Fiction
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The History of Literature Episode 39 – Reconsidering Graham Greene
Jacke and Mike reconsider the life and works of the great twentieth-century British novelist Graham Greene. Works discussed include The End of the Affair, The Power and the Glory,The Quiet American, Babbling April, and The Third Man. Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:36 — 35.7MB) Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS | More… Continue reading
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The History of Literature Episode 38 – Great Literary Duos (Part Two)
When are two artists or characters more than the sum of their parts? How is that magic created? And what does it mean for the rest of us? Part two of a conversation with host Jacke Wilson and his guest, the President of the Literature Supporters Club, on great literary duos. Podcast: Play in new window | Download… Continue reading
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History of Literature Episode 37 – Great Literary Duos
What makes a great literary duo? Two authors inspiring one another? Two characters who fall in love? Best friends? Rivals? Host Jacke Wilson is joined by the President of the Literature of the Supporters Club to discuss. Jacke and Mike also respond to a listener question about building a World Literature syllabus. But first, Jacke… Continue reading
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Sneak Preview: What Goes With Rushdie?
Okay, time for an update! We have another podcast episode posting tomorrow morning. I’ll be joined by the President of the Literature Supporters Club to discuss great literary duos. Don’t miss it! We’ll also be discussing this question from brilliant listener EF, a college-level instructor: I’ve just inherited a ten-week World Literature course, with Salman Rushdie’s… Continue reading
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On the Pleasures of Finding a New Author: Elena Ferrante
Hello, everyone! Today is a day for celebration. It’s rare for this crusty old salt to find a new author who can make him feel like he’s twenty again, with all the world of books still out there, waiting for him to discover the fresh and new and exciting. It used to happen every month,… Continue reading
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The History of Literature Episode 35 – A Conversation with Ronica Dhar
In this episode, Jacke welcomes special guest Ronica Dhar, who presents Five Books (or actually Four Books and a Movie) To Lower Your Blood Pressure. Highlights include a poem by Ronica’s former teacher and mentor, letters to a samurai written by a zen master who invented a type of pickle, and a fourteenth-century Kashmiri mystic who wrestled with… Continue reading
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Sneak Preview: A Conversation with Ronica Dhar
This is awesome! Tomorrow on the History of Literature podcast we’ll be posting my conversation with Ronica Dhar, who selects Five Works to Lower Your Blood Pressure. In the meantime, you should all check out Ronica’s novel, Bijou Roy, a simply beautiful book. From Amazon.com: “Ronica Dhar captures the struggles of family and cultural identity… Continue reading
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A Literary Quiz: Who Invented the Cliffhanger?
To which author does this sentence refer? The term “cliffhanger” is considered to have originated with the serialised version of this early novel, in which Henry Knight, one of the protagonists, is left literally hanging off a cliff. Edgar Allan Poe Bram Stoker Wilkie Collins Thomas Hardy The answer is #4. Thomas Hardy. I did not know he… Continue reading
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HoL 32 The Best Debut Novels of All Time (A Conversation with the President of the Literature Supporters’ Club)
What makes a great first novel? Which do we prefer: the freshness of a new style (even if it contains mistakes), or the demonstration of competence (even if it breaks no new ground)? Does it matter if the book is the best (or only) novel by that author? Or do we prefer the debuts that initiated a long, distinguished… Continue reading
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Proust as a Graphic Novel
Is Proust on your bucket list? Do you suspect he’ll stay there forever? Maybe this is the answer… That’s right – Swann’s Way as a graphic novel. Here’s a sample in French: And here’s one from the translated version: Is it as good as the original? Well, of course not. But if you can’t make it to… Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 