”. E poi una bella conversazione su parole, anni di piombo, infanzia e struttura narrativa.Enrica Ferrara è scrittrice, insegnante e traduttrice. È nata a Napoli ma vive a Dublino da oltre vent'anni. Ha pubblicato numerosi saggi su letteratura e cinema, in particolare su Italo Calvino, Elena Ferrante, Natalia Ginzburg, Pier Paolo Pasolini e Domenico Starnone. Lavora al Trinity College e collabora con l'Istituto Italiano di Cultura a Dublino. Mia madre aveva una Cinquecento gialla è il suo primo romanzo.Ti piacciono i miei contenuti? Iscriviti alla newlsetter: https://www.subscribepage.com/speakitaliano_podcast

A special episode! Anna is joined by Emily Hart and Margot Lloyd, founders of Pink Shorts Press. We discuss the exciting launch of this new publisher and the 2025 Stella Prize shortlist. Our book of the week is SEA GREEN by Barbara Hanrahan, re-issued by Pink Shorts Press this year with an introduction by Laura Elizabeth Woollett. This semi-autobiographical novel tells the story of Virginia, a school-teacher and artist who travels from Adelaide to London in the 1960s. An Australian feminist classic, it explores the clash between a conservative upbringing with an artistic life. Other books mentioned - perfect for a bad feminist Aussie April! MY BEAUTIFUL FRIEND by Elena Ferrante translated by Anne Goldstein THE TRANSIT OF VENUS by Shirley Hazzard MONKEY GRIP by Helen Garner THEORY AND PRACTICE by Michelle de Kretser WEST GIRLS by Laura Elizabeth Woollett Coming up: MEMORIAL DAYS by Geraldine Brooks Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Substack: Books On The Go Pink Shorts Press: https://www.pinkshortspress.com.au/ / https://www.instagram.com/pinkshortspress/?hl=en  Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz  

Tina Cane is the founder/director of Writers-in-the-Schools, RI, and, from 2016-2024, served as the Poet Laureate of Rhode Island where she lives with her husband and three children. In her capacity as poet laureate, Cane established her state's first youth poetry ambassador program in partnership with Rhode Island Center for the Book, and brought the Poetry-in-Motion program from the New York City Transit System to Rhode Island's state-wide buses. Cane is the author of The Fifth Thought, Dear Elena: Letters for Elena Ferrante, poems with art by Esther Solondz (Skillman Books, 2016), Once More With Feeling (Veliz Books 2017), Body of Work (Veliz Books, 2019), and Year of the Murder Hornet (Veliz Books, 2022). In 2016, Tina received the Fellowship Merit Award in Poetry from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. She was also a 2020 Poet Laureate Fellow with the Academy of American Poets. Her debut novel-in-verse for young adults, Alma Presses Play (Penguin/Random House) was released in September 2021. Cane is also the creator/curator of the distance reading series, Poetry is Bread, and the editor of Poetry is Bread: The Anthology (forthcoming from Nirala Press, 2024). Her second verse novel for young readers, Are You Nobody Too? (Penguin/ Random House) was released in August 2024.Janelle Bence is a high-school English teacher with 24 years of experience teaching in Texas. Her favorite project is a Spoken Word event where freshmen support a local non-profit of their choosing. She is a longstanding member of the National Writing Project and enjoys collaborating with researchers to deepen her praxis. Currently, two projects she is working on are Transdisciplinary Civic Composing Collective (UT Austin) and Colorado State Sustainable Teaching and Learning (Colorado State University). Her writing is published in Civics for the World to Come: Committing to Democracy in Every Classroom (Mirra & Garcia, 2023) and Teaching for Equity, Justice, and Antiracism with Digital Literacy Practices (Edited By Meghan E. Barnes, Rick Marlatt).

Tina Cane is the founder/director of Writers-in-the-Schools, RI, and, from 2016-2024, served as the Poet Laureate of Rhode Island where she lives with her husband and three children. In her capacity as poet laureate, Cane established her state's first youth poetry ambassador program in partnership with Rhode Island Center for the Book, and brought the Poetry-in-Motion program from the New York City Transit System to Rhode Island's state-wide buses. Cane is the author of The Fifth Thought, Dear Elena: Letters for Elena Ferrante, poems with art by Esther Solondz (Skillman Books, 2016), Once More With Feeling (Veliz Books 2017), Body of Work (Veliz Books, 2019), and Year of the Murder Hornet (Veliz Books, 2022). In 2016, Tina received the Fellowship Merit Award in Poetry from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. She was also a 2020 Poet Laureate Fellow with the Academy of American Poets. Her debut novel-in-verse for young adults, Alma Presses Play (Penguin/Random House) was released in September 2021. Cane is also the creator/curator of the distance reading series, Poetry is Bread, and the editor of Poetry is Bread: The Anthology (forthcoming from Nirala Press, 2024). Her second verse novel for young readers, Are You Nobody Too? (Penguin/ Random House) was released in August 2024. Janelle Bence is a high-school English teacher with 24 years of experience teaching in Texas. Her favorite project is a Spoken Word event where freshmen support a local non-profit of their choosing. She is a longstanding member of the National Writing Project and enjoys collaborating with researchers to deepen her praxis. Currently, two projects she is working on are Transdisciplinary Civic Composing Collective (UT Austin) and Colorado State Sustainable Teaching and Learning (Colorado State University). Her writing is published in Civics for the World to Come: Committing to Democracy in Every Classroom (Mirra & Garcia, 2023) and Teaching for Equity, Justice, and Antiracism with Digital Literacy Practices (Edited By Meghan E. Barnes, Rick Marlatt). About The Write Time The Write Time is a special series of NWP Radio, a podcast of the National Writing Project (NWP), where writing teachers from across the NWP Network interview young-adult and children's authors about their books, their composing processes, and writers' craft. You can view the archive at [https://teach.nwp.org/series/the-write-time/

Vad ska vi med kritiken till när apokalypsen är nära? Annina Rabe får en påminnelse om värdet av den initierade ledsagaren. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. ESSÄ: Detta är en text där skribenten reflekterar över ett ämne eller ett verk. Åsikter som uttrycks är skribentens egna. Ursprungligen publicerad 2016-12-19.Ibland i mitt yrke som litteraturkritiker kan jag undra vad jag egentligen håller på med. Vad är det här för en profession egentligen? Det är ju någonting besynnerligt och tvetydigt i denna metasysselsättning; att skriva om det som redan är skrivet. Att försöka gestalta det redan gestaltade.Den legendariska litteraturkritikern Klara Johanson skrev i en av sina krasst självhäcklande aforismer apropå kritikeryrket: "Att skriva om diktare är ju dock en malplacerad beskäftighet. Har de inte uttryckt sig? Vilken impertinens då att komma lufsande bakefter och försöka uttrycka dem en gång till!" Och hur mycket vi kritiker än med viss rätt vill framhålla kritiken som en litterär form i sig, ligger den ändå av hävd ett snäpp under den så kallade äkta varan; litteraturen, de verk vi är satta att recensera. Litteraturkritik är dessutom en aktivitet som oftast är dömd en form av misslyckande; för hur kan man någonsin kunna omfatta ett komplext verk på några ynkliga rader? Jag tror att nästan varje kritiker med någon ambitionsnivå alltid känner att hen kunde ha sagt mer, varit rättvisare.En bra litteraturkritiker bör besitta en säregen kombination av orubblig auktoritet och lyhörd ödmjukhet. Hen bör ha kunskaper nog att kunna förankra verket både i en litterär tradition och dagsaktuella tendenser. Hen ska vara en ledsagare, en introduktör, en uttolkare och sist men inte minst: en passionerad läsare med ett skarpt öga för detaljer, såväl språkliga som innehållsliga.Den typen av specialiserad kritiker är, vågar jag påstå, sakta men säkert på utdöende. Hur sällsynt den håller på att bli påminns jag om när jag läser två essäsamlingar av just sådana litteraturkritiker. Det är Madeleine Gustafsson i en samlingsvolym med namnet "Påminnelser". Och det är James Wood, som delar med sig av sin syn på litteratur och kritik i boken med den talande titeln "Så nära livet man kan komma". Det är skönlitteraturen, i Woods fall framför allt prosaberättelsen, som ligger så nära det verkliga och självupplevda man kan komma. Och kritiken tänker jag, närläsningen, är kanske i sin tur det närmaste man kan komma litteraturen utan att skriva den själv.Madeleine Gustafsson - författare, översättare och mångårig kritiker i bland annat Dagens Nyheter och Bonniers Litterära Magasin - är en av de svenska litteraturkritiker jag under många år allra helst har läst. Och när jag läser den här samlingen, ett koncentrat av texter om såväl lyrik som prosa påminns jag om varför. Det finns ett genomgående drag i Madeleine Gustafssons essäistik som jag skulle vilja beskriva som ett slags klarhet. Den rena tanken som löper genom texterna är tillgänglig utan att för den skull släppa i intellektuell skärpa eller sky abstrakta resonemang. Och Gustafssons kritik är framför allt fri från allt koketteri, från allt positionerande av det slag som gärna frodas på kultursidor. Gustafsson är öppen inför varje text hon läser, men hon gör klart att det är just texten som är i centrum. Just därför fungerar även de recensioner och essäer som har några år på nacken fortfarande så bra att läsa; de är inte överlastade av tidsmarkörer."Förståelse" är ett nyckelord som ofta återkommer i hennes texter, inte minst de som handlar om andra kritiker, som när hon skriver om Klara Johanson eller Gunnar Ekelöfs kritikergärning i BLM. I en sammanfattande text om sin egen syn på litteraturkritik skriver Gustafsson om att kritikern talar igenom verket: "Men då", skriver hon, "menar jag inte att skriva om sig själv i andras förklädnad, utan att sträcka sin egen förståelse så långt den kan nå, kasta in sin erfarenhet i ständigt nya former, tänja den, se hur långt den räcker."Just det där sista tror jag också att den brittisk-amerikanske kritikern James Wood skulle skriva under på. "Så nära livet man kan komma" är en serie personliga betraktelser över samspelet mellan liv och litteratur. Han skriver: "Att läsa romaner är att oavbrutet röra sig mellan världsliga och religiösa tillstånd, mellan vad som kunde kallas skede och form. Romanernas världsliga vilja är att vidga och förlänga livet; romanen är den stora handelsmannen när det rör sig om vardagslivets kredit och debet. Den omvandlar varje skede i våra liv till scener."James Wood är en av världens mest inflytelserika litteraturkritiker, och hans texter i framför allt the New Yorker har bidragit till stora internationella genombrott för författarskap som Karl Ove Knausgård eller Elena Ferrante. Han har så mycket rockstjärnestatus man kan få som litteraturkritiker. Men i sin syn på litteratur och kritik är han närmast en klassicist med en gedigen bildning som skiner igenom i det mesta han skriver.Att läsa och sedan skriva om det man läst handlar till stor del om seende och iakttagelser. Att kunna lyfta ut detaljer. Wood ägnar ett kapitel i sin bok åt den noggranna iakttagelsen. Det handlar inte bara om att se och lyfta fram detaljer, det handlar också om att följa med dessa iakttagelser när de ändrar form och utvecklas till något annat. Att se att en yttre iakttagelse i litteraturen samtidigt kan belysa ett inre skeende. Att följa med. Att vara följsam.När Madeleine Gustafsson i en recension av Jean Rouauds "Des hommes illustres" analyserar bokens första mening gör hon det just så grundligt och följsamt. Scenen är kort och gott en man som har klättrat upp på ett plåttak för att såga av några grenar som trasslat in sig i telefontrådar. Gustafsson kretsar först runt den yttre miljön i allt snävare cirklar, kommer sedan in på mannen, hans rörelsemönster och vad det säger om hans personlighet för att därefter göra en snygg gir in på själva prosan.Den recensionen är skriven 1993. Sedan dess har det hänt en hel del på kultursidorna. Kritik har idag allt svårare att hävda sig när kulturredaktionernas uppdrag förändrats och vidgats. Kultursidorna håller på att förvandlas till förlängda ledar- och debattsidor där samhällsdebatt och krönikor prioriteras framför ren kritik. "Jorden håller på att gå under, så vi har inte plats för kritik just nu" sa en redaktör till mig nyligen. Och ja, vem är jag att komma och hävda litteraturens, språkets och kritikens egenvärde när apokalypsen är nära?Det ställs allehanda krav på skönlitteraturen idag: den ska göra oss mer empatiska, den ska göra oss politiskt medvetna, den ska överbrygga klyftor och ge oss ett språk och den ska framför allt få oss att förstå samhället och verkligheten. Allt det där gör förstås skönlitteraturen, och det är viktigt med sådana argument när klåfingriga politiker och andra beslutsfattare vill reducera skönlitteraturens roll i skolan eller på biblioteken. Men om det är något som Gustafssons och Woods kritikböcker gör så är det att påminna om värdet av den initierade ledsagaren. Den som låter oss glänta på dörren till det där vidunderliga som är litteratur. Den som värnar om litteraturen för litteraturens egen skull, och inte för de eventuellt nyttobringande effekter den kan tänkas ha.Annina Rabelitteraturkritiker och kulturskribent Böcker som nämns i essän:Madeleine Gustafsson, Påminnelser, DaidalosJames Wood, Så nära livet man kan komma, Översättning Staffan Söderblom, Norstedts

