Podcasts about Lethem

Lethem, Jonathan www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Lesart

Lethem, Jonathan www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Lesart

Lethem, Jonathan www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Lesart

US-Autor Jonatham Lethem widmet sich im Roman "Der Fall Brooklyn" zum dritten Mal dem Leben im New Yorker Stadtviertel. Humor sei in seiner Kindheit die wichtigste Waffe für das Überleben gewesen, sagt er. Seine Liebe zu New York habe sich vertieft. Lethem, Jonathan www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Lesart

US-Autor Jonatham Lethem widmet sich im Roman "Der Fall Brooklyn" zum dritten Mal dem Leben im New Yorker Stadtviertel. Humor sei in seiner Kindheit die wichtigste Waffe für das Überleben gewesen, sagt er. Seine Liebe zu New York habe sich vertieft. Lethem, Jonathan www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Lesart

US-Autor Jonatham Lethem widmet sich im Roman "Der Fall Brooklyn" zum dritten Mal dem Leben im New Yorker Stadtviertel. Humor sei in seiner Kindheit die wichtigste Waffe für das Überleben gewesen, sagt er. Seine Liebe zu New York habe sich vertieft. Lethem, Jonathan www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de, Lesart

The author joins Harry Siegel and guest host Brian Berger of Straus News for a deep dive into his latest book, the excellent and almost undefinable Brooklyn Crime Novel. Lethem digs into his reasons on re-reexamining the Brooklyn he wrote about 20 years earlier in The Fortress of Solitude, but doing so this time with the tools of a journalist including long interviews conducted amid the dislocation and isolation of the COVID lockdown, and much more:

As a novelist, Jonathan Lethem is basically a genre all his own. His books mash up literary fiction and pulp into disorienting but engaging combinations, for which he's won both a MacArthur Grant and the National Book Award. Since the success of Motherless Brooklyn in 1999, he's published many very well received novels—including The Fortress of Solitude in 2003 and Brooklyn Crime Novel, from last year—as well as many more short stories and essays for places including the New Yorker, Harper's and Rolling Stone. And it turns out he's written a lot about art too—enough in fact, to fill an entire volume. Cellophane Bricks: A Life in Visual Culture, published this summer by ZE Books, is its own type of unexpected hybrid of writing. It spans genres, containing short stories, essays, and criticism, as well as types of art, its essays hopping between his reverence for a Hans Holbein at the Frick and respect for the “scratchiti” artist Pray. Part of the joy of the book is Lethem's determinedly eclectic and personal taste, giving his attention to both names you know and obscure children's book authors or indie comics artists. Among other things, Cellophane Bricks offers Lethem's personal recollections of growing up around artists, including his father, painter Richard Lethem, in the grassroots alternative art world rooted in the collective spaces of a pre-gentrified Brooklyn. He also writes of the ethos of the graffiti-art world around his brother, Blake "KEO" Lethem. Aside from a spirit of unconventionality, the biographical material may seem to come from another world from the delirious and sometimes fantastic short fictions in the volume, mostly written for artist catalogues for the likes of Nan Goldin, Jim Shaw, and Fred Tomaselli and gathered here for the first time. However, these also embody an ethos that clearly relates to the communal creative scenes of his youth: Lethem insists on only offering short stories as catalogue contributions, paying with his art, while accepting only artworks in return as payment. There's more still to Cellophane Bricks: essays on what it means to live with art, and varied reflections on what art and literature, word and image, bring to each other. Introducing Lethem at an event recently at the Brooklyn Public Library, the art critic Dan Fox said that, as a novelist, Lethem had left the same kind of indelible mark on how people see Brooklyn that Warhol had on Manhattan. With Cellophane Bricks, he is leaving his imprint on the art world. A footnote for the future: The book is nicely illustrated with pictures of the eclectic work it describes, and next year, the art from Cellophane Bricks the basis for a show that will be at the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College in Southern California. “Jonathan Lethem's Parallel Play: Contemporary Art and Art Writing” is described as “a chronicle of an author who roams among visual artists,” and ill feature art by Gregory Crewdson, Rosalyn Drexler, Charles Long, and others. Look out for it.

As a novelist, Jonathan Lethem is basically a genre all his own. His books mash up literary fiction and pulp into disorienting but engaging combinations, for which he's won both a MacArthur Grant and the National Book Award. Since the success of Motherless Brooklyn in 1999, he's published many very well received novels—including The Fortress of Solitude in 2003 and Brooklyn Crime Novel, from last year—as well as many more short stories and essays for places including the New Yorker, Harper's and Rolling Stone. And it turns out he's written a lot about art too—enough in fact, to fill an entire volume. Cellophane Bricks: A Life in Visual Culture, published this summer by ZE Books, is its own type of unexpected hybrid of writing. It spans genres, containing short stories, essays, and criticism, as well as types of art, its essays hopping between his reverence for a Hans Holbein at the Frick and respect for the “scratchiti” artist Pray. Part of the joy of the book is Lethem's determinedly eclectic and personal taste, giving his attention to both names you know and obscure children's book authors or indie comics artists. Among other things, Cellophane Bricks offers Lethem's personal recollections of growing up around artists, including his father, painter Richard Lethem, in the grassroots alternative art world rooted in the collective spaces of a pre-gentrified Brooklyn. He also writes of the ethos of the graffiti-art world around his brother, Blake "KEO" Lethem. Aside from a spirit of unconventionality, the biographical material may seem to come from another world from the delirious and sometimes fantastic short fictions in the volume, mostly written for artist catalogues for the likes of Nan Goldin, Jim Shaw, and Fred Tomaselli and gathered here for the first time. However, these also embody an ethos that clearly relates to the communal creative scenes of his youth: Lethem insists on only offering short stories as catalogue contributions, paying with his art, while accepting only artworks in return as payment. There's more still to Cellophane Bricks: essays on what it means to live with art, and varied reflections on what art and literature, word and image, bring to each other. Introducing Lethem at an event recently at the Brooklyn Public Library, the art critic Dan Fox said that, as a novelist, Lethem had left the same kind of indelible mark on how people see Brooklyn that Warhol had on Manhattan. With Cellophane Bricks, he is leaving his imprint on the art world. A footnote for the future: The book is nicely illustrated with pictures of the eclectic work it describes, and next year, the art from Cellophane Bricks the basis for a show that will be at the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College in Southern California. “Jonathan Lethem's Parallel Play: Contemporary Art and Art Writing” is described as “a chronicle of an author who roams among visual artists,” and ill feature art by Gregory Crewdson, Rosalyn Drexler, Charles Long, and others. Look out for it.

