Arts
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The History of Literature #410 – What Is American Literature? (with Ilan Stavans)
America, America, America… a continent, a nation, a people, and a whole lotta books. But how does America define itself? Who defines it? Where did the idea of American exceptionalism come from? And how does literature fit into any of this? In this episode, Jacke talks to Professor Ilan Stavans about his new book, What Is… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #409 – “Fear and Trembling” (The Story of Abraham and Isaac) by Soren Kierkegaard
In our last look at Søren Kierkegaard, we left our hero after he had just left the love of his life, Regine Olsen, in favor of a life devoted to God and philosophy. In this episode, Jacke looks at one of the great products of that seismic schism: Fear and Trembling, or Kierkegaard’s analysis of God’s… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #408 – Dylan Thomas (with Scott Carter)
Do not go gentle into this good episode! Rage, rage against the dying of the… well, things fall apart there, don’t they? (Because we’re not gifted poets like Dylan Thomas!) In this episode, Jacke talks to producer, playwright, and performer Scott Carter about his lifelong passion for the Welsh bard who took the U.K. by… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #407 – “The Old Nurse’s Story” by Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Gaskell had only written one novel when Charles Dickens started publishing her work in his journal Household Words. But soon she would become famous as the author of Cranford and North and South, two of the best novels of the Victorian era. Dickens proved to be a generous and artist-friendly editor, offering suggestions but allowing Gaskell to have… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #406 – A World in Turmoil – 1967-1971 (with Beverly Gologorsky)
Novelist Beverly Gologorsky joins Jacke for a discussion of the tumultuous years from 1967 to 1971, which provides the background for her new novel. In Can You See the Wind?, a working-class family in the Bronx struggles to make a better world, even as the world spins into chaos. Columbia professor (and friend of the podcast) Farah… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #405 – Kierkegaard Falls in Love
The nineteenth-century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) is well known as the father of existentialism and one of the great Christian thinkers of all time. But it is in his relationship with Regine Olsen – his love for her, their brief engagement, and the horrible breakup, in which he left her for a life devoted… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #404 – Kafka and Literary Oblivion (with Robin Hemley)
Author Robin Hemley joins Jacke for a discussion of Kafka, writerly ambition, and his new novel Oblivion: An After Autobiography, which tells the story of a midlist author who finds himself in the posthumous world where authors fade from obscurity into the world of Oblivion…unless they can manage to write their way out. Additional listening suggestions:… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #403 – The Wonderful World of Mysteries (A Best-of-HOL Episode)
Mysteries! In this best-of episode, Jacke revisits conversations with three guests for three different angles on this popular and enduring literary genre. First, Jonah Lehrer (Mystery: A Seduction, A Strategy, A Solution) discusses what exactly makes mysteries so compelling. Then, novelist Christina Kovac, author of the mystery The Cutaway, joins Jacke for a discussion of setting… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #402 – “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane
After being given $700 in Spanish gold by some newspapers, a 25-year-old Stephen Crane set out for Florida, where he planned to travel by boat to Cuba and cover the impending Spanish-American War as a war correspondent. But the steamship he boarded capsized after hitting some sandbars, forcing Crane and 28 shipmates – most of… Continue reading
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The History of Literature #401 – HOL Presents: Melissa Chadburn and The Throwaways (A Storybound Project) | PLUS The First Work of Literature by an African American Author
Jacke takes a look at the first work of literature by an African American author, courtesy of Fictions of America: The Book of Firsts by Uli Baer and Smaran Dayal. Then he turns things over to Storybound, a Podglomerate podcast, for a conversation with author Melissa Chadburn and excerpts from her essay “The Throwaways.” Melissa Chadburn’s writing… Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 