29e édition du Grand Buffet, avec comme invité Christophe Pardon, comédien, metteur en scène et professeur de théâtre. Introduction et présentation Noam (Tle DESB) 01:34 – Les origines des blagues du 1er avril par Clémence (Tle 2SA) et Laura (Tle 2SB) 06:32 – Critique du roman « L’amie prodigieuse » d’Elena Ferrante par Laura 06:32 – Interview […]

A Tetralogia Napolitana de Elena Ferrante acompanha a vida de duas amigas de infância, Elena Greco e Raffaella Cerullo, conhecidas também como Lenu e Lila/Lina. Durante a leitura, acompanhamos as duas amigas desde a infância, em um bairro pobre de Nápoles, até a velhice, quando a Lila decide sumir do mundo sem deixar pistas. Juntas, elas crescem e amadurecem, descobrindo romances, desgostos, frustrações, alegrias, tristezas, sabores e dessabores da vida, enquanto aprendem quem são e como viver em uma Itália do pós guerra. Neste episódio, temos a estreia de Frango, nosso novo host, que recebe seus amigos Priscila Vanti e Kenny Mendes para analisar os quatro livros clássicos da escritora italiana cuja identidade vamos respeitar e mandar anônima. Lembrando que a tetralogia foi adaptada para a série "A Amiga Genial", disponível na MAX. Bom episódio!Esse episódio faz parte da campanha #OPodcastÉDelas2025.RecomendaçõesPnE 103 – Livro A Amiga Genial #OPodcastÉDelas2021PnE 104 – Série My Brilliant Friend #OPodcastÉDelasApresentação: Frango, Priscila Vanti e Kenny MendesPauta: FrangoProdução: Domenica MendesAssistente: Leonardo TremeschinEdição: Leonardo Tremeschin

"La figlia oscura di Elena Ferrante" esplora il lato oscuro della maternità. Scopri l'analisi psicologica dei suoi personaggi e i loro conflitti interiori.

La figlia oscura: significato e morale. Scopri il messaggio del romanzo di Elena Ferrante sulla maternità, l'identità femminile e le scelte di vita.

La figlia oscura esplora le ambientazioni che riflettono il viaggio interiore di Leda, dai paesaggi mediterranei ai luoghi del suo tormento emotivo.

La figlia oscura: ascolta in questo podcast la trama del romanzo di Elena Ferrante.