Perhaps best known for his novels Motherless Brooklyn (1999), The Fortress of Solitude (2003), and Chronic City (2009)—or, more recently, Brooklyn Crime Novel (2023)—the author, essayist, and cultural critic Jonathan Lethem could be considered the ultimate modern-day Brooklyn bard, even if today he lives in California, where he's a professor of English and creative writing at Pomona College. His most celebrated books take place in Brooklyn, or in the case of Chronic City, on Manhattan's Upper East Side, and across his genre-spanning works of fiction, his narratives capture a profound sense of the rich chaos and wonder to be found in an urban existence. Lethem is also the author of several essay collections, including the newly published Cellophane Bricks: A Life in Visual Culture (ZE Books), which compiles much of his art writing from over the years written in response to—and often in exchange for—artworks by friends, including Gregory Crewdson, Nan Goldin, and Raymond Pettibon.On the episode, Lethem discusses his passion for book dedications; the time he spent with James Brown and Bob Dylan, respectively, when profiling them for Rolling Stone in the mid-aughts; how his work is, in part, a way of dealing with and healing from his mother's death in 1978, at age 36; and why he views his writing as “fundamentally commemorative.”Special thanks to our Season 10 presenting sponsor, L'École, School of Jewelry Arts.Show notes:Jonathan Lethem[5:35] Cellophane Bricks[5:35] High School of Music and Art[5:35] Motherless Brooklyn[5:35] The Fortress of Solitude[5:35] The Disappointment Artist[5:35] Maureen Linker[7:15] Carmen Fariña[8:26] Julia Jacquette[8:26] Rosalyn Drexler[9:08] The Great Gatsby[9:08] Brooklyn Crime Novel[10:59] Lynn Nottage[13:08] Bennington College[13:08] Bret Easton Ellis[13:08] Donna Tartt[23:41] The Collapsing Frontier[23:41] Italo Calvino[23:41] Cold War[23:41] Red Scare[23:41] J. Edgar Hoover[27:37] Dada movement[27:37] Ernest Hemingway[27:37] Gertrude Stein[27:37] Dissident Gardens[29:38] Reaganism[29:38] “Does intergenerational transmission of trauma skip a generation?”[31:21] John Van Bergen[31:21] Nan Goldin[34:33] “The Ecstasy of Influence”[34:33] Lawrence Lessig[35:31] Copyleft movement[35:31] Hank Shocklee[38:46] Hoyt-Schermerhorn Station[42:32] “Being James Brown: Inside the Private World of the Baddest Man Who Ever Lived”[42:32] “The Genius and Modern Times of Bob Dylan”[51:00] Chronic City[54:04] The Thalia[55:50] “Lightness” by Italo Calvino[1:06:26] Jorge Luis Borges

In this edition of CREATIVES ON WRFI, a conversation between celebrated American novelist Jonathan Lethem and Jacob White, Associate Professor of Writing at Ithaca College and host of Jamaican Clash on WRFI. Jonathan Lethem visits Ithaca this weekend as part of the fourth annual Ithaca Is Books Festival (Sept. 12-15). You can see Lethem live in conversation with Writing Professor Eleanor Henderson on Friday, Sept. 13 at Buffalo Street Books (6:00 p.m.). Jonathan Lethem is the author of many books of fiction and nonfiction, including the novels Motherless Brooklyn, Fortress of Solitude, Chronic City, and Brooklyn Crime Novel. His newest book, The Collapsing Frontier, published this year by PM Press, collects recent works of nonfiction and fiction, some of which previously appeared in The New Yorker Magazine.

Portland Press Herald staff writer Ray Routhier sat down with author Jonathan Lethem for a conversation during a live event at One Longfellow Square on Tuesday, August 13. Jonathan Lethem is the author of thirteen novels including The Arrest and Brooklyn Crime Novel. His stories and essay have been collected in seven volumes, and his writing has been translated into over thirty languages. He lives in Los Angeles and Maine. His novel Motherless Brooklyn was named Novel of the Year by Esquire magazine and won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Salon Book Award, as well as the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger. Lethem received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2005. He teaches classes in creative writing and contemporary fiction at Pomona College in Claremont, California.

Is March Fourth a "declarative sentence"? No, Sam, it's an imperative sentence. But it's Hannah's birthday and at least he remembered that, if not his grammar lessons. Not to worry, though, this episode is chock full of weighty discussion, starting with "Women and Children First," the biography of the pioneering Dr. Susan Dimock (with a side bar on the enshittification of Google), and the subject of our first Sunday Salon on March 10 in Beverly Farms. From there, we head into discussion of a cool little collection of Jonathan Lethem essays, interviews, and short stories from PM Press, which got Sam buzzing, and not just because Lethem is living in Maine right now. This leads to a solid discussion of what makes for a good interview (or a bad one) — and that dovetails perfectly into Hannah's read of "Supercommunicators," by Charles Duhigg, which leads into a discussion of ski instructors who could really use the book and communication techniques that may seem obvious, but also work.  Someone who doesn't need much advice about communication is Philip Pullman, whose "The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ" is a triumph and has Sam very excited, despite the fact it was released 13 years ago. He's not sure how he missed it. If you're interested in mythmaking and Christianity's core stories, you have to read it. And, speaking of mythmaking, Hannah has read the new Katherine Arden, "The Warm Hands of Ghosts," and it does seem to deliver on all of her promise from the "Bear and the Nightingale" trilogy, which makes Sam hyperbolic. It's dark and makes clear that war is, indeed, very bad. The new Stephen King, though? Yeah, it's also pretty bad. Sam's going to finish "Holly," but he's not sure why. The phrase "social commentary for three-year-olds" may have been uttered. However, it does trigger a pretty good discussion about whether you can write a good book that's only for a certain subset of people or if truly good books are "for everyone." Like Paul Lynch's "Prophet Song," which everyone really needs to read. As a reminder. 

On this episode of the Apology podcast, host Jesse Pearson welcomes the author Jonathan Lethem to discuss many topics including (but not limited to): Julio Cortázar; animals in literature; paths of entry to the works of Norman Mailer, Philip K. Dick, and Stanisław Lem; Lethem's latest book, Brooklyn Crime Novel; and the class-based, Marxist underpinnings to the creation of literary genres. And more! Much more! Special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Sci-Fi Fantasy.

Jonathan Lethem, the bestselling author of twelve novels, including “The Fortress of Solitude” and “Motherless Brooklyn,” has often focused his books on the Brooklyn neighborhood he grew up in. His newest, “Brooklyn Crime Novel,” makes the neighborhood a main character. The book examines gentrification, nostalgia and race, among other topics. Lethem spoke to Dave Miller in front of an audience at the 2023 Portland Book Festival.

A região de Essequibo, que hoje pertence à Guiana, passou a fazer parte do noticiário, após o presidente da Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, promover um referendo para sugerir a anexação do local ao país. O conflito é histórico e se intensificou após uma grande quantidade de petróleo ser encontrada na região. Essequibo tem cerca de 160 mil km2 e é habitado por cerca de 25 mil pessoas, dos mais de 791 mil habitantes da Guiana. 80% dos que residem nesta área são indígenas originários desse território. O local é rico também em recursos minerais, destacando-se ouro, bauxita e urânio, o que atrai um grande número de garimpeiros. Além disso, a região conta com outros recursos naturais, como os produtos da floresta e a própria água, seja para consumo, seja como potencial hidrelétrico. O governo brasileiro monitora a crise entre Venezuela e Guiana para evitar que o Brasil seja usado como "instrumento" de um "incidente diplomático" entre os vizinhos.  O repórter do Estadão, Luiz Henrique Gomes, visitou a cidade de Lethem, que tem três mil habitantes, e faz parte do Essequibo, distante apenas 15 minutos da fronteira com o Brasil, e conversou conosco no ‘Estadão Notícias' sobre como a população vê este conflito, e como vivem os habitantes da região. O ‘Estadão Notícias' está disponível no Spotify, Deezer, Apple Podcasts, Google podcasts, ou no agregador de podcasts de sua preferência. Apresentação: Emanuel Bomfim Produção/Edição: Gustavo Lopes, Jefferson Perleberg e Gabriela Forte  Sonorização/Montagem: Moacir BiasiSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's Book Club podcast, I'm joined by the novelist Jonathan Lethem. Two decades after his breakthrough book The Fortress of Solitude crowned Lethem the literary laureate of Brooklyn, he returns to the borough's never-quite-gentrified streets with the new Brooklyn Crime Novel. He tells me why he felt the need to go back, and talks about race, intimacy, realism, the 'non-fiction novel' – and why he regrets his beef with the critic James Wood.

