Podcasts about liesl schillinger

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 15, 2025 is: stratagem • STRAT-uh-jum • noun A stratagem is a trick or plan for deceiving an enemy or for achieving a goal. // They devised various stratagems to get the cat into the carrier, but the feisty feline was wise to them all. See the entry > Examples: "In one illustration of the mashup of sacred and superstitious, [author Tabitha] Stanmore describes a 'trial by combat' ... to win Sherborne Castle. The devious bishop sewed 'prayers and charms' inside his fighter's coat to give him an edge. The stratagem was discovered, but the cunning cleric won the castle and kept his miter." — Liesl Schillinger, The New York Times, 7 July 2024 Did you know? A stratagem is any clever scheme—sometimes one that's part of an overall strategy (i.e., a carefully prepared plan of action). The word stratagem entered English in the 15th century and was originally used in reference to some artifice, such as a military plan or maneuver, that was designed to deceive or outwit the enemy. This military sense can be traced back to the word's Greek ancestor stratēgein, meaning "to act as a general." Stratēgein, in turn, comes from stratēgos (meaning "general"), which comes from stratos ("camp" or "army") and agein ("to lead"). Stratēgos is an ancestor of strategy as well; that word arrived in English more than a century after stratagem.

One of opera's great heroines is based on one of history's extraordinary women. The 19th century French courtesan Marie Duplessis was elegant, successful, famous, and gone before her time, dying of tuberculosis at the age of 23. One of her lovers, Alexandre Dumas fils, was so inspired by her that he wrote a novel and a play about her life called The Lady of the Camellias, which in turn inspired Giuseppe Verdi to compose La Traviata. Verdi immortalized Marie Duplessis in the character of Violetta Valéry, giving us a woman both at the height of her vitality and success, and on her deathbed. Alone, and having loved and lost a man named Alfredo, she sings “Addio del passato.” This aria is a farewell to the past and a plea to God for forgiveness. Host Rhiannon Giddens and her guests explore the brief, vibrant life of Marie Duplessis and how Verdi captured her plaintive farewell in music. As a child, soprano Lisette Oropesa saw her mother perform the role of Violetta on stage and was heartbroken by the end! Still, she found the courage to eventually take on this great heroine herself. Lisette has enjoyed learning about the strength, smarts, and tenacity of the real-life Marie Duplessis.  Writer Fred Plotkin is the author of Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera. He has worked in opera since 1972, doing everything but singing, and has written six books on Italian cuisine. Verdi is his hero because he represents all the greatness an artist can achieve both artistically and as a human being. Writer and journalist Liesl Schillinger translated Alexandre Dumas fils' novel, La Dame aux Camélias, and discovered in Marie Duplessis an extraordinary, generous, and shockingly modern woman. In Dumas fils, she discovered a man who was critical of the constraints and double-standards that constrained women during the 1800s.  Actor and director John Turturro is known for his roles in over 60 feature films, but perhaps less well-known as a Verdi fan. He sometimes includes operatic music in his films, and he's even tried his hand at directing Verdi's Rigoletto. Growing up, he remembers fondly how his dad and uncles would gather around a record player to compare and critique different singers' performances of a single aria.