After enjoying her new book Open Socrates so much (and having written about her previous book Aspiration in Second Act), I was delighted to talk to Agnes Callard, not least because, as she discusses in Open Socrates, she is a big Tolstoy admirer. We talked about Master and Man, one of my favourite Tolstoy stories, but also about the value of reading fiction, the relationship between fiction and a thought experiment, and other topics of related interest. George Eliot makes an appearance too. In the discussion about the use of fiction in philosophy classes, I was slightly shocked to hear about how much (or how little) reading her undergraduates are prepared to do, but I was interested that they love Pessoa. Agnes has previously written that the purpose of art is to show us evil. Here is Agnes on Twitter. Transcript below, may contain errors!I found this especially interesting.Exactly, and I mean, 10 seconds, that's a wild exaggeration. So do you know what the actual number is? No. On average. Okay, the average amount of time that you're allowed to wait before responding to something I say is two tenths of a second, which, it's crazy, isn't it? Which, that amount of time is not enough time for, that is a one second pause is an awkward pause, okay? So two tenths of a second is not long enough time for the signal that comes at the end of my talking, so the last sound I make, let's say, to reach your ears and then get into your brain and be processed, and then you figure out what you want to say. It's not enough time, which means you're making a prediction. That's what you're doing when I'm talking. You're making a prediction about when I'm going to stop talking, and you're so good at it that you're on almost every time. You're a little worse over Zoom. Zoom screws us up a little bit, right? But this is like what our brains are built to do. This is what we're super good at, is kind of like interacting, and I think it's really important that it be a genuine interaction. That's what I'm coming to see, is that we learn best from each other when we can interact, and it's not obvious that there are those same interaction possibilities by way of text at the moment, right? I'm not saying there couldn't be, but at the moment, we rely on the fact that we have all these channels open to us. Interestingly, it's the lag time on the phone, like if we were talking just by phone, is about the same. So we're so good at this, we don't need the visual information. That's why I said phone is also face-to-face. I think phone's okay, even though a lot of our informational stream is being cut. We're on target in terms of the quick responses, and there's some way in which what happens in that circumstance is we become a unit. We become a unit of thinking together, and if we're texting each other and each of us gets to ponder our response and all that, it becomes dissociated.Transcript (AI generated)Henry: Today, I am talking to Agnes Callard, professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago, author of Aspiration, and now most recently, Open Socrates. But to begin with, we are going to talk about Tolstoy. Hello, Agnes: .Agnes: Hello.Henry: Shall we talk about Master of Man first?Agnes: Yeah, absolutely.Henry: So this is one of Tolstoy's late stories. I think it's from 1895. So he's quite old. He's working on What is Art? He's in what some people think is his crazy period. And I thought it would be interesting to talk about because you write a lot in Open Socrates about Tolstoy's midlife crisis, for want of a better word. Yeah. So what did you think?Agnes: So I think it's sort of a novel, a story about almost like a kind of fantasy of how a midlife crisis could go if it all went perfectly. Namely, there's this guy, Brekhunov, is that his name? And he is, you know, a landowner and he's well off and aristocratic. And he is selfish and only cares about his money. And the story is just, he takes this, you know, servant of his out to, he wants to go buy a forest and he wants to get there first before anyone else. And so he insists on going into this blizzard and he gets these opportunities to opt out of this plan. And he keeps turning them down. And eventually, you know, they end up kind of in the middle of the blizzard. And at kind of the last moment, when his servant is about to freeze to death, he throws himself on top of the servant and sacrifices himself for the servant. And the reason why it seems like a fantasy is it's like, it's like a guy whose life has a lacuna in it where, you know, where meaning is supposed to be. And he starts to get an inkling of the sort of terror of that as they're spending more and more time in the storm. And his initial response is like to try to basically abandon the servant and go out and continue to get to this forest. But eventually he like, it's like he achieves, he achieves the conquest of meaning through this heroic act of self-sacrifice that is itself kind of like an epiphany, like a fully fulfilling epiphany. He's like in tears and he's happy. He dies happy in this act of self-sacrifice. And the fantasy part of it is like, none of it ever has to get examined too carefully. It doesn't like, his thought doesn't need to be subjected to philosophical scrutiny because it's just this, this one momentary glorious kind of profusion of love. And then it all ends.Henry: So the difficult question is answered the moment it is asked. Exactly, exactly, right?Agnes: It's sort of, it's, I see it as like a counterpart to the death of Ivan Ilyich.Henry: Tell me, tell me more.Agnes: Well, in the death of Ivan Ilyich, the questions surface for even, you know, when death shows up for him. And he suddenly starts to realize, wait a minute, I've lived my whole life basically in the way that Brekhunov did. Basically in the way that Brekhunov does as, you know, pursuing money, trying to be a socially successful person. What was the point of all that? And he finds himself unable to answer it. And he finds himself, it's the exact opposite. He becomes very alienated from his wife and his daughter, I think.Henry: Yeah.Agnes: And the absence of an answer manifests as this absence of connection to anyone, except an old manservant who like lifts up his legs and that's the one relief that he gets. And, you know, it's mostly in the gesture of like someone who will sacrifice themselves for another. Right, that's once again where sort of meaning will show up for a Tolstoy, if it ever will show up in a kind of direct and unashamed way.Henry: Right, the exercise of human compassion is like a running theme for him. Like if you can get to that, things are going great. Otherwise you've really screwed up.Agnes: Yeah, that's like Tolstoy's deus ex machina is the sudden act of compassion.Henry: Right, right. But you think this is unphilosophical?Agnes: I think it's got its toe in philosophical waters and sort of not much more than that. And it's in a way that makes it quite philosophical in the sense that there's a kind of awareness of like a deep puzzle that is kind of like at the heart of existence. Like there's a sensitivity to that in Tolstoy that's part of what makes him a great writer. But there's not much faith in the prospect of sort of working that through rationally. It's mostly something we just got a gesture at.Henry: But he does think the question can be answered. Like this is what he shares with you, right? He does think that when you're confronted with the question, he's like, it's okay. There is an answer and it is a true answer. We don't just have to make some, he's like, I've had the truth for you.Agnes: Yes, I think that that's right. But I think that like the true answer that he comes to is it's compassion and it's sort of religiously flavored compassion, right? I mean, that it's important. It's not just. Yeah, it's a very Christian conclusion. Right, but the part that's important there in a way, even if it's not being Christian, but that it's being religious in the sense of, yes, this is the answer. But if you ask for too much explanation as to what the answer is, it's not going to be the right answer. But if you ask for too much explanation as to why it's the answer, you're going the wrong way. That is, it's gotta, part of the way in which it's the answer is by faith.Henry: Or revelation.Agnes: Or, right, faith, exactly. But like, but it's not your task to search and use your rational faculties to find the answer.Henry: I wonder though, because one of the things Tolstoy is doing is he's putting us in the position of the searcher. So I read this, I'm trying to go through like all of Tolstoy at the moment, which is obviously not, it's not currently happening, but I'm doing a lot of it. And I think basically everything in Tolstoy is the quest for death, right? Literature is always about quests. And he's saying these characters are all on a quest to have a good death. And they come very early or very late to this. So Pierre comes very early to this realization, right? Which is why he's like the great Tolstoy hero, master of man, Ivan Ilyich, they come very, and Tolstoy is like, wow, they really get in under the wire. They nearly missed, this is terrible. And all the way through this story, Tolstoy is giving us the means to see what's really going on in the symbolism and in all the biblical references, which maybe is harder for us because we don't know our Bible, like we're not all hearing our Bible every week, whereas for Tolstoy's readers, it's different. But I think he's putting us in the position of the searcher all the time. And he is staging two sides of the argument through these two characters. And when they get to the village and Vasily, he meets the horse thief and the horse thief's like, oh, my friend. And then they go and see the family and the family mirrors them. And Tolstoy's like, he's like, as soon as you can see this, as soon as you can work this out, you can find the truth. But if you're just reading the story for a story, I'm going to have to catch you at the end. And you're going to have to have the revelation and be like, oh my God, it's a whole, oh, it's a whole thing. Okay, I thought they were just having a journey in the snow. And I think he does that a lot, right? That's, I think that's why people love War and Peace because we go on Pierre's journey so much. And we can recognize that like, people's lives have, a lot of people's lives happen like that. Like Pierre's always like half thinking the question through and then half like, oh, there's another question. And then thinking that one through and then, oh, no, wait, there's another question. And I think maybe Tolstoy is very pragmatic. Like that's as philosophical as most people are going to get. Pierre is in some ways the realistic ideal.Agnes: I mean, Pierre is very similar to Tolstoy just in this respect that there's a specific like moment or two in his life where, he basically has Tolstoy's crisis. That is he confronts these big questions and Tolstoy describes it as like, there was a screw in his head that had got loose and he kept turning it, but it kept, it was like stripped. And so no matter when you turned it, it didn't go. It didn't grab into anything. And what happens eventually is like, oh, he learns to have a good conventional home life. Like, and like not, don't ask yourself these hard questions. They'll screw you up. And I mean, it's not exactly compassion, but it's something close to that. The way things sort of work out in War and Peace. And I guess I think that you're sort of right that Tolstoy is having us figure something out for ourselves. And in that way, you could say we're on a journey. There's a question, why? Why does he have us do that? Why not just tell us? Why have it figured out for ourselves? And one reason might be because he doesn't know, that he doesn't know what he wants to tell us. And so you got to have them figure out for themselves. And I think that that is actually part of the answer here. And it's even maybe part of what it is to be a genius as a writer is to be able to write from this place of not really having the answers, but still be able to help other people find them.Henry: You don't think it's, he wants to tell us to be Christians and to believe in God and to take this like.Agnes: Absolutely, he wants to tell us that. And in spite of that, he's a great writer. If that were all he was achieving, he'd be boring like other writers who just want to do that and just do that.Henry: But you're saying there's something additional than that, that is even mysterious to Tolstoy maybe.Agnes: Yeah.Henry: Did you find that additional mystery in Master in Man or do you see that more in the big novels?Agnes: I see it the most in Death of Ivan Ilyich. But I think it's true, like in Anna Karenina, I can feel Tolstoy being pulled back and forth between on the one hand, just a straight out moralistic condemnation of Anna. And of, there are the good guys in this story, Levine and Kitty, and then there's this like evil woman. And then actually being seduced by her charms at certain moments. And it's the fact that he is still susceptible to her and to the seductions of her charms, even though that's not the moral of the story, it's not the official lesson. There's like, he can't help but say more than what the official lesson is supposed to be. And yeah, I think if he were just, I think he makes the same estimation of himself that I am making in terms of saying, look, he finds most of his own art wanting, right? In what is art? Because it's insufficiently moralistic basically, or it's doing too much else besides being, he's still pretty moralistic. I mean, even War and Peace, even Anna Karenina, he's moralistic even in those texts, but his artistry outstrips his moralism. And that's why we're attracted to him, I think. If he were able to control himself as a writer and to be the novelist that he describes as his ideal in what is art, I don't think we would be so interested in reading it.Henry: And where do you see, you said you saw it in Ivan Ilyich as well.Agnes: Yes, so I think in Ivan Ilyich, it is in the fact that there actually is no deus ex machina in Ivan Ilyich. It's not resolved. I mean, you get this little bit of relation to the servant, but basically Ivan Ilyich is like the closest that Tolstoy comes to just like full confrontation with the potential meaninglessness of human existence. There's something incredibly courageous about it as a text.Henry: So what do you think about the bit at the end where he says he was looking for his earlier accustomed fear of death, but he couldn't find it. Where was death? What death? There was no fear whatsoever because there was no death. Instead of death, there was light. Suddenly he said, oh, that's it, oh bliss.Agnes: Okay, fair enough. I'd like forgotten that.Henry: Oh, okay. Well, so my feeling is that like you're more right. So my official thing is like, I don't agree with that, but I actually think you're more right than I think because to me that feels a bit at the end like he saw the light and he, okay, we got him right under the line, it's fine. And actually the bulk of the story just isn't, it's leading up to that. And it's the very Christian in all its imagery and symbolism, but it's interesting that this, when it's, this is adapted into films like Ikiru and there was a British one recently, there's just nothing about God. There's nothing about seeing the light. They're just very, very secular. They strip this into something totally different. And I'm a little bit of a grumpy. I'm like, well, that's not what Tolstoy was doing, but also it is what he was doing. I mean, you can't deny it, right? The interpreters are, they're seeing something and maybe he was so uncomfortable with that. That's why he wrote what is art.Agnes: Yeah, and that's the, I like that. I like that hypothesis. And right, I think it's like, I sort of ignore those last few lines because I'm like, ah, he copped out at the very end, but he's done the important, he's done the important, the important work, I think, is for instance, the scene with, even on his wife, where they part on the worst possible terms with just hatred, you know, like just pure hatred for the fact that she's forcing him to pretend that he isn't dying. Like that is like the profound moment.Henry: What I always remember is they're playing cards in the other room. And he's sitting there, he's lying there thinking about like the office politics and curtain, like what curtain fabrics we have to pick out and the like, his intense hatred of the triviality of life. And I love this because I think there's something, like a midlife crisis is a bit like being an adolescent in that you go through all these weird changes and you start to wonder like, who am I? What is my life? When you're an adolescent, you're told that's great. You should go ahead and you should, yes, lean into that. And when you're like in your forties, people are going, well, try and just put a lid on that. That's not a good idea. Whereas Tolstoy has the adolescent fury of like curtains and cards. Oh my, you know, you can feel the rage of his midlife crisis in some of that seemingly mundane description. Yeah. I think that's what we respond to, right? That like his hatred in a way.Agnes: Yeah. I mean, maybe we, many of us just have trouble taking ourselves as seriously as Tolstoy was able to, you know? And that's something, there's something glorious about that, that anyone else would listen to the people around them telling him, hey, don't worry, you're a great guy. Look, you wrote these important novels. You're a hero of the Russian people. You've got this wife, you're an aristocrat. You've got this family, you've got your affairs. I mean, come on, you've got everything a man could want. Just be happy with it all, you know? Many of us might be like, yeah, okay, I'm being silly. And Tolstoy is like, no one's going to tell me that I'm silly. Like I'm the one who's going to tell myself, if anything. And that kind of confidence is, you know, why he's sort of not willing to dismiss this thought.Henry: Yeah, yeah, interesting. So how do you think of Master and Man in relation to all the others? Because you know Tolstoy pretty well. You teach him a lot. How do you place it? Like how good do you think it is?Agnes: I don't teach him a lot. I'm trying to think if I ever taught Tolstoy.Henry: Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I read that you had.Agnes: I've taught The Death of Ivan Ilyich. That's the one, I have taught that one. I wish, I mean, I would love to teach. I just can't imagine assigning any of these novels in a philosophy, my students wouldn't read it.Henry: They wouldn't read it?Agnes: No.Henry: Why?Agnes: It's pretty hard to get people to read long texts. And I mean, some of them certainly would, okay, for sure. But if I'm, you know, in a philosophy class where you'd have to kind of have pretty high numbers of page assignments per class, if we're going to, I mean, you know, forget War and Peace. I mean, even like Ivan Ilyich is going to be pushing it to assign it for one class. I've learned to shorten my reading assignments because students more and more, they're not in the habit of reading. And so I got to think, okay, what is the minimum that I can assign them that where I can predict that they will do it? Anyway, I'm going to be pushing that next year in a class I'm teaching. I normally, you know, I assign fiction in some of my classes but that's very much not a thing that most philosophers do. And I have to sign it alongside, you know, but so it's not only the fiction they're reading, they're also reading philosophical texts. And anyway, yeah, no, so I have not done much, but I have done in a class on death, I did assign Ivan Ilyich. I don't tend to think very much about the question, what is the level of quality of a work of art?Henry: Well, as in, all I mean is like, how does it compare for you to the other Tolstoy you've read?Agnes: I, so the question that I tend to ask myself is like, what can I learn from it or how much can I learn? Not, it's not because I don't think the question of, the other one is a good one. I just think I trust other people's judgment more than mine unlike artistic quality. And I guess I think it's not as good as Death of Ivan Ilyich and I kind of can't see, like, it's like, what do I learn from it that I don't learn from Death of Ivan Ilyich? Which is like a question that I ask myself. And, there's a way in which that like that little final move, maybe when I'm reading Death of Ivan Ilyich, I can ignore that little final bit and here I can't ignore it. Tolstoy made it impossible for me to ignore in this story. So that's maybe the advantage of this story. Tolstoy makes his move more overt and more dominating of the narrative.Henry: Yeah, I think also, I've known people who read Ivan Ilyich and not really see that it's very Christian. Yeah, oh yeah.Agnes: I don't think I- Much less.Henry: Yeah.Agnes: That's what I'm doing. I'm erasing that from the story.Henry: But that's like much less possible with this one. I agree.Agnes: Right, exactly. That's sort of what I mean is that- Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like, here the message is more overt. And so therefore I think it's actually a pretty important story in that way. Like, let's say for understanding Tolstoy. That is, if you were to try to take your view of Tolstoy and base it on Death of Ivan Ilyich, which sometimes I do in my own head, because it's occupied such an important place for me, then this is a good way to temper that.Henry: Yeah, they make a nice pairing. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Let's pick up on this question about philosophers and fiction because you write about that in Open Socrates. You say, great fiction allows us to explore what we otherwise look away from. So it makes questions askable, but then you say only in relation to fictional characters, which you think is a limitation. Are you drawing too hard of a line between fictional characters and real people? Like if someone said, oh, we found out, we were in the archives, Ivan Ilyich, he didn't, it's not fiction. He was just a friend, just happened to a friend, basically word for word. He just did the work to make it kind of look okay for a novel, but basically it's just real. Would that really change very much?Agnes: I think it wouldn't, no. So it might change a little bit, but not that much. So maybe the point, maybe a better thing I could have said there is other people. That is one thing that fictional people are is resolutely other. There's no chance you're going to meet them. And like they are, part of what it is for them to be fictional is that, there isn't even a possible world in which you meet them because metaphysically what they are is the kind of thing that can't ever interact with you. And, like the possible world in which I run into Ivan and Ivan Ilyich is the world in which he's not a Tolstoy character anymore. He's not a character in a novel, obviously, because we're both real people. So I think it's that there's a kind of safety in proving the life of somebody who is not in any way a part of your life.Henry: The counter argument, which novelists would make is that if you gave some kind of philosophical propositional argument about death, about what it means to die, a lot of people just wouldn't, they'd like, maybe they'd understand what you're saying, but it just wouldn't affect them very much. Whereas if they've read Ivan Ilyich, this will actually affect them. I don't want to say it'll resonate with them, but you know what I mean. It will catch them in some way and they're more likely then to see something in their own life and be like, oh my God, I'm appreciating what Ivan Ilyich was telling me. Whereas, this is the argument, right? The statistics of social science, the propositions of philosophy, this just never gets through to people.Agnes: Yeah, so one way to put this is, novelists are fans of epiphanies. I mean, some novelists, like Tolstoy, it's quite explicit. You just get these epiphanies, right? Like in this story, epiphany. James Joyce, I mean, he's like master of every story in Dubliners, epiphany. Novelists have this fantasy that people's lives are changed in a sudden moment when they have a passionate, oh, I just read this story and I'm so happy about it. And I don't actually doubt that these things happen, these epiphanies, that is people have these passionate realizations. I don't know how stable they are. Like they may have a passionate realization and then, maybe it's a little bit the novelist's fantasy to say you have the passionate realization and everything is changed. In this story, we get around that problem because he dies, right? So, that, I don't know. I somehow am now James Joyce. I don't know. I somehow am now James Joyce is in my head. The final story in Dubliners is the dead. And there's this like, amazing, I don't know who read the story.Henry: Yeah, yeah. Also with snow, right?Agnes: Yeah, exactly.You know, and it's this amazing where this guy is realizing his wife, their relationship is not what he thought it was, whatever. But then the story ends, does he really change? Like, do they just go on and have the same marriage after that point? We don't know. I mean, Joyce avoids that question by having the story end. But, so you might say, you know, novelists like epiphanies and they're good at writing epiphanies and producing epiphanies and imagining that their readers will have epiphanies. And then there's a question, okay, how valuable is the epiphany? And I think, not nothing. I wouldn't put it at zero, but you might say, okay, but let's compare the epiphany and the argument, right? So, what philosophers and the social scientists have, what we have is arguments. And who's ever been changed by an argument? And I think I would say all of human history has been changed by arguments and it's pretty much the only thing that's ever done anything to stably change us is arguments. If you think about, like, what are the things we've moved on? What are the things we've come around on? You know, human rights, there's a big one. That's not a thing in antiquity. And it's a thing now. And I think it's a thing because of arguments. Some of those arguments, you know, are starting to come in their own in religious authors, but then really come in, the flourishing is really the enlightenment. And so you might think, well, maybe an argument is not the kind of thing that can change very easily an adult who was already pretty set in their ways and who is not going to devote much of their time to philosophizing. It isn't going to give them the kind of passionate feeling of your life has suddenly been turned around by an epiphany, but it might well be that if we keep arguing with each other, that is how humanity changes.Henry: I think a lot of the arguments were put into story form. So like the thing that changed things the most before the enlightenment maybe was the gospels. Which is just lots of stories. I know there are arguments in there, but basically everything is done through stories. Or metaphor, there's a lot of metaphor. I also think philosophers are curiously good at telling stories. So like some of the best, you know, there's this thing of micro fiction, which is like very, very short story. I think some of the best micro fiction is short stories. Is a thought experiment, sorry. Yeah. So people like Judith Jarvis Thompson, or well, his name has escaped my head, Reasons and Persons, you know who I mean? Derek Parfit, right. They write great short stories. Like you can sit around and argue about long-termism with just propositions, and people are going to be either like, this makes total sense or this is weird. And you see this when you try and do this with people. If you tell them Parfit's thought experiment that you drop a piece of glass in the woods, and a hundred years later, a little girl comes in and she cuts up. Okay, everyone's a long-termist in some way now. To some extent, everyone is just like, of course. Okay, fine. The story is good. The famous thought experiment about the child drowning in the pond. And then, okay, the pond is like 3000. Again, everyone's like, okay, I get it. I'm with you. Philosophers constantly resort to stories because they know that the argument is, you have to have to agree with you. You've got to have the argument. The argument's the fundamental thing. But when you put it in a story, it will actually, somehow it will then do its work.Agnes: I think it's really interesting to ask, and I never asked myself this question, like what is the relationship between a thought experiment and a story? And I think that, I'm fine with a thought experiment with saying it's a kind of story, but I think that, so one feature of a thought experiment is that the person who is listening to it is given often a kind of agency. Like, which way do you push the trolley? Or do you care that you left this piece of glass there? Or are you, suppose that the pond was so many miles away but there was a very long hand that reached from here and you put a coin in the machine and at the other end, the hand will pull the child out of the water. Do you put the coin in, right? So like you're given these choices. It's like a choose your own adventure story, right? And that's really not what Tolstoy wrote. He really did not write choose your own adventure stories. There's a, I think he is-Henry: But the philosopher always comes in at the end and says, by the way, this is the correct answer. I'm giving you this experiment so that you can see that, like, I'm proving my point. Peter Singer is not like, it's okay if you don't want to jump into the pond. This is your story, you can pick. He's like, no, you have to jump in. This is why I'm telling you the story.Agnes: That's right, but I can't tell it to you without, in effect, your participation in the story, without you seeing yourself as part of the story and as having like agency in the story. It's by way of your agency that I'm making your point. Part of why this is important is that otherwise philosophers become preachers, which is what Tolstoy is when he's kind of at his worst. That is, you know, the philosopher doesn't just want to like tell you what to think. The philosopher wants to show you that you're already committed to certain conclusions and he's just showing you the way between the premises you already accept and the conclusion that follows from your premises. And that's quite-Henry: No, philosophers want to tell you the particular, most philosophers create a thought experiment to be like, you should be a virtue ethicist or you should give money away. Like they're preaching.Agnes: I don't think that is preaching. So I think that, and like, I think that this is why so many philosophical thought experiments are sort of meant to rely on what people call intuitions. Like, oh, but don't you have the intuition that? What is the intuition? The intuition is supposed to be somehow the kind of visceral and inchoate grasp that you already have of the thing I am trying to teach you. You already think the thing I'm telling you. I'm just making it clear to you what you think. And, you know, like there's like, I want to go back to the gospels. Like, I think it's a real question I have. I'm going to get in trouble for saying this, but I feel like something I sometimes think about Jesus and I say this as a non-Christian, is that Jesus was clearly a really exceptional, really extraordinary human being. And maybe he just never met his Plato. You know, he got these guys who are like telling stories about him. But like, I feel like he had some really interesting thoughts that we haven't accessed. Imagine, imagine if Socrates only ever had Xenophon. You know, if Socrates had never met Plato. We might just have this story about Socrates. Oh, he's kind of like a hero. He was very self-sacrificing. He asked everyone to care about everybody else. And he might like actually look quite a bit like Jesus on a sort of like, let's say simplistic picture of him. And it's like, maybe it's a real shame that Jesus didn't have a philosopher as one of the people who would tell a story about him. And that if we had that, there would be some amazing arguments that we've missed out on.Henry: Is Paul not the closest thing to that?Agnes: What does he give us?Henry: What are the arguments? Well, all the, you know, Paulian theology is huge. I mean, all the epistles, they're full of, maybe, I don't know if they're arguments more than declarations, but he's a great expounder of this is what Jesus meant, you should do this, right? And it's not quite what you're saying.Agnes: It's conclusions, right?Henry: Yes, yes.Agnes: So I think it's like, you could sort of imagine if we only had the end of the Gorgias, where Socrates lists some of his sayings, right? Yes, exactly, yes. You know, it's better to have injustice done to you than to do injustice. It's better to be just than to appear just. Oratories should, you should never flatter anyone under any circumstances. Like, you know, there's others in other dialogues. Everyone desires the good. There's no such thing as weakness of will, et cetera. There are these sort of sayings, right? And you could sort of imagine a version of someone who's telling the story of Socrates who gives you those sayings. And yeah, I just think, well, we'd be missing a lot if we didn't hear the arguments for the sayings.Henry: Yeah, I feel stumped. So the next thing you say about novelists, novelists give us a view onto the promised land, but not more. And this relates to what you're saying, everything you've just been saying. I want to bring in a George Eliot argument where she says, she kind of says, that's the point. She says, I'm not a teacher, I'm a companion in the struggle of thought. So I think a lot of the time, some of the differences we're discussing here are to do with the readers more than the authors. So Tolstoy and George Eliot, Jane Austen, novelists of their type and their caliber. It's like, if you're coming to think, if you're involved in the struggle of thought, I'm putting these ideas in and I'm going to really shake you up with what's happening to these people and you're going to go away and think about it and Pierre's going to stay with you and it's really going to open things up. If you're just going to read the story, sure, yeah, sure. And at the end, we'll have the big revelation and that's whoopee. And that's the same as just having the sayings from Socrates and whatever. But if you really read Middlemarch, one piece, whatever, Adam Bede is always the one that stays with me. Like you will have to think about it. Like if you've read Adam Bede and you know what happens to Hetty at the end, this has the, oh, well, I'm not going to spoil it because you have to read it because it's insane. It's really an exceptional book, but it has some of those qualities of the thought experiment. She really does put you, George Eliot's very good at this. She does put you in the position of saying like, what actually went right and wrong here? Like she's really going to confront you with the situation but with the difficulty of just saying, oh, you know, that's easy. This is what happened. This is the bad thing. Well, there were several different things and she's really putting it up close to you and saying, well, this is how life is. You need to think about that.Agnes: So that last bit, I mean, I think that this is how life is part. Yeah. Really do think that that's something you get out of novels. It's not, so here's how you should live it or so here's why it makes sense, or here are the answers. It's none of the answers, I think. It's just that there's a kind of, it's like, you might've thought that given that we all live lives, we live in a constant contact with reality but I think we don't. We live in a bubble of what it's, the information that's useful to me to take in at any given moment and what do I need in order to make it to the next step? And there's a way in which the novel like confronts you with like the whole of life as like a spectacle or something like that, as something to be examined and understood. But typically I think without much guidance as to how you should examine or understand it, at least that's my own experience of it is that often it's like posing a problem to me and not really telling me how to solve it. But the problem is one that I often, under other circumstances, I'm inclined to look away from and the novelist sort of forces me to look at it.Henry: Does that mean philosophers should be assigning more fiction?Agnes: I, you know, I am in general pretty wary of judgments of that kind just because I find it hard to know what anyone should do. I mean, even myself, let alone all other philosophers.Henry: But you're the philosopher. You should be telling us.Agnes: No, I actually just don't think that is what philosophers do. So like, it was like a clear disagreement about, you know, is the, like George Eliot's like, I'm not a teacher, but the philosopher also says I'm not a teacher. I mean, Tolstoy was like, I am a teacher.Henry: Yeah, I'm a teacher.Agnes: I'm ready to guide you all.Henry: You should take notes.Agnes: But I think it's right that, yeah. So I think it's like, you know, maybe they have some other way of forcing that confrontation with reality. But I, my own feeling is that philosophers, when they use examples, including some of the thought experiments, it's sort of the opposite of what you said. It's kind of like they're writing very bad fiction. And so they'll come up with these, like I am philosophy. We have to, we're forced to sort of come up with examples. And, you know, I discuss one in my aspiration book of, oh, once upon a time, there was a guy. And when he was young, he wanted to be a clown, but his family convinced him that he should be an investment banker and make money. And so he did that. But then when he was older, he finally recovered this long lost desire. And then he became a clown and then he was happy. It's a story in an article by a philosopher I respect. Okay, I like her very much. And I haven't read it in a long time. So I'm hoping I'm summarizing it correctly. But my point is like, and this is supposed to be a story about how sort of self-creation and self-realization and how you can discover your authentic self by contrast with like the social forces that are trying to make you into a certain kind of person. But it's also, it's just a very bad piece of fiction. And I'm like, well, you know, if I'm say teaching a class on self-creation as I do sometimes, I'm like, well, we can read some novelists who write about this process and they write about it in a way that really shows it to us, that really forces us to confront the reality of it. And that story was not the reality. So if you have some other way to do that as a philosopher, then great. I'm very instrumental about my use of fiction, but I haven't found another way.Henry: Which other fiction do you use in the self-creation class?Agnes: So in that class, we read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend. And we also read some Fernando Pessoa.Henry: Pessoa, what do your students think of Pessoa?Agnes: They love it. So when I first assigned it, I'm like, I don't know what you guys are going to make of this. It's kind of weird. We're reading like just, you know, 20 pages of excerpts I like from the Book of Disquiet. I mean, it's like my own text I'm creating, basically. I figure with that text, you can do a choose your own adventure. And they like it a lot. And I think that it really, that, you know, the thing that really resonates with them is this stuff where he talks. So there are two passages in particular. So one of them is, one where he talks about how he's like, yeah, he meets his friend. And he can't really listen to what his friend is saying, but he can remember with photographic precision the lines on the face when he's smiling, or like, it's like what he's saying is, I'm paying attention to the wrong thing. Like I'm paying attention to the facial expressions and not to the content. And that I'm somebody who's in a world where my organization of my own experience is not following the rules that are sort of being dictated to me about how my experience is supposed to be organized. And that's sort of his predicament. So that's a thing that they like. And then there's a wonderful passage about how I keep trying to free myself from the social forces oppressing me. And I take away this noose that's around my neck. And as I'm doing it, I realize my hand is attached to a noose and it's pulling me. Like I'm the one who's doing, I'm the one who's suffocating myself all along when I'm trying to free myself from social forces, it's me who's doing the oppressing. Anyway, so those are some passages that we talk about that they like. They like it a lot. They have a lot less trouble making something of it than I had expected that they would.Henry: Is this because he, is he well-suited to the age of social media and phones and fragmented personalities and you're always 16 different people? Is it that kind of thing?Agnes: Partly it's the short texts. I mean, as I said, meeting a problem, right? And so, yeah. So like they like Nietzsche too, probably for the same reason, right? I mean, anything where the-Henry: The aphorism.Agnes: Yeah, exactly. Like no joke. You know, it's not the era for War and Peace. It's the era for the Nietzschean aphorism.Henry: This is so depressing. I thought this wasn't true.Agnes: Yeah, I think it's true. I like, I had a conversation with a student in my office yesterday about this and about how like just his own struggles with reading and how all his friends have the same problem. And, you know, I have made some suggestions and I think maybe I need to push them harder in terms of, you know, just university creating device-free spaces and then people having like, I think we have to view it the way we view exercise. Like none of us would exercise if we didn't force ourselves to exercise. And we use strategies to do it. Like, you know, you have a friend and you're going to go together or, you know, you make a habit of it or whatever. I mean, like, I think we just have to approach reading the same way. Just let's accept that we're in an environment that's hostile to reading and make it a priority and organize things to make it possible rather than just like pretending that there isn't a problem. But yeah, there is. And it's hard for us to see. So you're not as old as me, but I'm old enough that all of my reading habits were formed in a world without all of this, right? So of course it's way easier for me. Even I get distracted, but, you know, for me spending a couple of hours in the evening reading, that's like a thing I can do. But like a lot of people, okay, I was at a like tech, in a little tech world conference in California. And it was early in the morning and my husband wasn't awake yet. So I was just, and it was one of these conferences where there's like a little group room and then you have your own, like we had like a hotel room type room, but like then I would had to be in the room with my husband who was sleeping. I couldn't turn the light on. So it was early. I woke up at four. So I went to the group room just to read. And I'm sitting there reading and someone came up to me and they were like, I can't believe you're just sitting there like reading. I don't think I've seen someone read a book in, you know, he's like ever or something, maybe. I mean, he's a half my age. Like he's like, that's just not a thing that people do. And it was like, he's like, it's so on brand that you're reading, you know? But it's like, it's, I think it's just, it's much harder for people who have grown up with all of this stuff that is in some way hostile to the world of reading. Yeah, it's much harder for them than for us. And we should be reorganizing things to make it easier.Henry: Yeah, I get that. I'm just, I'm alarmed that they can't read, like the depth of Ivan Ilyich. It's like, I don't know, it's like 50 pages or.Agnes: Yeah, for one class, no.Henry: It's very short. It's very short.Agnes: That's not short. 50 pages is not short.Henry: It's an hour or two hours of reading.Agnes: It's like, yeah, between two and three. They also read slower because they don't read as much.Henry: Okay, but you know what I'm like…Agnes: Yeah, right, three hours of reading is a lot to assign for a class. Especially if, in my case, I always also assign philosophy. So it's not the only thing I'm assigning.Henry: Sure, sure, but they read the philosophy.Agnes: Same problem. I mean, it's not like some different problem, right? Same problem, and in fact, they are a little bit more inclined to read the fiction than the philosophy, but the point is the total number of pages is kind of what matters. And from that point of view, philosophy is at an advantage because we compress a lot into very few pages. So, but you know, and again, it's like, it's a matter of like, it's probably not of the level. So I can, you know, I can be more sure that in an upper level class, students will do the reading, but I'm also a little bit more inclined to assign literature in the lower level classes because I'm warming people up to philosophy. So, yeah, I mean, but I think it is alarming, like it should be alarming.Henry: Now, one of the exciting things about Open Socrates, which most people listening to this would have read my review, so you know that I strongly recommend that you all read it now, but it is all about dialogue, like real dialogue. And can we find some, you know, I don't want to say like, oh, can we find some optimism? But like, people are just going to be reading less, more phones, all this talk about we're going back to an oral culture. I don't think that's the right way to phrase it or frame it or whatever, but there's much more opportunity for dialogue these days like this than there used to be. How can Open Socrates, how can people use that book as a way of saying, I want more, you know, intellectual life, but I don't want to read long books? I don't want to turn this into like, give us your five bullet points, self-help Socrates summary, but what can we, this is a very timely book in that sense.Agnes: Yeah, I kind of had thought about it that way, but yeah, I mean, it's a book that says, intellectual life in its sort of most foundational and fundamental form is social, it's a social life, because the kinds of intellectual inquiries that are the most important to us are ones that we can't really conduct on our own. I do think that, I think that some, there is some way in which, like as you're saying, novels can help us a little bit sort of simulate that kind of interaction, at least some of the time, or at least put a question on the table. I sort of agree that that's possible. I think that in terms of social encounters doing it, there are also other difficulties though. Like, so it's, we're not that close to a Socratic world, just giving up on reading doesn't immediately put us into a Socratic world, let's put it that way. And for one thing, I think that there really is a difference between face-to-face interaction, on the one hand, where let's even include Zoom, okay, or phone as face-to-face in an extended sense, and then texting, on the other hand, where text interaction, where like texting back and forth would be, fall under texting, so would social media, Twitter, et cetera, that's sort of- Email. Email, exactly. And I'm becoming more, when I first started working on this book, I thought, well, look, the thing that Socrates cares about is like, when he says that philosophy is like, you know, when he rejects written texts, and he's like, no, what I want to talk back, I'm like, well, the crucial thing is that they can respond, whether they respond by writing you something down or whether they respond by making a sound doesn't matter. And I agree that it doesn't matter whether they make a sound, like for instance, if they respond in sign language, that would be fine. But I think it matters that there is very little lag time between the responses, and you never get really short lag time in anything but what I'm calling face-to-face interaction.Henry: Right, there's always the possibility of what to forestall on text. Yeah. Whereas I can only sit here for like 10 seconds before I just have to like speak.Agnes: Exactly, and I mean, 10 seconds, that's a wild exaggeration. So do you know what the actual number is? No. On average. Okay, the average amount of time that you're allowed to wait before responding to something I say is two tenths of a second, which, it's crazy, isn't it? Which, that amount of time is not enough time for, that is a one second pause is an awkward pause, okay? So two tenths of a second is not long enough time for the signal that comes at the end of my talking, so the last sound I make, let's say, to reach your ears and then get into your brain and be processed, and then you figure out what you want to say. It's not enough time, which means you're making a prediction. That's what you're doing when I'm talking. You're making a prediction about when I'm going to stop talking, and you're so good at it that you're on almost every time. You're a little worse over Zoom. Zoom screws us up a little bit, right? But this is like what our brains are built to do. This is what we're super good at, is kind of like interacting, and I think it's really important that it be a genuine interaction. That's what I'm coming to see, is that we learn best from each other when we can interact, and it's not obvious that there are those same interaction possibilities by way of text at the moment, right? I'm not saying there couldn't be, but at the moment, we rely on the fact that we have all these channels open to us. Interestingly, it's the lag time on the phone, like if we were talking just by phone, is about the same. So we're so good at this, we don't need the visual information. That's why I said phone is also face-to-face. I think phone's okay, even though a lot of our informational stream is being cut. We're on target in terms of the quick responses, and there's some way in which what happens in that circumstance is we become a unit. We become a unit of thinking together, and if we're texting each other and each of us gets to ponder our response and all that, it becomes dissociated.Henry: So this, I do have a really, I'm really interested in this point. Your book doesn't contain scientific information, sociological studies. It's good old-fashioned philosophy, which I loved, but if you had turned it into more of a, this is the things you're telling me now, right? Oh, scientists have said this, and sociologists have said that. It could have been a different sort of book and maybe been, in some shallow way, more persuasive to more people, right? So you clearly made a choice about what you wanted to do. Talk me through why.Agnes: I think that it's maybe the answer here is less deep than you would want. I think that my book was based on the reading I was doing in order to write it, and I wasn't, at the time, asking myself the kinds of questions that scientists could answer. Coming off of the writing of it, I started to ask myself this question. So for instance, that's why I did all this reading in sociology, psychology, that's what I'm doing now is trying to learn. Why is it that we're not having philosophical conversations all the time? It's a real question for me. Why are we not having the conversations that I want us to be having? That's an empirical question, at least in part, because it's like, well, what kinds of conversations are we having? And then I have to sort of read up on that and learn about how conversation works. And it's surprising to me, like the amount of stuff we know, and that it's not what I thought. And so I'm not, maybe I'm a little bit less hostile than most philosophers, just as I'm less hostile to fiction, but I'm also less hostile to sort of empirical work. I mean, there's plenty of philosophers who are very open to the very specific kind of empirical work that is the overlap with their specialization. But for me, it's more like, well, depending on what question I ask, there's just like, who is ready with answers to the question? And I will like, you know, kind of like a mercenary, I will go to those people. And I mean, one thing I was surprised to learn, I'm very interested in conversation and in how it works and in what are the goals of conversation. And of course I started with philosophical stuff on it, you know, Grice and Searle, speech act theory, et cetera. And what I found is that that literature does not even realize that it's not about conversation. I mean, Grice, like the theory of conversational implicature and you know, Grice's logic on conversation, it's like if you thought that making a public service announcement was a kind of conversation, then it would be a theory of conversation. But the way that philosophers fundamentally understand speech is that like, you know, speakers issue utterances and then somebody has to interpret that utterance. The fact that that second person gets to talk too is not like part of the picture. It's not essential to the picture. But if you ask a sociologist, what is the smallest unit of conversation? They are not going to say an assertion. They're going to say something like greeting, greeting or question answer or command obeying or, right? Conversation is like, there's two people who get to talk, not just one person. That seems like the most obvious thing, but it's not really represented in the philosophical literature. So I'm like, okay, I guess I got to say goodbye philosophers. Let me go to the people who are actually talking about conversation. You know, I of course then read, my immediate thought was to read in psychology, which I did. Psychology is a bit shallow. They just don't get to theorize. It's very accessible. It's got lots of data, but it's kind of shallow. And then I'm like, okay, the people who really are grappling with the kind of deep structure of conversation are sociologists. And so that's what I've been reading a lot of in the past, like whatever, two months or so. But I just wasn't asking myself these questions when I wrote the book. And I think the kinds of questions that I was asking were in fact, the kinds of questions that get answered or at least get addressed in philosophical texts. And so those were the texts that I refer to.Henry: So all the sociology you've read, is it, how is it changing what you think about this? Is it giving you some kind of answer?Agnes: It's not changing any, my view, but any of the claims in the book, that is the exact reason that you brought out. But it is making me, it's making me realize how little I understand in a sort of concrete way, what like our modern predicament is. That is, where are we right now? Like what's happening right now? Is the question I ask myself. And I get a lot of, especially in interviews about this book, I get a lot of like, well, given where things are right now, is Socrates very timely? Or how can Socrates help or whatever? And I'm like, I don't think we know where things are right now. That is that given that, where is it? Where is it that we are? And so part of what this kind of sociology stuff is making me realize is like, that's a much harder question than it appears. And even where do we draw the lines? Like, when did now start happening? Like my instinct is like, one answer is like around 1900 is when now started happening. And, and so like, so I guess I'm interested both at the very micro level, how does the conversational interaction work? What are the ways in which I am deciding in this very conversation, I'm deciding what's allowed to be in and what's not allowed to be in the conversation, right? By the moves I'm making, and you're doing the same. How are we doing that? How are we orchestrating, manipulating this conversation so as to dictate what's in it and what's out of it in ways that are like below the surface that we're not noticing, that we either that we are doing it or that we're doing it ourselves. Neither of us is noticing, but we're doing that. So that's at the micro level. And then at the macro level is the question about when did now start happening? And what are the big shifts in like the human experience? And, are we at a point somehow in human history where culture like as a mechanism of coordination is a little bit falling apart and then what's going to come next? That's like a kind of question that I have to put in that kind of vague way. So maybe the right thing to say is that reading all these sociology texts has like, has given me a sets of questions to ask. And maybe what I'm trying to do is, it's like, what my book does is it describes a kind of ideal. And it describes that ideal, you know, using the power of reason to see what would it take to sort of set us straight? What is the straightened version of the crooked thing that we're already doing? And I think that that's right, but that's not at all the same thing as asking the question like, what's our next step? How do we get there from here? That's the question I'm asking now. But part of trying to answer the question, how do we get there from here is like, where are we now? And where are we both very, very locally in an interaction, what are we doing? And then in a big picture way, where are we? What is the big, what is like, you know, in the Taylor Swift sense, what era are we in? And, you know, I guess I still feel like we are, we are living in the world of Fernando Pessoa, Robert Musso, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, Hermann Bruch, Franz Kafka, like that set of writers, like around 1900-ish set of writers who didn't all know each other or anything, didn't coordinate, but they all, there was this like primal scream moment where they were like, what the hell is going on? What has happened to humanity? Where are the rules? Like, who are we supposed to be? I mean, of all of those, I would pull out Musso as like the paradigm example. So this is me, I guess, taking inspiration from literature again, where I feel like, okay, there's something there about we're lost. There's an expression of, there's a thought we're lost. And I'm trying to understand, okay, how did we get lost? And are we still in that state of being lost? I think yes. And let's get a clear, once we get very clear on how lost we are, we'll already start to be found. Cause that's sort of what it is to, you know, once you understand why you're lost, like that's situating yourself.Henry: Those writers are a long time ago.Agnes: Yeah, I said around 1900.Henry: Yeah, but you don't, you don't, but there's nothing more recent that like expresses, like that's a very long now.Agnes: Yeah. Well, yes, I agree. So I say, when did now start happening? I think it started happening around 1900. So I think-Henry: So are we stuck?Agnes: Yeah, kind of. I think, so here's like a very, he's like a very simple part of history that must be too simple because history is not, is like, it's very mildly not my strong suit. I can't really understand history. But it's like, there is this set of writers and they don't really tell stories. It's not their thing, right? They're not into plot, but they are issuing this warning or proclamation or crisis, like flashing thing. And then what happens? What happens after that? Well, World War I happens, right? And then, you know, not very long after that, we got World War II and especially World War II, the result of that is kind of, oh no, actually we know what good and bad are. It's like fighting Nazis, that's bad. And, you know, so we got it all settled. And, but it's like, it's like we push something under the rug, I guess. And I think we haven't dealt with it. We haven't dealt with this crisis moment. And so, you know, I think I could say something very similar about Knausgaard or something that is, I think he's kind of saying the same thing and his novel has a novel, whatever you want to call it, the, you know, I'm talking about the later one. That's the kind of weird sort of horror quadrilogy or something. It has this feeling of like trying to express a sense of being lost. So there's more recent stuff that, a lot of it's autofiction, the genre of autofiction has that same character. So yeah, like maybe there is some big progress that's been made since then, but if there is, then it has passed me by.Henry: Agnes: Callard, thank you very much. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.commonreader.co.uk/subscribe