In this week's Book Club podcast, I'm joined by the novelist Jonathan Lethem. Two decades after his breakthrough book The Fortress of Solitude crowned Lethem the literary laureate of Brooklyn, he returns to the borough's never-quite-gentrified streets with the new Brooklyn Crime Novel. He tells me why he felt the need to go back, and talks about race, intimacy, realism, the 'non-fiction novel' – and why he regrets his beef with the critic James Wood.

Novelist Jonathan Lethem joins host Whitney Terrell live at the Cider Gallery in Lawrence, Kansas. Lethem discusses his new book, Brooklyn Crime Novel, which is set in the neighborhood where he grew up—and where he also set his 2003 novel Fortress of Solitude. They discuss terms like blockbusting and redlining, and the ways that Lethem's writing explores the ramifications of real estate manipulation on residents of these cities and others around the nation. Lethem reads from Brooklyn Crime Novel and talks about the book's inventive approach to time. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf. Jonathan Lethem  Brooklyn Crime Novel Motherless Brooklyn The Arrest The Fortress of Solitude Others: James Alan McPherson A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith Black Spring by Henry Miller  Another Country by James Baldwin James Joyce Patricia Highsmith Iris Murdoch Henry James Mark Twain Benito Cereno by Herman Melville Ralph Ellison Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Lethem is a best-selling essayist, novelist, and cultural critic. His books include Dissident Gardens, The Fortress of Solitude, The Feral Detective, and Motherless Brooklyn. Lethem is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. His new book is Brooklyn Crime Novel. Jonathan Lethem explains why They Live endures and is now much more than a “cult classic”, the power of John Carpenter's warnings about our present-future, reflects on what it means to be a “language worker” i.e. someone who writes for a living and thinks deeply about the written word, and why in the Age of Trump and late capitalism so many human beings have surrendered to the culture of cruelty and disposability and have become the “ghouls” from They Live. In this conversation, Jonathan Lethem and Chauncey also reflect on their mutual dislike of Christopher Nolan's films and their shared love of Michael Mann's filmThief. Chauncey shares some stories from his neighborhood, how again he encountered a (new) local pervert, is sad about how bad the New England Patriots have become in the post-Brady era and is very happy about the goddess Jade Cargill joining the WWE. He also explains how Donald Trump continues to channel antisemitism and the evils of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis – this time during an interview where the evil ex-president complains about how non-white migrants and refugees are “poisoning the blood” of (White) America. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: chaunceydevega@gmail.com HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow

Jonathan Lethem's Brooklyn Crime Novel brings readers to New York in the 70s and the cast of characters it contains. Lethem joins us to talk about creating something different than he'd done before, writing memory and nostalgia, the joy of bookselling and more with Miwa Messer, host of Poured Over. The Maniac by Benjamín Labatut defies genre with an examination and exploration of science and humanity from the Manhattan Project to the advent of A.I. Labatut joins us to talk about the dark art of writing, the mystery and mythology of existence, the importance of story and more with guest host, Jenna Seery.  We end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Jamie and Marc.    This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and Jenna Seery and mixed by Harry Liang.            Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).       Featured Books (Episode):  Brooklyn Crime Novel by Jonathan Lethem  The Maniac by Benjamín Labatut  The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem  Desperate Characters by Paula Fox  Another Country by James Baldwin  Steelwork by Gilbert Sorrentino   Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr.  When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut    Featured Books (TBR Topoff):  Underworld by Don DeLillo  The New Life by Tom Crewe 

In this episode of Chasing Leviathan, PJ and Jonathan Lethem discuss the themes and influences of Lethem's latest book, Brooklyn Crime Novel, as well as the process of writing hardboiled detective fiction.For a deep dive into Jonathan Lethem's work, check out his book: Brooklyn Crime Novel: A Novel

Amber Lethem has grown up with the sea being an important part of day to life in Hawaii, and her travels around the world have gifted Amber many great stories to share! In this episode, we expose some of the most memorable dive spots Amber has experienced around the world - from Deep Dive Dubai to Spain and even as far as Tahiti! An Underwater Model, freediving enthusiast and super enthusiastic ocean advocate - you'll love Amber's enthusiasm during this episode! Want to follow Amber on her next adventure? Find her on Instagram @HawaiiSiren. PS - Want to learn more about the basics of Underwater Photography? Here's 30% off my Underwater Photography Basics Online Mini Course to say thanks for listening to the podcast! - ⁠Simply use the ⁠discount code PODCAST23 here⁠ and get started today.

Mara Faye Lethem has received numerous international awards for her translations of contemporary Catalan authors, including the inaugural 2022 Spain-USA Foundation Translation Award for Max Besora's The Adventures and Misadventures of Joan Orpí and the 2022 Joan Baptiste Cendrós International Prize for her contributions to Catalan literature. Her translation of Irene Solà's When I Sing, Mountains Dance was shortlisted for the 2022 National Book Critics Circle Barrios Book in Translation Prize, and is currently longlisted for the 2023 Oxford-Weidenfeld Prize. In addition to many novels, she has translated shorter works that have appeared in The Guardian, Best American Non-Required Reading 2010, Granta, The Paris Review, Tin House, A Public Space, McSweeney's and more. She's also the author of the novel, A Person's A Person, No Matter How Small. In this conversation, she discusses with host Tanya Shaffer how became a literary translator, the different ways people approach the task, the particular challenges of the translator's job and the lessons they hold for all creative endeavors.

Mara Faye Lethem has received numerous international awards for her translations of contemporary Catalan authors, including the inaugural 2022 Spain-USA Foundation Translation Award for Max Besora's The Adventures and Misadventures of Joan Orpí and the 2022 Joan Baptiste Cendrós International Prize for her contributions to Catalan literature. Her translation of Irene Solà's When I Sing, Mountains Dance was shortlisted for the 2022 National Book Critics Circle Barrios Book in Translation Prize, and is currently longlisted for the 2023 Oxford-Weidenfeld Prize. In addition to many novels, she has translated shorter works that have appeared in The Guardian , Best American Non-Required Reading 2010, Granta, The Paris Review, Tin House, A Public Space, McSweeney's and more. She's also the author of the novel, A Person's A Person, No Matter How Small. In this conversation, she discusses with Tanya how became a literary translator, the different ways people approach the task, the particular challenges of the translator's job and the lessons they hold for all creative endeavors.

Libri J. Lethem, La fortezza della solitudine (trad. G. Pannofino, Marco Tropea Editore) V. Sereni, La tentazione della prosa (Mondadori) J. Egan, Il tempo è un bastardo (trad. M. Colombo, minimum fax) Musica J. Dylan, J. Castrinos, Go Where You Wanna Go G. Masin, Valerie Crossing, Somewhere in Texas S. Vega, Solitude Standing M. Richter, Iconography, Shadow Journal, On the Nature of Daylight F. Coppola, Antenne P. Glass, W. Sutter, Song I, II, III Wilco, Impossible Germany

Jonathan Lethem reads his story “Narrowing Valley,” which appeared in the October 31, 2022, issue of the magazine. Lethem's books of fiction include the story collection “Lucky Alan and Other Stories” and the novels “Motherless Brooklyn,” “The Feral Detective,” and, most recently, “The Arrest,” which was published in 2020. 