This week, Liberty and Vanessa discuss Pizza Girl, The Boyfriend Project, The Distant Dead, and more great books. This episode was sponsored by TBR: Book Riot's service for Tailored Book Recommendations, now available as a gift; Grand Central Publishing and The Persuasion by Iris Johansen; and Little, Brown and Company and Fair Warning by Michael Connelly. Pick up an All the Books! 200th episode commemorative item here. Subscribe to All the Books! using RSS, iTunes, or Spotify and never miss a beat book. Sign up for the weekly New Books! newsletter for even more new book news. BOOKS DISCUSSED ON THE SHOW: Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon The Distant Dead: A Novel by Heather Young Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters by Dominique Crenn and Emma Brockes The Remarkable Life of the Skin: An Intimate Journey Across Our Largest Organ by Monty Lyman The Secret Women: A Novel by Sheila Williams WHAT WE'RE READING: The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad MORE BOOKS OUT THIS WEEK: You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat The Turnover by Mike Lupica Sweet Time by Pixin Weng The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien: The Places That Inspired Middle-earth by John Garth People of the City by Cyprian Ekwensi Revolutions: How Women Changed the World on Two Wheels by Hannah Ross You Can't Do It Alone: A Widow's Journey Through Loss, Grief and Life After by Maria Quiban Whitesell For Now by James Richardson American as Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar You Brought Me The Ocean: An Aqualad Graphic Novel by Alex Sanchez, Julie Maroh (Illustrator) Red Noise by John P. Murphy Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America by Stacey Abrams The Blue Sky: A Novel by Galsan Tschinag, Katharina Rout (translator) Curse of the Night Witch (Emblem Island #1) by Alex Aster A Fish Growing Lungs by Alysia Sawchyn The Multifarious Mr. Banks: From Botany Bay to Kew, The Natural Historian Who Shaped the World by Toby Musgrave Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World by Chris Wallace Catalyst by Sarah Beth Durst I Belong to Vienna: A Jewish Family's Story of Exile and Return by Anna Goldenberg, Alta L. Price (Translator) Seven Clues to Home by Gae Polisner, Nora Raleigh Baskin Stranger in the Lake: A Novel by Kimberly Belle Awestruck: How Embracing Wonder Can Make You Happier, Healthier, and More Connected by Jonah Paquette Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers by Doug J. Swanson The Lost Diary of Venice: A Novel by Margaux DeRoux Rage Against the Minivan: Learning to Parent Without Perfection by Kristen Howerton The Unicorn Handbook : A Spellbinding Collection of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects by Carolyn Turgeon Doodleville by Chad Sell Perfect Happiness: A Novel by Kristyn Kusek Lewis Dance Away with Me: A Novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips Honey and Venom: Confessions of an Urban Beekeeper by Andrew Coté The Daughters of Erietown: A Novel by Connie Schultz Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom by James Danckert, John D. Eastwood Brother Robert: Growing Up with Robert Johnson by Annye C. Anderson, Preston Lauterback The Marchenoir Library by A. Degen Ghost Road: Beyond the Driverless Car by Anthony M. Townsend All the Way to the Tigers: A Memoir by Mary Morris Steam by Drew Ford, Duane Leslie (Illustrator), Eva De La Cruz (Illustrator) The Clearing: Poems by Allison Adair Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho Otto Tattercoat and the Forest of Lost Things by Matilda Woods Five Things About Ava Andrews by Margaret Dilloway Outside the Lines by Ameera Patel Safe by S. K. Barnett All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani Swan Song: An Odyssey by Lisa Alther The Garden of Monsters by Lorenza Pieri, Liesl Schillinger (translator) Belladonna by Anbara Salam The Sight of You by Holly Miller Sweet, Savory, Spicy: Exciting Street Market Food from Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and More by Sarah Tiong The House of Whispers by Laura Purcell Glitch by Laura Martin The Marriage Game by Sara Desai Followers by Raziel Reid The End of Me by Alfred Hayes Broken People by Sam Lansky Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams Mezzanine: Poems by Zoe Hitzig Why We Drive: Toward a Philosophy of the Open Road by Matthew B Crawford Echo on the Bay by Masatsugu Ono, Angus Turvill (Translator) The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth Neon Girls: A Stripper's Education in Protest and Power by Jennifer Worley Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies: A Novel by Vicky Zimmerman Code Name Madeleine: A Sufi Spy in Nazi-Occupied Paris by Arthur J. Magida Alaric the Goth: An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome by Douglas Boin Daddy's Girls: A Novel by Danielle Steel You Can't Catch Me by Catherine McKenzie Half Life by Lillian Clark How To Understand E =mc(2) (Little Ways to Live a Big Life) by Christophe Galfard The Ghosts of Sherwood by Carrie Vaughn The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season by Molly Fader Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths Crush and Color: Keanu Reeves: Colorful Fantasies with a Mysterious Hero by Maurizio Campidelli Performing Jane: A Cultural History of Jane Austen Fandom by Sarah Glosson