In Episode 189, author Karen Thompson Walker talks with Sarah about her career to date and her newest novel, The Strange Case of Jane O. Karen discusses her writing journey, including each book's inspiration and research process. She also touches on the challenges of promoting her latest book without giving away too much and her current work in progress. Plus, Karen shares her book recommendations. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights Books by Karen Thompson Walker: The Age of Miracles (2012), The Dreamers (2019), and The Strange Case of Jane O. (2025) Karen talks about going from working as an editor to a being published author The genre Karen feels her books best fit in The real-life inspiration for The Age of Miracles  A peek into her research process and which book required the most work Karen's thoughts on writing about an epidemic (in The Dreamers) just before the real-life  COVID-19 pandemic A brief spoiler-free overview of The Strange Case of Jane O. and the inspiration behind it Some of Oliver Sacks' interesting case histories that inspired Karen The difficulty in trying to promote and talk about a book like The Strange Case of Jane O. without giving too much away How Karen sees the relationship between her three published books A bit about Karen's current work in progress Karen's Book Recommendations [36:20] Two OLD Books She Loves The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (1993) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[37:22] The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (2011) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [39:26] Other Books Mentioned: The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka (2023) [40:51]   Two NEW Books She Loves The Antidote by Karen Russell (March 11, 2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[41:20] The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:39] One Book She DIDN'T Love My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (2011) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:39] One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About Audition by Katie Kitamura (April 8, 2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:22] Other Books Mentioned:  The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (2024) [49:20]  A Separation by Katie Kitamura (2017) [49:35]  Intimacies by Katie Kitamura (2021) [49:39]  Last 5-Star Book Karen Read Trust by Hernan Diaz (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:14] Books From the Discussion Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan (2012) [22:54] Awakenings by Oliver Sacks (1973) [24:16]  