The novelist Jonathan Lethem listens here to recordings of his own New York State Writers Institute events over the past two decades. This propels conversation into wild places. It turns out that going into familiar moments—even listening to one's own voice—can prompt discoveries. There's a chance to find, as Lethem puts it, “worlds within the world.” William Kennedy describes a similar discovery here. Going back as a journalist to his hometown of Albany, NY, was “a revelation,” he says. The city that once bored him became, to the writer in search of stories, a place of proliferating character, of drama—a world full of worlds. You'll hear in this episode the reward of applying mind to matter. Says Lethem: “We have tables and chairs and apples and cherries and shirts and pants and socks, but everything else seems to me pretty much up for grabs. Once you put subjectivity and consciousness in the mix, it all gets pretty strange.” On this episode: Jonathan Lethem (conversation with Adam Colman). Books: Motherless Brooklyn and The Arrest. Samuel Delany (from the archives). Books: Dhalgren and Nova. Ann Beattie (from the archives). Books: What Was Mine and Another You. Denis Johnson (from the archives). Books: Jesus' Son and Train Dreams. William Kennedy (conversation with Adam Colman). Books: Very Old Bones and The Flaming Corsage. Find out more about the New York State Writers Institute at https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom and Gav try Anthropomorphism on for size in this discussion of Jonathan Lethem's breakthrough debut novel.It's difficult to separate Jonathan Lethem from this exhaustive podcast series about Bennington College and it's influence on American literature of the 80's/90's, but this is the episode that deals specifically with the publication of Gun, with occasional music and Motherless Brooklyn. You can dive as deeply as you like…...and here's Jonathan Lethem talking about his favourite books with a big helping of Non-Bennington Autobiography to go along.Lethem's article, The Ecstasy of Influence, which he talks about at the top of the above interview.German listeners will already be familiar with this very successful example of anthropomorphic comedy involving, coincidentally, a Kangaroo. Metcalf's world was probably shaped in large part by Flexians, the professional fixers of tawdry privatized and outsourced government policies that meet the needs of the private sector. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gasgiants.substack.com

Vox's Constance Grady talks with writer Jonathan Lethem about his 2003 work The Fortress of Solitude in this recording from a live Vox Book Club event. They discuss the prescient and still-relevant themes of the novel — like the issues of appropriation in art, gentrification, and superheroes, how Lethem approaches "realism" in his writing, and the role of music and comics in both his own life and the lives of his characters. Vox Conversations will be on summer break the week of July 4th, and will return on Monday, July 11th. Host: Constance Grady (@constancegrady), staff writer, Vox Guests: Jonathan Lethem, author References:  The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem (Vintage; 2003) "The Fortress of Solitude is a fraught and uneasy love letter to a vanished Brooklyn" by Constance Grady (Vox; May 20) "The Author Looks Inward: A Conversation with Jonathan Lethem" by Brian Gresko (LARB; Sept. 8, 2013) Another Country by James Baldwin (1962) Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann (1901) Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (1977) Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts This episode was made by:  Producer: Erikk Geannikis Editor: Amy Drozdowska Engineer: Patrick Boyd Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Near a village high in the Pyrenees, Domènec wanders across a ridge, fancying himself more a poet than a farmer, to “reel off his verses over on this side of the mountain.” He gathers black chanterelles and attends to a troubled cow. And then storm clouds swell, full of electrifying power. Reckless, gleeful, they release their bolts of lightning, one of which strikes Domènec. He dies. The ghosts of seventeenth-century witches gather around him, taking up the chanterelles he'd harvested before going on their merry ways. So begins When I Sing, Mountains Dance, which is as much about the mountains and the mushrooms as it is about the human dramas that unfold in their midst.   Join us for this episode as author Irene Solá discusses her novel with translator Mara Faye Lethem. _______________________________________________   Produced by Natalie Freeman, Lance Morgan, & Michael Kowaleski. Theme: "I Love All My Friends," an unreleased demo by Fragile Gang. Visit https://www.skylightbooks.com/event for future offerings from the Skylight Books Events team.

This week, tune into a conversation between Jonathan Lethem, award-winning author of The Fortress of Solitude, and Stacie Williams, whose book Bizarro Worlds references Lethem's characters and storylines to explore racism and gentrification. This conversation originally took place March 15th, 2019 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering [...]

This week, tune into a conversation between Jonathan Lethem, award-winning author of The Fortress of Solitude, and Stacie Williams, whose book Bizarro Worlds references Lethem's characters and storylines to explore racism and gentrification. This conversation originally took place March 15th, 2019 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering [...]

Jonathan Lethem reads his story from the March 8, 2021, issue of the magazine. Lethem is the author of seventeen books of fiction, including the novels “Motherless Brooklyn,” “The Feral Detective,” and, most recently, “The Arrest,” which was published last year.

Jonathan Lethem is a best-selling essayist, novelist, and cultural critic. His books include Dissident Gardens, Chronic City, The Fortress of Solitude, The Feral Detective, and Motherless Brooklyn. Lethem is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Lethem's new book is The Arrest. Jonathan ponders thinking and writing in the Age of Trumpism and the plague, how Trump may be an evil “gift” for an undead America because he has vanquished so many of the country's myths and fables, and how “essential workers” are part of a dystopian death cult reality pulled straight from science fiction. Lethem also reflects on his book Motherless Brooklyn which was adapted into a recent movie featuring Edward Norton. Chauncey DeVega sends positive Christmas holiday energy to the good people who listen to and support his podcasts and other work. Chauncey also shares his personal list of “Christmas movies” – one that of course does not include Die Hard. And as a public health service Chauncey warns the world about the various Christmas monsters which are now wandering the Earth. SELECTED LINKS OF INTEREST FOR THIS EPISODE OF THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW The Monsters of Christmas The James Clayton Column: The Thing is just the thing for the festive season Smokey Robinson made one mother's Hanukkah very memorable Billionaires Who Profited from the Pandemic Should Help Pay for Our Recovery Robotech's Christmas Episode Is the Perfect Holiday Special for 2020 WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: chaunceydevega@gmail.com HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE CHAUNCEY DEVEGA SHOW? Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thechaunceydevegashow Please subscribe to and follow my new podcast The Truth Report https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-truth-report-with-chauncey-devega/id1465522298 http://thetruthreportwithchaunceydevega.libsyn.com/ Music at the end of this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show is by JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound. You can listen to some of their great music on Spotify.

Positive energy to all of you. I would also like to thank the kind Patreons and other good people who via Paypal have shown so much love forThe Truth Report. On this episode of The Truth Report I am sharing a special Christmas holiday episode of my other podcast The Chauncey DeVega Show. I do hope you enjoy it. Jonathan Lethem is a best-selling essayist, novelist, and cultural critic. His books include Dissident Gardens, Chronic City, The Fortress of Solitude, The Feral Detective, and Motherless Brooklyn. Lethem is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Lethem’s new book is The Arrest. Jonathan ponders thinking and writing in the Age of Trumpism and the plague, how Trump may be an evil “gift” for an undead America because he has vanquished so many of the country’s myths and fables, and how “essential workers” are part of a dystopian death cult reality pulled straight from science fiction. Lethem also reflects on his book Motherless Brooklyn which was adapted into a recent movie featuring Edward Norton. Chauncey DeVega sends positive Christmas holiday energy to the good people who listen to and support his podcasts and other work. Chauncey also shares his personal list of “Christmas movies” – one that of course does not include Die Hard. And as a public health service Chauncey warns the world about the various Christmas monsters which are now wandering the Earth. WHERE CAN YOU FIND ME? On Twitter: https://twitter.com/chaunceydevega On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chauncey.devega My email: chaunceydevega@gmail.com HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE TRUTH REPORT? Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheTruthReportPodcast Via Paypal at ChaunceyDeVega.com Music at the end of this week's episode of The Truth Report is by JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound. You can listen to some of their great music on Spotify.

Jonathan Lethem joins us to discuss his new novel, The Arrest, a dystopian novel about two Hollywood friends who find themselves in conflict after an apocalyptic event.  Lethem will join us again as part of our Get Lit with All Of It book club. For our special partnership with the New York Public Library's 'Roar for NYC' programming, we will spend the month of December reading Lethem's classic, Motherless Brooklyn, which was on the Library's new list of "125 NYC Books We Love." Lethem will join us for the event on January 7.