Liesl Schillinger is a New York–based critic, translator, and moderator. She grew up in Midwestern college towns, studied comparative literature at Yale, worked at The New Yorker for more than a decade and became a regular critic for The New York Times Book Review in 2004. Her articles and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, New York, The New Republic, The Washington Post, Vogue, Foreign Policy, The London Independent on Sunday, and many other publications. Her recent translations include the novels “Every Day, Every Hour,” by Natasa Dragnic (2012, Viking), and “The Lady of the Camellias,” by Alexandre Dumas, fils (Penguin Classics, 2013). Wordbirds, her illustrated lexicon of necessary neologisms for the 21st Century (Simon & Schuster), comes out in Oct. 2013. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Liberty and Rebecca discuss Such a Fun Age, Dead Astronauts, This is Going To Hurt, and more great December books. This episode was sponsored the Read Harder Journal, Book Riot's Read Harder 2020 Challenge, and Sips by RGH. Pick up an All the Books! 200th episode commemorative item here. Subscribe to All the Books! using RSS, iTunes, or Spotify and never miss a beat book. Sign up for the weekly New Books! newsletter for even more new book news. Books discussed on the show: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer The Measure of Our Lives: A Gathering of Wisdom by Toni Morrison The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey  This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Medical Resident by Adam Kay Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison  Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow Burn the Place: A Memoir by Iliana Regan What we're reading: Trust Exercise by Susan Choi Stay and Fight by Madeline ffitch More books out this week: Cheaters Always Win: The Story of America by J. M. Fenster Treachery: A Novel (Giordano Bruno Thriller) by S. J. Parris  Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean Free Day (New York Review Books Classics) by Inès Cagnati, Liesl Schillinger (translator) Nine Elms (Kate Marshall) by Robert Bryndza  One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle The Wilds by Vita Ayala, Emily Pearson (Artist) Now You See Them (Magic Men Mysteries) by Elly Griffiths Just Watch Me: A Novel by Jeff Lindsay The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt by Burt Solomon Plate Tectonics: An Illustrated Memoir by Margaux Motin  Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance by Jennieke Cohen Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra The Thank-You Project: Cultivating Happiness One Letter of Gratitude at a Time by Nancy Davis Kho All the Colors of Magic by Valija Zinck When Old Midnight Comes Along (Amos Walker Novels) by Loren D. Estleman  Scared Little Rabbits by A.V. Geiger Thin Ice: A Mystery by Paige Shelton  1973: Rock at the Crossroads by Andrew Grant Jackson Walk the Wild With Me by Rachel Atwood Reverie by Ryan La Sala Oppo: A Novel by Tom Rosenstiel Anyone: A Novel by Charles Soule Down Among the Dead by K.B. Wagers Winter Grave (An Embla Nystrom Investigation) by Helene Tursten, Marlaine Delargy (translator) Scornful Stars (Breaker of Empires Book 3) by Richard Baker The Heart Is a Full-Wild Beast: New and Selected Stories by John L'Heureux Reputation: A Novel by Sara Shepard Diamond & Dawn (Amber & Dusk, Book 2) by Lyra Selene  Children of Virtue & Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh  Trace of Evil: A Natalie Lockhart Novel by Alice Blanchard  Elena Ferrante’s Key Words by Tiziana de Rogatis, Will Schutt (translator) The Sacrament: A Novel by Olaf Olafsson Alice Adams: Portrait of a Writer by Carol Sklenicka  Heaven on Earth: How Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler, and Galileo Discovered the Modern World by L. S. Fauber The General Zapped an Angel: Stories (Art of the Story) by Howard Fast  Nietzsche and the Burbs by Lars Iyer Blitzed (The Playbook) by Alexa Martin  The Revisionaries by A. R. Moxon  A Bookshop in Berlin: The Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman's Harrowing Escape from the Nazis by Françoise Frenkel This Is Happiness by Niall Williams From Sea to Stormy Sea: 17 Stories Inspired by Great American Paintings by Lawrence Block  Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters

Vanessa Friedman talks about this season’s notable thrillers, and Liesl Schillinger discusses new books about travel.

I met Liesl Schillinger, the literary critic and translator, 11 years ago. I had just been appointed as a negotiator for France at the UN Security Council in New York. As a critic for The New York Times, she was invited to every book party in town, and she generously took me to every one. Here we talked about translation (4:55), French books (13:54), and secret recommendations for visiting France (19:58). She also surprised me by declaring her love for the most unexpected French singer (21:17).

This week, Sarah Bakewell discusses her new book about the existentialists; Alexandra Alter has news from the publishing world; Liesl Schillinger talks about a new biography of Blanche Knopf; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host.

More than 30 of the year's Virtual Memories Show guests tell us about the favorite books they read in 2015 and the books they hope to get to in 2016! Guests include Derf Backderf, Anthea Bell, John Clute, Michael Dirda, Matt Farber, Jonathan Galassi, Brad Gooch, Langdon Hammer, Liz Hand, Jennifer Hayden, Ron Hogan, Dylan Horrocks, David Jaher, Kathe Koja, Jonathan Kranz, Peter Kuper, Lorenzo Mattotti, JD McClatchy, Scott McCloud, Michael Meyer, Dan Perkins (a.k.a Tom Tomorrow), Summer Pierre, Witold Rybczynski, Dmitry Samarov, Elizabeth Samet, Liesl Schillinger, Posy Simmonds, Levi Stahl, Rupert Thomson, Irvine Welsh, Warren Woodfin, Jim Woodring, Claudia Young, and me, Gil Roth! Check out their selections at our site!

This week, Judy Blume talks about her new novel; Liesl Schillinger rounds up new travel books; Alexandra Alter has news from the publishing world; Vanessa Grigoriadis discusses Wednesday Martin’s memoir, “Primates of Park Avenue”; feedback from readers; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host.

It's VMS Live! This episode comes from the panel, "Satirical Representations of Hitler in Contemporary Culture," held May 6, 2015 at the Goethe-Institut in NYC, in conjunction with the German Book Office! Panelists were Gavriel Rosenfeld, Liesl Schillinger and Timur Vermes, author of Look Who's Back, a satiric novel in which Hitler finds himself alive in 2011 Berlin. Listen to find out when it's okay to make fun of Hitler, the peril of laughing too much at him, and what the author learned in the process of writing in AH's voice! Photo credit © Goethe-Institut New York / Jacobia Dahm