This week's book guest is My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante.In this episode Sara and Cariad discuss school, communism, slimy dads, scary dads, writing as freedom and when names are quite similar.Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you!Trigger warning: In this episode we mention sexual assault.My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is available to buy here.Tickets for Sara's tour show I Am A Strange Gloop are available to buy from sarapascoe.co.ukSara's debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to buy here.Cariad's book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.Cariad's children's book The Christmas Wish-tastrophe is available to buy now.Follow Sara & Cariad's Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.Artwork by Welcome Studio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bibliophobia by Sarah Chihaya reflects on the books that change the way we think about life and literature. Chihaya joins us to talk about these “Life Ruiner” books, the way we connect to stories at different points in our lives, the way our reading shapes us and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang.                     New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): Bibliophobia by Sarah Chihaya The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison The Morningside by Téa Obreht Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson The Lover by Marguerite Duras A Man of Two Faces by Viet Thanh Nguyen Possession by A.S. Byatt Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie The Ferrante Letters by Sarah Chihaya The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Ibon Martín investiga la leyenda del Alma negra.Hace décadas que las minas enmudecieron en los Montes de Hierro. Pero en mitad de la noche todavía se pueden oír los lamentos de las almas que quedaron sepultadas en la roca. La aparición de Teresa Echegaray, una poderosa mujer que quería reabrir la explotación, despierta el miedo a las leyendas dormidas. Y regresa el rencor acumulado durante tantos años.Y de forma paralela, Ane Cestero, apartada de su trabajo en la comisaría, es requerida por su amiga Julia, que quiere investigar a su madre.Alma Negra es la nueva novela de uno de sus maestros del género negro.De Stephen King a García Márquez. Todos se llevaron un “no”. Una respuesta negativa. Les hicieron la cobra. Editores con poco ojo que rechazaron manuscritos de obras que luego se convirtieron en clásicas. Repasamos los casos más llamativos de ceguera editorial.Tierra feroz es la primera novela de un guionista, Jota Quijorna, que nos presenta un thriller con un protagonista de trece años, Dani Sorribes. También aquí encontramos una mina, como en la novela de Ibon Martín. Y un bosque.Y en la sección de Audiolibros, Las deudas del cuerpo, la tercera parte de la obra creada por Elena Ferrante.