He’s the best-selling author of books like Motherless Brooklyn. His latest novel is The Arrest. Jonathan Lethem is a storyteller who mixes genres like hard-boiled crime novels, post-apocalyptic science fiction and superhero comics. Growing up in Bohemian Brooklyn in the 1970s, Lethem learned everything there was to know about the music of Bob Dylan and saw Star-Wars twenty-one times during its original theatrical release.  He also collected drawings of vomiting cats. “Now  What?” is produced with the help of Gabe Zimmer, Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta. 

The Depression-era novel Miss Lonelyhearts, by Nathanael West, has been called "the purest expression of despair that American literature has produced, in any era." As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us in this Fishko Files, 80 years after the author's death, the book - about the descent into darkness of an advice columnist - still rings true. Miss Lonelyhearts is available to order online. Jonathan Lethem's upcoming novel, The Arrest, will be published this November. You can find more Lethem on West in "The American Vicarious" (The Believer, 2009). For more on Lowell Liebermann, visit his website. Thanks to Rex Doane for lending his voice to our excerpts from Miss Lonelyhearts. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

Jonathan Lethem reads his story from the May 18, 2020, issue of the magazine. Lethem is the author of more than fifteen books of fiction, including “Motherless Brooklyn,” “The Gambler’s Anatomy,” and “The Feral Detective.” A new novel, “The Arrest,” will be published later this year.  

On the BobPhone from the USA: it’s award-winning writer Jonathan Lethem, author of Motherless Brooklyn, with a supremely quotable episode. On his “Big Kahuna” interview of Bob for Rolling Stone: “he was direct and generous; we had a good time”. An advocate for Dylan’s latter-day stuff, he believes that “humour is underrated as a feature of the operation”. Among Jonathan’s many provocative thoughts: “The power of (Dylan’s) negativity is a form of creative dynamism” and “how many people could have turned down the coronations he’s been offered”? He praises the “fiasco methodology” of Under The Red Sky, has mixed feelings about Together Through Life (“if you underrate a thing it can kick your ass”) and condemns the Sinatra years as “a fatally tasteful hiding place”. Did Dylan stay in Mississippi a day too long? Join us and find out. Jonathan Lethem is an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. His first novel Gun, with Occasional Music, which mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was published in 1994. In 1999, Lethem published Motherless Brooklyn, a National Book Critics Circle Award-winning novel that achieved mainstream success: the movie adaptation by Edward Norton has just been released. In 2003, he published The Fortress of Solitude, which became a New York Times bestseller. His most recent novel is The Feral Detective. A Brooklyn native, Jonathan lives and teaches in California. His 2006 Rolling Stone piece on James Brown Website Trailer Spotify playlist Listeners: please subscribe and/or leave a review and a rating. Twitter @isitrollingpod Recorded 19th November 2019

We're on a roll! Two episodes in two weeks. Surely it can't last! Gary has been reading Margaret Atwood's Booker Prize-winning novel The Testaments and it's sparked off all sorts of thoughts on that old chestnut: science fiction vs. literary fiction. What are literary writers doing when they write SF? Can SF writers cross-over to the mainstream? Is this purely a generational perspective and does it just not matter any more? All these questions are at least touched on, if not settled (they're not settled), as well as mentions of Lethem, Le Guin, Chabon and others, and a brief discussion of robots and AI in SF. They even discuss some very interesting comments on the Atwood novel by Nina Allan over on her blog. All in all, a typical rambly shambles. As always, we hope you enjoy!

Phoebe Siegler incontra il Detective Selvaggio, in una roulotte trasandata alla periferia di Los Angeles.

Ratso and Vin unpack the star-studded origin story of Dying On The Vine and speak with best-selling author Jonathan Lethem about its' influence on his book Girl In Landscape.

Jonathan Lethem reads his short story from the March 4, 2019, issue of the magazine. Lethem is the author of more than fifteen books of fiction, including the novels "The Fortress of Solitude," "A Gambler's Anatomy," and "The Feral Detective," which was published last year. 

Acclaimed author Jonathan Lethem (Motherless Brooklyn, Fortress of Solitude) talks about making art while the world is on fire, writing female characters, his life-long love of music, and of course, his newest book, The Feral Detective, published by Harper Collins. The music played during our interview was taken from Lethem's list of music for his novel from the always excellent Large Hearted Boy. Further music writing by Jonathan Lethem: Jonathan Lethem on the Music of his Life Being James Brown The Genius and Modern Times of Bob Dylan The Ecstasy of Influence

Jonathan Lethem drops into the Damn Library and the guys are damn excited to have him. They talk about Lethem's new one, The Feral Detective, of course, but they also talk about his work as a whole, and how his books are in conversation with each other, along with a tangent into timeliness and how lucky he feels. Then they get into Sei Shōnagon's Pillow Book, a classic unclassifiable Japanese work, began in the year 990. Translation conversation, and what a "pillow book" is, ensues. One for the ages! contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com music: Disaster Magic (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic)  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part madcap comedy, part post-Election 2016 primal scream, Jonathan Lethem’s The Feral Detective is a veritable carnival of hardboiled delights from the author of Motherless Brooklyn. On this week’s episode, Lethem joins Clay and Megan in eternal debates- East Coast vs. West Coast, Democrat vs. Republican, Rabbits vs. Bears (trust us)- and fiction editor Laurie Muchnick introduces the Best 100 Fiction Books of 2018.

There’s a famous line from a Bob Dylan song that goes “she’s got everything she needs...she’s an artist...she don’t look back.”  As a person who loves art—music and literature especially—I’ve always been haunted by that line. Does an artist really not look back? Is looking back somehow a threat to creativity? What about Proust? Did he ever look anywhere but back?  My guest today is Jonathan Lethem, one of my very favorite writers since I read his early novel Fortress of Solitude. He’s also the author of Motherless Brooklyn, Dissident Gardens and much more. Lethem is an artist who experiments and explores, playing with forms and genres and trying on new masks, but he also spends a lot of time rummaging through the stacks, unearthing things that are lost or forgotten. His latest book is More Alive and Less Lonely, a collection of essays about books and reading.  Surprise conversation-starter clips in this episode:  Henry Rollins: what is punk?  Michelle Thaller on human cyber-evolution Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our featured guest in this episode of the Team Lally Radio show is Amber Lethem, a certified Top Producer Consultant Sales and Leadership Coach at Southwestern Consulting.  Amber tells us the story of growing up in Kaneohe Hawaii, studying in Baylor University and getting her start in sales by going door to door.  She goes on to tell us about her travels while living in Scotland before returning to Hawaii.  She talks about her journey and career that has brought her success with Southwestern Consulting.  Amber highlights the importance of coaching and the process to being successful in business and life.Also in this episode: Quotes of the day, Tips of the week, special events, this week's Open houses and Coming soon listings.  Who is Amber Lethem? Amber Lethem is a certified Top Producer Consultant Sales and Leadership Coach at Southwestern Consulting. She specializes in teaching ethical sales techniques and strategies that individuals and teams can use to immediately grow their sales.She was raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and habitually pursues different challenges. Here As a top salesperson and business builder, Amber lives the statement “Lead by Example.” With a passion for generational impact and helping young adults reach their full potential, she brought multiple top sales teams and built the #1 Organization worldwide in 2015. To reach Amber you may contact her in the following ways:Email: ALethem@southwesternconsulting.comWebsite: https://www.southwesternconsulting.com/AmberLethem/LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberlethem/