From glistening skyscrapers and bustling downtowns to dark alleys and creeping urban decay, cities are endlessly complicated and diverse. And so are the books that take place in urban settings. This week, we share some of our favorite city books and chat about what makes these environments so fascinating. What are your favorites?ShownotesBooks* Pink Slime, by Fernanda Trías, translated by Heather Cleary* Middlemarch, by George Eliot* Lies and Sorcery, by Elsa Morante, translated by Jenny McPhee* Swann's Way, by Marcel Proust* Wind and Truth, by Brandon Sanderson* The Suicides, by Antonio Di Benedetto, translated by Esther Allen* Zama, by Antonio Di Benedetto, translated by Esther Allen* The Silentiary, by Antonio Di Benedetto, translated by Esther Allen* Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino, translated by William Weaver* A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith* The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros* A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole* The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy* The City and the City, by China Miéville* Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, by Katherine Boo* The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, by Ursula K. Le Guin* My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante, translated by Anne Goldstein* Lush Life, by Richard Price* Solenoid, by Mircea Cǎrtǎrescu, translated by Sean Cotter* Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolfe* Ask the Dust, by John Fante* One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Máquez, translated by Gregory Rabassa* Anniversaries, by Uwe Johnson, translated by Damion Searls* Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck* Ulysses, by James Joyce* New York Trilogy, by Paul Auster* Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke* It, by Stephen King* The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugenides* Open City, by Teju Cole* Bleak House, by Charles Dickens* The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larsen* Midaq Alley, by Naguib Mahfouz, translated by Trevor Le Gassick* The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon* Berlin Alexanderplatz, by Alfred Döblin, translated by Michael Hoffman* Down and Out in London, by George Orwell* City of Saints and Madmen, by Jeff Vandermeer* Cairo Trilogy, by Naguib Mahfouz, translated by William Maynard Hutchins, Olive E. Kenny, Lorne M. Kenny, and Angele Botros Samaan* The Alexandria Quartet, by Lawrence Durrell* London, by Edward Rutherford* Dublin, by Edward Rutherford* New York, by Edward Rutherford* Paris, by Edward RutherfordThe Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another. We hope you'll continue to join us!Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you'd like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Leah Rachel von Essen, whose job is books, and I discuss our shared love of translated literature, especially genre fiction from other countries, and our shared love of reading and walking. She also talks about her very entertaining experiences with the library as a child and shares about her current work with Chicago Books to Women in Prison.    Follow Leah on Instagram! Find Leah's posts about books in translation here  More information about how to support Chicago Books to Women in Prison   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell  Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix    Books Highlighted by Leah: This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante, trans. Ann Goldstein The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen  Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin  The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, trans. Stephen Snyder Eve Out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi, trans. Jeffrey Zuckerman Palestine +100 ed. Basma Ghalayini They Will Drown in Their Mother's Tears by Johannes Anyuru, trans. Saskia Vogel  The Waves by Virginia Woolf Who's Afraid of Gender by Judith Butler  The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs    All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit  The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar  The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Freedom by Jonathan Franzen  To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Whether your holiday book wish list includes classics like The Nutcracker or works by contemporary authors like Jon Fosse and Elena Ferrante... if you want to read them in English, then you'll have to thank a translator. But Damion Searls says that the work of translating is more complicated than simply converting words from one language to another. In the latest instalment of Word Processing – our ongoing look at language – David Common speaks with the noted author and translator about his book The Philosophy of Translation, the nuance needed to make a faithful translation and what gets lost when authors outsource that work to technology.