Without a guest, the guys make good on their TMN Tournament of Books bet- Drew chose Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn. They talk about what matters in a noir, Lethem tackling Tourette's, and enjoying a book about where you live, amongst other subjects. Also: Patreon listener recommendations! contribute: patreon.com/smdb drink lists, book lists, and more: somanydamnbooks.com 15 seconds of a song: Lounger - Dogs Die in Hot Cars Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Alive and Less Lonely: On Books and Writers (Melville House Publishing) A collection of bestselling, NBCC prize-winning author Jonathan Lethem’s finest writing on the subject of writers and writing. A readerly wake-up call from one of America’s finest and most acclaimed working writers. Picking up where his NBCC Award finalist collection The Ecstasy of Influence left off, More Alive and Less Lonely collects more than a decade of Lethem’s finest writing on writing, with new and previously unpublished material, including: impassioned appeals for forgotten writers and overlooked books, razor-sharp essays, and personal accounts of his most extraordinary literary encounters and discoveries. Only Lethem, with his love of cult favorites and the canon alike, can write with equal insight about the stories of modern masters like Lorrie Moore and Salman Rushdie, graphic novelist Chester Brown, science fiction outlier Philip K. Dick, and classic icons like Moby-Dick. Edited by novelist Christopher Boucher (Golden Delicious), More Alive and Less Lonely deserves a place on every serious reader’s bookshelf. Lethem’s joyful approach to literature will inspire you to dive back into your favorite books and then point you towards what to read next. Jonathan Lethem is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including Dissident Gardens, The Fortress of Solitude, and Motherless Brooklyn; three short story collections; and two essay collections, including The Ecstasy of Influence, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, Lethem’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and the New York Times, among other publications. Editor Christopher Boucher is a professor of English at Boston College, editor of Post Road magazine, and author of the novels How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive and Golden Delicious, both from Melville House. Jarett Kobek is a Turkish-American writer living in California. His novella ATTA was called “highly interesting,” by the Times Literary Supplement, has appeared in Spanish translation, been the subject of much academic writing, and was a recent and unexplained bestseller in parts of Canada. Presently, he's working on a book about the Ol' Dirty Bastard's first album for Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 series. He is the author of the novel I Hate the Internet.

Last month 25 soldiers were killed in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh by Maoist or Naxalite rebels. It's the latest episode in a 50 year conflict which has left thousands dead and tens of thousands homeless. So who are the Naxalites? BBC Hindi's Salman Ravi explains the movement and its origins. Guyanese rodeo Grab your Stetson and pull on those cowboy boots: it's rodeo time in Guyana. This unexpected slice of the wild, wild west takes part in the small ranching town of Lethem and Carinya Sharples went along to join the fun. The gangs of Japan - and Brazil A big business group in Japan had a recent internal disagreement, leading to a splinter group forming. Interviews were given and statements made. What's unusual about the story is that it's about a yakuza or crime syndicate. Ewerthon Tobace reports for BBC Brasil from Tokyo. Umaru and the diamonds Next week a 709 carat rough diamond from Sierra Leone will go under the hammer. It was found in the Kono region, where BBC Africa's Umaru Fofana grew up, and it turns out he's no stranger to diamond mining. China's TV dating show A new TV show called Chinese Dating has captured the hearts of viewers across China. What makes it unusual is that here it's the contestants' parents who make the choices. Suping from BBC Chinese has been viewing. And Fifi Haroon's pick of the world wide web Image: Arms seized from Maoists in Orissa's Malkangiri district following a fierce gun battle with police Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images

Jonathan Lethem is the best-selling author of Gun, with Occasional Music, Fortress of Solitude, and other novels, including the Naitonal Book Critics' Circle award-winning Motherless Brooklyn. He's known for reanimating and remixing genres - hard-boiled crime novels, post-apocalyptic science fiction, superhero comics and even technicolor westerns. His most recent novel is called A Gambler's Anatomy. It's about a high-stakes competitive backgammon player and con artist - a character who, like Lethem, was raised in the bohemian Brooklyn of the 1970s. Episode music: "Crate Diggin" by Ari de Niro Ad music: "Joy in the Restaurant" by David Szesztay

We love talking to authors about their books, but do you know what’s almost more fun? Talking to them about other people's books. This year, at the book festival Wordstock, we rounded up some amazing writers and illustrators on the OPB Pop-Up Stage to ask them: was there a book that changed your life?Richard Russo - 1:24The books of Richard Russo are practically synonymous with small town American life. They tell stories of working-class folks in falling-down mill towns in upstate New York, but they could take place practically anywhere in the U.S. Russo’s 2001 novel, “Empire Falls,” won the Pulitzer prize and was made into a mini-series on HBO. His 1993 novel, “Nobody’s Fool,” was made into a movie starring Paul Newman and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and this year, Russo is back with the a sequel, “Everybody’s Fool.”Russo picked two volumes of short stories by Richard Yates: “Eleven Kinds of Loneliness” and “Liars in Love.” Best known for the novel "Revolutionary Road," Yates wrote about everyday people with small dreams who nonetheless failed to attain them."Looking back on it now, these stories amounted to almost permission to write," said Russo. "It was the fact that, in some ways, Yates's subject matter was so modest, and yet he had turned it into literature of the highest order, something about that spoke to me as a not terribly confident young writer."Nikki McClure - 15:31Nikki McClure's trademark paper art is now iconic in the Northwest. She makes images of children and families engaging in work, experiencing the wild, and making the world better in small ways. She has an illustrator's eye for animal and plant life, and an exquisite touch for the details of a child's face. Her latest book is "Waiting For High Tide." She chats with April Baer about books that deeply resonate with her: "Blueberries for Sal" by Robert McCloskey and the collective works of Tove Jansson.Karen Russell - 25:56Karen Russell’s writing takes your imagination hostage, whisking you into worlds where the children of werewolves get schooled by nuns, vampires pucker their fangs on lemons as a temporary fix, and girls elope with ghosts, only to be left at the alter. Her book “Swamplandia” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and she’s a recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Grant. Her most recent works include the e-book “Sleep Donation: A Novella” and the short story collection “Vampires in the Lemon Grove.”Russell tells Aaron Scott how Carson McCullum's 1940 novel, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter," electrified her when she was a teenager. "To be able to be so articulate about unspeakable experiences is something that books can do that other forms can’t represent that same way," she says.Jonathan Lethem - 37:44Jonathan Lethem’s novels take us to fabulous places. His writing style interweaves humor, charm, mystery, and stylish prose to create delightful page-turning epics. The recipient of a MacArthur grant and a National Book Critics Circle Award, Lethem also writes great essays and short stories. His latest novel, "A Gambler’s Anatomy," has garnered praise for its mysterious Bond-like hero and it's magical spin on reality.Lethem discusses how "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" was the first book he read where he felt like he could actually hear the voice of the author — a voice full of puns and secret references that inspired his own voices in books like "Motherless Brooklyn."