Welcome to the FINALE of Season 12! I am so excited to say that my guest on the GWA Podcast is the acclaimed writer, Sheila Heti. Born in 1976 in Toronto, where she lives today, Heti is the author of eleven books, from novels to novellas, short stories and children's books. Most recently, her acclaimed books have included Alphabetical Diaries, that ordered a decade worth of diaries in alphabetical order; Pure Colour (2022), a novel that explores grief, art and time; Motherhood (2018), a meditation on whether or not to become a mother in a society that judges you whatever the outcome. Heti's writing is some of the most honest, thoughtful I've ever read, and throughout weaves in the broad subject of art, whether it be paintings or her protagonists' professions… Heti also wrote for the literary journal the Believer, and has conducted many long-form print interviews with writers and artists, including conversations with Joan Didion, Elena Ferrante, Agnes Varda, Sophie Calle, who are among some of the artists we are going to be, very excitingly, discussing today. -- THIS EPISODE IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY THE LEVETT COLLECTION: https://www.famm.com/en/ https://www.instagram.com/famm_mougins // https://www.merrellpublishers.com/9781858947037 Follow us: Katy Hessel: @thegreatwomenartists / @katy.hessel Sound editing by Nada Smiljanic Music by Ben Wetherfield

Familielevens van Katharina Fuchs is een prachtige, sfeervolle historische roman tegen de achtergrond van naoorlogs Duitsland. Voor de lezers van Elena Ferrante en Tatiana de Rosnay. Uitgegeven door Xander Uitgevers B.V. Spreker: Nienke Brinkhuis

Today's craft talk—by Torrey Peters on “Strategic Opacity”— was recorded at the 2024 Tin House summer writers workshop. Peters explores the elements in works of fiction that actually don't make sense—from William Shakespeare to Elena Ferrante —and how, paradoxically, it is these very elements, the unexplainable ones, that can make a work of art great. […] The post Tin House Live : Torrey Peters on Strategic Opacity appeared first on Tin House.

Quais são os autores que lhe vem à cabeça quando falamos de literatura italiana contemporânea? Tá, eu sei em quem muitos de vocês pensaram. Sim, Elena Ferrante é um nome incontornável. Falaremos sobre ela nesta edição do podcast. Mas iremos muito além de Elena. A Maria Carolina Casati é uma leitora que acompanho há algum tempo. Dentre suas iniciativas está a Encruzilinhas, que discute textos sobre negritude, gênero, feminismo e militância. A Carol está terminando seu doutorado na USP, onde desenvolve o projeto "A mulata brasiliana: escrevivência, narrativas orais e memórias de brasileiras negras na Itália que se relacionam com italianos". A partir de conceitos de gente como Conceição Evaristo que a pesquisadora se debruça sobre a atual literatura italiana, especialmente sobre a obra de Igiaba Scego. Igiaba é o ponto de partida para essa conversa não só sobre autores italianos que merecem a sua atenção, mas também sobre muitas questões relacionadas ao país de Dante. * Aqui o caminho para a newsletter da Página Cinco: https://paginacinco.substack.com/

Notes and Links to Chris Knapp's Work      For Episode 255, Pete welcomes Chris Knapp, and the two discuss, among other topics, a fascination with Elena Ferrante, James Joyce, and other dynamic writers, the interplay between journalism and fiction writing, seeds for his debut novel, the significance of its title, the drawbacks and benefits of writing about such recent times, and salient themes and issues in his novel like colonialism, marital alienation and connection, ennui, and the creep of dystopian mores.      Christopher Knapp's work has appeared in print in the Paris Review and the New England Review, and online at Granta and n+1, among others. He's been a work-study scholar at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and earned an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Virginia. His novel, States of Emergency, was published on September 3 by Unnamed Press. He lives in Paris with my wife, and teaches in the journalism program at the Sorbonne.     Buy States of Emergency   Chris Knapp's Website   At about 2:50, Chris talks about what it's been like in the run-up to publication  At about 4:00, Chris describes his early literary life and battles with spoilers At about 7:10, Pete and Chris discuss and cite the greatness of Faulkner and Joyce's work At about 9:30, Pete highlights a wonderfully Joycean sentence (one of many) from Chris' novel At about 10:25, Chris shouts out inspiring and thrilling writers, including Rachel Cusk, Don DeLillo, and Sebald, and Elena Ferrante At about 14:10, The two discuss Paris and Naples and prices and experiences At about 16:30, Chris responds to Pete's questions about the interplay between his journalistic background and his fiction writing At about 19:45, Pete and Chris reflect on the interesting ways in which the book's narrator functions in the book and connects to  At about 21:15, Chris speaks about seeds for his novel  At about 22:20, The two discuss Chris deciding to start the book with a heat wave and political and cultural  At about 24;45, Chris talks about the fertility procedures that run throughout much of the book and the way waiting relates At about 27:00, Chris delineates between hope and optimism and how these two qualities characterize the narrator and his wife Ella At about 29:20, The two discuss ideas of sympathy and empathy and comfort and shared pain At about 31:50, Chris responds to Pete's questions about the narrator's writing and charting his and Ella's experiences  At about 32:45, Chris reflects on the narrator's writing and the way that Ella sees him and his writing; he references Raven Leilani and writing on grief At about 34:45, The two discuss the ways in which French colonialism and racism is seen (or not) in the book and in the world At about 36:40, Pete highlights the dark humor of the book, and Chris expands on some of the humor and how it flows for him At about 39:35, The two discuss the “carnality” of a climatic scene in Ella and the narrator's relationship  At about 42:20, Chris charts the importance of a getaway for Ella in Skopje At about 44:20, Pete cites a period of separation between the two main characters and asks Chris about the significance of the book's title At about 49:00, Chris responds to Pete's questions about the drawbacks and benefits and vagaries of perspective in the novel At about 55:25, Chris reflects on narrative and its connections to history and to the novel At about 57:00, Pete compliments two anecdotes/scenes from the book, compares Ella's story of the French and Algerians to Wolff's “In the Garden of the North American Martyrs,” and Chris expands on the views of the narrator's family At about 1:02:50, Chris gives contact information, book purchasing info, and social media info At about 1:04:20, Chris talks about what he's working on and wants to write about in the future          You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.       I am very excited about having one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review.    Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl     Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode features segments from conversations with Deesha Philyaw, Luis Alberto Urrea, Chris Stuck, and more, as they reflect on chill-inducing writing and writers that have inspired their own work.       This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 256 with Andrew Maraniss, a New York Times-bestselling author of narrative nonfiction. His first book, Strong Inside, about Perry Wallace, the first African-American basketball player in the SEC, won the 2015 Lillian Smith Book Award. Andrew recently launched a series of early chapter books for young readers, BEYOND THE GAME: Athletes Change the World, which highlights athletes who have done meaningful work outside of sports to help other people.    The episode will air on October 1.    Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Juan Carlos Echeverry (https://x.com/JCecheverryCol) ha sido ministro de Hacienda y presidente de Ecopetrol. Es autor de Salvar a Ecopetrol (https://bukz.co/products/salvar-a-ecopetrol-9786287578340?_pos=1&_sid=2b46864ef&_ss=r) SOMOS INTERNET 3 MESES 50% DESCUENTO: https://www.somosinternet.co/atemporal Capítulos: 00:00 Intro 02:45 Teaching assistant de Ben Bernanke 08:35 Aprendizajes sobre libros 17:22 Entender la economía a través del libro The Rise and Fall of American Growth 20:57 Mis orígenes familiares 24:07 Formación alemana en Tunja 27:15 ¿Qué significa para una familia migrar a la ciudad? 29:45 “Tener un PhD es acceder al siguiente nivel” 33:36 La vocación vs el talento 38:45 Yo me eduqué con ICETEX 40:10 El ambiente del Banco de la República 50:45 Entrar al DNP 58:00 ¿Cómo fue la crisis del 99? 01:14:45 ¿Cómo resolver los problemas? 01:20:45 Escribir para saber qué estoy pensando 01:24:45 Tiempo, modo y lugar 01:27:15 El problema del mercado laboral 01:32:00 Los años en el DNP 01:37:06 La cultura desayuna estrategia 01:48:46 Lo que digo es igual a lo que hago 01:53:00 ¿En qué momentos se agota mi paciencia? 01:58:00 Forzar a la gente a pensar con rigor 01:59:12 ¿Cómo tratar a los problemas? 02:02:00 Selección de talento 02:08:07 El criterio para identificar el bien y el mal 02:12:00 La mística resuelve el 80% de los problemas Libros y recursos mencionados: Ben Bernanenke - The courage to act (https://amzn.to/3B4Owql) Leadership under turbulent times - Doris Kearns Goodwin (https://amzn.to/4e1Kg9C) Leadership - Henry Kissinger (https://amzn.to/3AZst46) Konrad Adenauer: a German Politician- Hans Peter Schwarz (https://amzn.to/3XSZxEd) Nixon Agonistes - Garry Wills (https://amzn.to/3ZlpDAz) Armas, germenes y acero - Jared Diamond (https://bukz.co/products/guns-germs-and-steel-the-fates-of-human-societies?_pos=2&_sid=6a28354c3&_ss=r) The Rise and Fall of American Growth - Robert Gordon (https://amzn.to/4d78H40) The Road to Wigan Pier - George Orwell (https://amzn.to/4epJdzR) Memo Churchill: https://policymemos.hks.harvard.edu/links/memo-winston-churchill-war-cabinet-re-brevity-date-08091940 On Writing - Stephen King (https://bukz.co/products/on-writing-a-memoir-of-the-craft?_pos=1&_sid=8a1dd979e&_ss=r) On Writing Well - William Zinsser (https://bukz.co/products/on-writing-well?_pos=1&_sid=835e952ae&_ss=r) Entrevista Isa Lopez Giraldo: https://isalopezgiraldo.com/historias/personajes/juan-carlos-echeverry/ Las claves del futuro - Juan Carlos Echeverry Salvar a Ecopetrol - Juan Carlos Echeverry (https://bukz.co/products/salvar-a-ecopetrol-9786287578340?_pos=1&_sid=bc288b00b&_ss=r) Entrevista con Alejandro Salazar: https://youtu.be/TYqDPWatxOU Una amiga estupenda - Elena Ferrante (https://bukz.co/products/la-amiga-estupenda-dos-amigas-1?_pos=6&_sid=41ffe9dda&_ss=r) Recibe mi newsletter: https://acevedoandres.com/newsletter/ Apoyar Atemporal en Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Atemporalpodcast

This week we are discussing the much praised, and beloved novel, "My Brilliant Friend" by Elena Ferrante. We delve into Ferrante's mysterious identity and discuss criticism in the modern age. But mostly we discuss this brilliant, personal, and captivating novel. One of the great things about this novel is the many layers it contains and we geek out on how Ferrante uses all the tools in a writers toolbox to create a memorable novel. Finally, we discuss our sports teams and how they're disappointments often lead us to serious books. And we're using that scenario to create a reading plan for some of our longer books on our TBR. As always thanks for listening and enjoy! Contact Us: Instagram @therewillbbooks Twitter @therewillbbooks Email willbebooks@gmail.com Goodreads: Therewillbebooks ko-fi.com/therewillbbooks patreon.com/therewillbbooks

If you're a reader of the New York Times – or a lover of books – you might know about the paper's project this summer counting down the top hundred books of the century so far. Number one on the list? “My Brilliant Friend” by Elena Ferrante. It is the first of four novels that tell the story of the friendship between Lila and Elena, two working class girls growing up in post-World War II Naples. In 2018 HBO adapted the series for television. Diane hosted a discussion of “My Brilliant Friend” as part of her Readers Review series back in 2015 on The Diane Rehm Show. She and her guests dug into the characters, the setting, and the mystery surrounding the author's identity. Diane's guests included Maureen Corrigan, book critic for NPR's Fresh Air, and The Nicky and Jamie Grant Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Literary Criticism at Georgetown University; Louis Bayard Author, "Roosevelt's Beast." His other books include "The Pale Blue Eye," "The School of Night" and "Mr. Timothy," a New York Times Notable Book. He teaches fiction writing at The George Washington University; and Professor of contemporary Italian culture, Georgetown University; author of "The Tigress in the Snow: Motherhood and Literature in Twentieth-Century Italy" and of the novel "Un Paese Di Carta."

This July, The New York Times Book Review published a list of The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. The top choice was “My Brilliant Friend,” by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein.The book is the first novel in Ferrante's so-called Neapolitan quartet, which tracks the lifelong friendship between Lenù and Lila, two women from a rough neighborhood in Naples, Italy, even as family, relationships and work pull their lives in different directions.In this week's episode, MJ Franklin discusses the book with fellow editors Joumana Khatib, Emily Eakin and Gregory Cowles. 

We're back!! Niko and Tatiana read the 2024 Booker International Longlist and Strega-Prize winning The House on Via Gemito by Domenico Starnone. We talk about memory, family, painting, and touch on Starnone's possible connection to the mysterious writer Elena Ferrante. 

El pasado mes de julio, el diario estadounidense The New York Times publicó una lista de “Los 100 mejores libros del Siglo XXI” que no tardó en dar de qué hablar. En este episodio, entretenido y profundo como el resto, Dani y Carla se sumergen en los libros que ellas han leído de la polémica lista y los que creen son los grandes ausentes. Si son amantes de la lectura o están buscando qué leer no pueden dejar de escuchar este episodio. Además, las invitamos a participar en el club de lectura de nuestro Patreon en el que ya discutimos “Los días del abandono” de Elena Ferrante (puesto 92 en la lista) y en la que seguramente seguiremos leyendo esos títulos y otros de interés. Libros de la lista del New York Times (con su posición correspondiente) leídos por Dani y Carla: 92 “Los días del abandono”, Elena Ferrante. 91 “La mancha humana”, Philip Roth. 81 “Temporada de huracanes”, Fernanda Melchor. 80 “La niña perdida”, Elena Ferrante. Libro 4 de la serie de “Las dos amigas”. 79 “Manual para mujeres de la limpieza”, Lucía Berlín. 59 “Middlesex”, Jeffrey Eugenides. 38 “Detectives salvajes”, Roberto Bolaño. 27 “Americanah”, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. 13 “El año del pensamiento mágico”, Joan Didion. 11 “La maravillosa vida breve de Óscar Wao”, Junot Díaz. 9 “Nunca me abandones”, Kazuo Ishiguro. 1 “La amiga estupenda”, Elena Ferrante. Libro 1 de “Las dos amigas”. La lista completa la pueden conseguir en un post publicado el 15 de julio en el Instagram de @nytbooks. Otros libros mencionados en el episodio: “Los años”, Annie Ernaux. “Fármaco”, Almudena Sánchez. “Me llamo Lucy Barton”, Elizabeth Strout. “Las Malas”, Camila Sosa Villada. “Pura pasión”, Annie Ernaux. “El acontecimiento”, Annie Ernaux. “Medio sol amarillo”, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. “Criar en feminismo”, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. “Lo que no tiene nombre”, Piedad Bonnet. “Noches azules”, Joan Didion. “Despojos: Sobre el matrimonio y la separación”, Rachel Cusk. “Un trabajo para toda la vida: Sobre la experiencia de ser madre”, Rachel Cusk. “2666”, RobertoBolaño. “La hija oscura”, Elena Ferrante. “La vida mentirosa de los adultos”, Elena Ferrante. “Una educación”, Tara Westover. “Nada se opone a la noche”, Delphine De Vigan. Charlas TED “Todos deberíamos ser feministas”, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Series “Olive Kitteridge”, HBO. “My Brilliant Friend”, HBO. “La vida mentirosa de los adultos”, Netflix. Películas “La hija oscura”. “Nunca me abandones”. Podcast “Grandes infelices. Luces y sombras de grandes novelistas”. Spotify. Patrion Apóyanos en Patrion  / podemosvivirestahistoria   Suscríbete, déjanos un comentario  y comparte con tus amigas ¿Dónde nos puedes encontrar? En nuestra redes sociales: • Carla Candia Casado es @agobiosdemadre • Daniela Kammoun es @danikammoun

Alla luce del verdetto del New York Times, abbiamo chiesto ai nostri ascoltatori se effettivamente l'opera di Elena Ferrante sia per loro degna di fregiarsi di questo titolo.

Courtesy of Maggie, we are finally talking about a movie from this decade: Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut, THE LOST DAUGHTER (2021), which is also an adaptation of Elena Ferrante's novel. We marvel at Olivia Colman's face acting. We use the word “boundless” a lot. We remember the ways our girlhood-selves terrorized our mothers. We have a lot to say about mothering, art-making, and terrible men who are, nevertheless, alluring. Thankfully, this movie has a lot to say, too.  Email your own musings and questions to tellmeimsorry@gmail.com Follow us: The podcast's Instagram: @tellmeimsorry Maggie's Instagram: @_saint_margaret_ Marin's Letterboxd: @marinharrington  Secondary texts referenced: A Life of One's Own: Nine Women Writers Begin Again by Joanna Biggs Women, Race, & Class by Angela Y. Davis The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante Transforming Girls: The Work of Nineteenth-Century Adolescence by Julie Pfeiffer Flash Count Diary: Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life by Darcey Steinke Letterboxd review by @ducournau

Friendships can be the foundation of our earliest memories and most formative moments. But why are they often seen as secondary to romantic, or familial connection, something to age out of and take a back seat to other relationships? BFFs: The Radical Potential of Female Friendship (404 Ink, 2023) by Dr. Anahit Behrooz is an examination of the power of female friendship, not as something lesser, but as a site of radical intimacy, as told through the cultural touchstones around us. From coming-of-age tales through physical intimacy and discovering personhood to break ups and parting of ways, Dr. Behrooz considers the vast significance of our friendships through the work of Toni Morrison and Elena Ferrante, Booksmart and Grey's Anatomy, Insecure, The Virgin Suicides and beyond. To have a life rich in love is often viewed through a specific lens; BFFs shows us that friendship can offer a more expansive and emancipatory understanding of female intimacy, and can be the most important, loving relationships in our lives. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Friendships can be the foundation of our earliest memories and most formative moments. But why are they often seen as secondary to romantic, or familial connection, something to age out of and take a back seat to other relationships? BFFs: The Radical Potential of Female Friendship (404 Ink, 2023) by Dr. Anahit Behrooz is an examination of the power of female friendship, not as something lesser, but as a site of radical intimacy, as told through the cultural touchstones around us. From coming-of-age tales through physical intimacy and discovering personhood to break ups and parting of ways, Dr. Behrooz considers the vast significance of our friendships through the work of Toni Morrison and Elena Ferrante, Booksmart and Grey's Anatomy, Insecure, The Virgin Suicides and beyond. To have a life rich in love is often viewed through a specific lens; BFFs shows us that friendship can offer a more expansive and emancipatory understanding of female intimacy, and can be the most important, loving relationships in our lives. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

Friendships can be the foundation of our earliest memories and most formative moments. But why are they often seen as secondary to romantic, or familial connection, something to age out of and take a back seat to other relationships? BFFs: The Radical Potential of Female Friendship (404 Ink, 2023) by Dr. Anahit Behrooz is an examination of the power of female friendship, not as something lesser, but as a site of radical intimacy, as told through the cultural touchstones around us. From coming-of-age tales through physical intimacy and discovering personhood to break ups and parting of ways, Dr. Behrooz considers the vast significance of our friendships through the work of Toni Morrison and Elena Ferrante, Booksmart and Grey's Anatomy, Insecure, The Virgin Suicides and beyond. To have a life rich in love is often viewed through a specific lens; BFFs shows us that friendship can offer a more expansive and emancipatory understanding of female intimacy, and can be the most important, loving relationships in our lives. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

En este video podrás saber todo sobre nuestro club de lectura. Para inscribir en nuestro club de lectura puedes hacer clic aquí el precio es de 5 dólares. https://www.patreon.com/Podemosvivirestahistoria Vamos a leer Los días del abandono de Elena Ferrante, que es de nuestros libros favoritos. Fechas Serán 3 sesiones, una vez a la semana: 3 miércoles 12 de junio 19 de junio 28 de junio Horario  9:00 pm hora Caracas 8:00 pm hora Panamá Una hora y media aproximadamente Cada sesión discutiremos 15 capítulos 50 páginas 150 páginas en total tiene el libro Temas que se tocan en este libro El abandono La infidelidad Envejecer. Que te dejen por una más joven. Los hijos El matrimonio La rabia La paternidad La maternidad

I'm thrilled that Henriette Lazaridis is back this week to discuss her new novel, Last Days in Plaka - think The Talented Mr. Ripley by way of Elena Ferrante--it explores the lies at the heart of an old woman's identity and the desperation of a young woman's struggle to belong.

This week, we're talking Thingies with Jo Piazza, author of The Sicilian Inheritance—exactly the escapist, immersive book we want at this very moment—and its companion true-crime podcast…because this woman is one of the most ambitious storytellers you've ever encountered, ok? Also: We raise a case for cold-calling your friends, expectations free. Jo's thingies include trad wives (or maybe that's a Claire Thingie?), Oak Essentials moisture rich balm (s/o to the cleansing balm also!), Freda Salvador shoes and the Jada ballet flats in particular, The Other Two on Max (see also: The State, Party Down, and Girls 5Eva), the podcast Time Capsule: The Silver Chain. There was a lot of food talk, naturally: Jo raves about Norah Ephron's pasta alla cecca recipe, and some Philly restaurants she loves include Friday Saturday Sunday, Trattoria Carina, and Zahav.Jo's Italian heritage liaison: Laura Lee of Digging Up Roots in the Boot.Want more Jo? You are in LUCK! Her new release The Sicilian Inheritance has an Elena Ferrante meets Gabrielle Hamilton meets Liane Moriarty vibe, and it pairs perfectly with this non-fiction podcast where Jo, NBD, works to solve a family murder. And dig into her other books We Are Not Like Them, You Were Always Mine, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, The Knockoff, and How to Be Married. Want something to listen to? Dive into Under the Influence, Wilder, Committed, Fierce, She Wants More, and Too Much Money.What are *your* Thingies? Let us know at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or chat with other Bobs in our Geneva. Change your clothes with Nuuly and take $20 off your first month's subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO20.Hire with Indeed and get a $75 sponsored job credit when you use our link.See your garden thrive with Fast Growing Trees—get an addition 15% off your first purchase with the code ATHINGORTWO.YAY.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.