Jonathan Lethem’s latest novel, A Gambler’s Anatomy (Doubleday, 2016), traces the existential crisis of an international backgammon hustler who thinks he’s psychic and who, while plying his trade in Berlin, discovers a rare kind of tumor growing behind his face. His search for a physical cure, seemingly at odds with his spiritual quest for identity, takes him to California, where he becomes embroiled in conspiratorial circumstances which become increasingly indistinguishable from his growing inner turmoil. JONATHAN LETHEM is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including Dissident Gardens, The Fortress of Solitude, and Motherless Brooklyn; three short story collections; and two essay collections, including The Ecstasy of Influence, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, Lethem’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and The New York Times, among other publications. The second part of this interview can be found at: http://auticulture.com/liminalist-78-5-termite-elephant-unknown-face-jonathan-lethem/ Jasun Horsley is the author of Seen & Not Seen: Confessions of a Movie Autist and several other books on extra-consensual perceptions. He has a weekly podcast called The Liminalist: The Podcast Between and a blog. For more info, go to http://auticulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Lethem’s latest novel, A Gambler’s Anatomy (Doubleday, 2016), traces the existential crisis of an international backgammon hustler who thinks he’s psychic and who, while plying his trade in Berlin, discovers a rare kind of tumor growing behind his face. His search for a physical cure, seemingly at odds with his spiritual quest for identity, takes him to California, where he becomes embroiled in conspiratorial circumstances which become increasingly indistinguishable from his growing inner turmoil. JONATHAN LETHEM is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including Dissident Gardens, The Fortress of Solitude, and Motherless Brooklyn; three short story collections; and two essay collections, including The Ecstasy of Influence, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, Lethem’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and The New York Times, among other publications. The second part of this interview can be found at: http://auticulture.com/liminalist-78-5-termite-elephant-unknown-face-jonathan-lethem/ Jasun Horsley is the author of Seen & Not Seen: Confessions of a Movie Autist and several other books on extra-consensual perceptions. He has a weekly podcast called The Liminalist: The Podcast Between and a blog. For more info, go to http://auticulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Lethem’s latest novel, A Gambler’s Anatomy (Doubleday, 2016), traces the existential crisis of an international backgammon hustler who thinks he’s psychic and who, while plying his trade in Berlin, discovers a rare kind of tumor growing behind his face. His search for a physical cure, seemingly at odds with his spiritual quest for identity, takes him to California, where he becomes embroiled in conspiratorial circumstances which become increasingly indistinguishable from his growing inner turmoil. JONATHAN LETHEM is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including Dissident Gardens, The Fortress of Solitude, and Motherless Brooklyn; three short story collections; and two essay collections, including The Ecstasy of Influence, which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, Lethem’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and The New York Times, among other publications. The second part of this interview can be found at: http://auticulture.com/liminalist-78-5-termite-elephant-unknown-face-jonathan-lethem/ Jasun Horsley is the author of Seen & Not Seen: Confessions of a Movie Autist and several other books on extra-consensual perceptions. He has a weekly podcast called The Liminalist: The Podcast Between and a blog. For more info, go to http://auticulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As has become an annual event, Andy and Derek use their penultimate show of the year to discuss the current volume of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's The Best American Comics. The series is overseen by Bill Kartalopoulos -- whom the guys interviewed on the show last year -- and this year's collection is edited by novelist Jonathan Lethem. The entries collected in The Best American Comics 2015 represent what both Lethem and Kartalopoulos consider to be the most outstanding comics published between September 1, 2013, and August 31, 2014. The guys begin by highlighting the organization of this year's volume, pointing out that Lethem has retained the topic- or theme-based approach used by Scott McCloud in last year's collection. The editor breaks down his entries into ten different chapter topics, ranging from the self-evident "Storytellers" and "Biopics and Historical Fictions" to more obscurely intriguing groupings such as "Brainworms" and "Raging Her-Moans." The guys are familiar with most of the contributions included this year -- to paraphrase Andy, The Best American Comics volumes just seem to reinforce their tastes in comics-- and many of them have been the subject of previous Comics Alternative reviews and interviews. They comment on the sheer number of entries that are excerpts from longer works, including Roz Chast's Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?, Jules Feiffer's Kill My Mother, Farel Dalrymple's The Wrenchies, Gabrielle Bell's The Colombia Diaries, Sept 14-16, Cole Closser's Little Tommy Lost, Matthew Thurber Infomaniacs, Anya Ulinich's Lena Finkle's Magic Barrel, Jim Woodring's Fran, Anya Davidson's School Spirits, and Josh Bayer's Theth. Most of these selections easily stand on their own, but some could have benefited from more content or additional editorial context (examples being the excerpts from Anders Nilsen's Rage of Poseidon and Joe Sacco's The Great War.) Some of the highlights in this year's volume include works by creators that either Derek or Andy have never read before, such as Mat Brinkman and his darkly surreal Cretin Keep on Creep'n Creek, or Gina Wynbrandt and her hilariously self-deprecating Someone Please Have Sex with Me. This is another must-read book for the Two Guys, but their discussion isn't without its disagreements. In good Siskel and Ebert fashion, the guys spar over the nature of the Best American Comics volumes and, specifically, over the curious “Notable Comics” list in the very back of the book. (This is a list of other significant comics published between September 1, 2013, and August 31, 2014, but not making it into the volume proper.) Derek mentions the almost complete absence in this list of any titles reflecting mainstream (in a broad sense) sensibilities -- the one exception to this is Geoff Darrow's Shaolin Cowboy from Dark Horse Comics -- and scratches his head over these choices that come with no permission or copyright obstacles. And he argues that discussing a text by what it is not can actually give a firmer grasp of what it actually is. Andy, on the other hand, is completely OK with the totally subjective approach to anthologies such as this, and he questions Derek's assumptions of the book's readership. The guys also discuss the notion that, in many ways, these selections are also political choices, especially when published by a major trade house such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. But these are the kinds of debates that should sound familiar to Comics Alternative listeners, especially when it comes to matters of awards, essential readings, and “Best of” collections. The bottom line, though, is that both Andy and Derek agree that The Best American Comics 2015 is yet another important contribution to our ever-expanding understanding of the medium. “Best” or not, these comics are definitely well worth reading.

Lucky Alan: And Other Stories (Doubleday Books) The incomparable Jonathan Lethem returns with nine brilliant stories that prove he is a master of the short form as well as the novel. Jonathan Lethem stretches new literary muscles in this scintillating new collection of stories. Some of these tales--such as "Pending Vegan," which wonderfully captures a parental ache and anguish during a family visit to an aquatic theme park--are, in Lethem's words, "obedient (at least outwardly) to realism." Others, like "The Dreaming Jaw, The Salivating Ear, " which deftly and hilariously captures the solipsism of blog culture, feature "the uncanny and surreal elements that still sometimes erupt in my short stories." The tension between these two approaches, and the way they inform each other, increase the reader's surprise and delight as one realizes how cleverly Lethem is playing with form. Devoted fans of Lethem will recognize familiar themes and tropes--the anxiety of influence pushed to reduction ad absurdum in "The King of Sentences"; a hapless outsider trying to summon up bravado in "The Porn Critic;" characters from the comics stranded on a desert island; the necessity and the impossibility of action against authority in "Procedure in Plain Air." As always, Lethem's work, humor, and poignancy work in harmony; people strive desperately for connection through words and often misdirect deeds; and the sentences are glorious. Jonathan Lethem is the author of six novels, including Dissident Gardens, Motherless Brooklyn, The Fortress of Solitude, and Gun, with Occasional Music. He lives in Brooklyn.

Dissident Gardens (Vintage Books) Mermaids in Paradise (W.W. Norton & Company) Jonathan Lethem, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the MacArthur Fellowship whose writing has been called "as ambitious as [Norman] Mailer, as funny as Philip Roth, and as stinging as Bob Dylan" ("Los Angeles Times"), returns with an epic yet intimate family saga. Rose Zimmer, the aptly nicknamed Red Queen of Sunnyside, Queens, is an unreconstructed Communist who savages neighbors, family, and political comrades with the ferocity of her personality and the absolutism of her beliefs. Her equally passionate and willful daughter, Miriam, flees Rose's influence for the dawning counterculture of Greenwich Village. Despite their differences, they share a power to enchant the men in their lives: Rose's aristocratic German Jewish husband, Albert; her feckless chess hustler cousin, Lenny; Cicero Lookins, the brilliant son of her black cop lover; Miriam's (slightly fraudulent) Irish folksinger husband, Tommy Gogan; and their bewildered son, Sergius. Through Lethem's vivid storytelling we come to understand that the personal may be political, but the political, even more so, is personal. Pulitzer Prize finalist Lydia Millet returns to redefine “comedy of errors” in Mermaids In Paradise, the genre-bending satire of a tropical honeymoon hijacked by mermaids, kidnappers, and mercenaries. In this hilarious novel, a honeymooning couple makes friends with a marine biologist who discovers genuine mermaids in a coral reef—and who, the next night, apparently drowns in her hotel bathtub. As a resort chain swoops in to corner the market on mermaids, the newlyweds (opinionated, skeptical narrator Deb and handsome online gamer Chip, the world's friendliest man) join forces with other vacationers—including an ex–Navy SEAL with a love of explosives and a hipster Tokyo VJ—to protect the mermaids from the corporate “Venture of Marvels” that wants to turn their habitat into a theme park. Mermaids in Paradise is Millet's funniest book yet, tempering the sharp satire of her early career with the empathy and emotional power of her more recent, critically acclaimed novels and short stories. This is an unforgettable, mesmerizing tale, comic on the surface and deeply solemn at its core. Praise for Dissident Gardens: "Dissident Gardens seamlessly weaves together three generations, yet it doesn't broadcast itself as a multigenerational epic, nor is it afflicted by the desire to pose as the next great American novel. It's an intimate book."--The New York Times Book Review "A tour de force, a brilliant, satiric journey through America's dissident history."--The Star Tribune "Lethem has artfully blended, redefined, ignored, satirized and enriched the traditional categories of fiction."--The Plain Dealer "Remarkable. . . . Lethem's best novel since "Motherless Brooklyn." . . . Crackle[s] with wordplay and intelligence."--The Miami Herald "The writing soars. . . . Lethem can riff with the best, spinning knockout lines that make you stop and stare . . . while you admire a sentence's every turn."--The Seattle Times "An assured, expert literary performance by one of our most important writers. . . . Magnificent."--Los Angeles Review of Books Praise for Mermaids in Paradise: "Mermaids in Paradise makes brilliant comedy out of a honeymoon trip that veers from the absurd to the sublime and back again. Lydia Millet is a stone-cold genius. --Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation "I laughed so hard all over town. Leave it to Lydia Millet to capsize her human characters in aquamarine waters and upstage their honeymoon with mermaids. I am awed to know there's a mind like Millet's out there. She's a writer without limits, always surprising, always hilarious. --Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia! andVampires in the Lemon Grove Jonathan Lethem is the "New York Times" bestselling author of nine novels, including Chronic City, The Fortress of Solitude, and Motherless Brooklyn, and of the nonfiction collection The Ecstasy of Influence. A National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, Lethem's work has appeared in "The New Yorker," "Harper's Magazine," "Rolling Stone," "Esquire," and "The New York Times," among other publications.  Lydia Millet is the author of twelve previous books of fiction. Her novel Ghost Lightswas a New York Times Notable Book; its sequel Magnificence was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle and Los Angeles Times Awards in fiction; and her story collection Love in Infant Monkeys was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. She lives outside Tucson, Arizona. 

The 65th Book Slam Podcast is chock full of fascinating content undermined by some rather low rent banter and lousy production. Sorry. Guests include the brilliant JONATHAN LETHEM, reading from and discussing 'Dissident Gardens', DOMINIC FRISBY describing 'Life After The State' and fabulous music from LAURA GROVES. Elliott's just been for a run, Patrick turns up his nose.

Jonathan Lethem talks about his latest novel Dissident Gardens. It's an epic family novel criss-crossing generations from the '50s to the present day, focussing on Rose, an American Communist. Based on his own upbringing and radical grandmother, Lethem describes how even as a youngster he guessed he'd never be able to stand for President, as there surely would have been a 'problem with my files'. This weekend the final two episodes of The Bridge are screened on BBC4. The series, which has spawned many international remakes, follows a Swedish and a Danish detective working on a case together, and explores the cultural differences that inform their relationship. Sofia Helin and Kim Bodnia, aka detectives Saga Norén and Martin Rohde, discuss the surprise popularity of the show and the challenges of acting with someone who is speaking a different language. This week a crisps manufacturing company admitted they had used a photograph of the late Welsh poet R.S. Thomas to advertise a competition on their packets, without knowing who he was. Thomas's biographer Byron Rogers reflects on the strange case of the poet and the crisp packet. Many of this year's Oscar contenders claim to be 'based on a true story', among them 12 Years a Slave, Philomena, Saving Mr Banks, Captain Phillips and The Wolf of Wall St. Adam Smith has been digging around and begs to take issue with the veracity the film-makers claim. Producer Stephen Hughes.

If repertory film culture is a slowly dying sect of cinephilia, then at least its final years will be lead by some of the most creative people possible, including BAMcinemtek's Nellie Killian. Nellie sits down with Peter to talk about growing up next to the Castro, finding an addiction to New York's repertory scene, and then becoming a programmer herself. The two then focus on Migrating Forms, an upcoming experimental film festival hosted at BAM December 11th-15th, which will feature audacious new works from the Harvard Sensory Ethnography Lab, a electronic arts show featuring Merce Cunningham's coreography, and Johnnie To comedies. The two will finally focus on a special project Nellie brought to the festival, Anne Charlotte Robertson's Five Year Diary project, and focus on how the film's portrayal of mental illness is unlike anything you've ever seen. 0:00-1:27 Opening2:27-6:55 Establishing Shots - Mauvais Sang / Donations7:40-1:04:33 Deep Focus - Nellie Killian1:06:01-1:22:28 Double Exposure - Five Year Diary (Anne Charlotte Roberton)1:22:32-1:24:47 Close / Outtake

On this month's fiction podcast, Jonathan Lethem reads "The Rescue," by V. S. Pritchett, which was first published in The New Yorker in 1973 and can be found in Pritchett's "Complete Collected Stories." (Lethem's most recent fiction in the magazine, "The Gray Goose," was excerpted from his new novel, "Dissident Gardens.") In his discussion with The New Yorker's fiction editor, Deborah Treisman, Lethem says that Pritchett is a "total sorcerer," a writer who lets readers into a world that seems stable and then "pulls the rug out from under" them, changing where the story is going and what they think of the characters. "The Rescue," which is narrated by a sixteen-year-old girl whose mother brings home an awkward boy named Ellis to help her plan the town's annual pageant, is, according to Lethem, a perfect model for the way Pritchett tends to "overturn expectations."

Jonathan Lethem is the guest. His latest novel, Dissident Gardens, is now available from Doubleday.  The Los Angeles Times raves "Lethem is as ambitious as Mailer, as funny as Philip Roth and as stinging as Bob Dylan...Dissident Gardens shows Lethem in full possession of his powers as a novelist, as he smoothly segues between historical periods and internal worlds...Erudite, beautifully written, wise, compassionate, heartbreaking and pretty much devoid of nostalgia." And Booklist, in a starred review, says "Lethem extends his stylistically diverse, loosely aligned, deeply inquiring saga of New York City (Motherless Brooklyn, 1999; The Fortress of Solitude, 2003; Chronic City, 2009) with a richly saturated, multigenerational novel about a fractured family of dissidents headquartered in Queens...Lethem is breathtaking in this torrent of potent voices, searing ironies, pop-culture allusions, and tragicomic complexities. He shreds the folk scene, eviscerates quiz shows, pays bizarre tribute to Archie Bunker, and offers unusual perspectives on societal debates and tragic injustices. A righteous, stupendously involving novel about the personal toll of failed political movements and the perplexing obstacles to doing good." Monologue topics: travel, the flu, walking, the homeless guy who asked me for my email address Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices