The History of Literature

Latest Episodes:

576 Love and Art in a Time of Hate - How European Artists and Intellectuals Survived the 1930s (with Florian Illies) Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

Zelda and Scott, Henry and June and Anaïs, Jean-Paul and Simone, Vladimir and Vera... the names that ring out from the 1930s are those of some of the most famous artists and intellectuals of the twentieth century. Everyone who was everyone, it seemed, was in Europe, but as the Roaring Twenties faded, a new political reality took hold. The winds of war were once again stirring - how would these artists adapt? In this episode, Jacke talks to author Florian Illies about his new book, Love in a Time of Hate: Art and Passion in the Shadow of War, about the way figures like Pablo Picasso, Marlene Dietrich, Thomas Mann, and Walter Benjamin pursued their art - and often their passionate romances - in the shadow of political uncertainty. PLUS Jacke takes a look at some famous holiday songwriters.

Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

575 A History of the Fool (with Peter Andersson) | My Last Book with Ed Simon Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

Shakespeare helped to make the Fool a common literary character. But what about the real-life fools who served in actual courts? Who were they and what kind of lives did they lead? In this episode, Jacke talks to author Peter K. Andersson about his book Fool: In Search of Henry VIII's Closest Man, which tells the story of Will Somer, an unusual man with a very strange job. PLUS Milton expert Ed Simon (Heaven, Hell, and Paradise Lost) selects his choice for the last book he will ever read.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

574 The Book at War (with Andrew Pettegree) | My Last Book with Robin Lane Fox Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

Books are often viewed as the pinnacle of civilization; war, on the other hand, is where civilization breaks down. What happens when these two forces encounter one another? In this episode, Jacke talks to esteemed literary historian Andrew Pettegree about his new book, The Book at War: How Reading Shaped Conflict and Conflict Shaped Reading. PLUS Robin Lane Fox (Homer and His Iliad) stops by to discuss his choice for the last book he will ever read.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

573 A Conversation with Anne Enright, Winner of the Man Booker Prize | My Last Book with Christopher Morash Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

After taking a look at Emily Dickinson's Poem #269 ("Wild Nights - wild nights!"), Jacke talks to novelist Anne Enright about growing up in Ireland, her writing career, and her new book The Wren, The Wren. PLUS Dublin literary historian Christopher Morash (Dublin: A Writer's City) stops by to select the last book he will ever read.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

572 Odour of Chrysanthemums by D.H. Lawrence (with Mike Palindrome) Dec 07, 2023

Show notes

Jacke reads "Odour of Chrysanthemums," D.H. Lawrence's story about a woman waiting for her husband, a coal miner, to come home. Then Mike Palindrome, the President of the Literature Supporters Club, stops by to discuss his trip to the Proust Conference and his thoughts on Lawrence's classic short story.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

571 Shakespeare's White Others (with David Sterling Brown) | My Last Book with Shilpi Suneja Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

After discussing Emily Dickinson's Poem #259 ("A Clock stopped -"), Jacke talks to author David Sterling Brown about his new book Shakespeare's White Others. PLUS novelist Shilpi Suneja (House of Caravans) selects the last book she will ever read.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

570 Pirates! (with Katharine Howe) Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

Jacke talks to bestselling author Katharine Howe (editor of The Penguin Book of Pirates) about her new novel, A True Account: Hannah Masury's Sojourn Amongst the Pirates, Written by Herself. PLUS an analysis of Emily Dickinson's Poem #256 ("The Robin's my Criterion for Tune-")

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

569 The Man with a Passion for Medieval Manuscripts (with Christopher de Hamel) | My Last Book with Maaheen Ahmed Nov 27, 2023

Show notes

Jacke talks to British academic librarian Christopher de Hamel about his passion for medieval manuscripts and his new book The Manuscripts Club: The People Behind a Thousand Years of Medieval Manuscripts. PLUS Maaheen Ahmed, editor of The Cambridge Companion to Comics, stops by to select the last book she will ever read.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

568 The Tempest (with Laurie Frankel) Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

Jacke celebrates autumn with a look at Shakespeare's Sonnet #73 ("That time of year thou mayst in me behold"), then welcomes novelist Laurie Frankel (Family Family, One Two Three) for a Wednesday-before-Thanksgiving discussion of one of Shakespeare's last works, The Tempest.

Music Credits:

“⁠Handel – Entrance to the Queen of Sheba⁠” by Advent Chamber Orchestra (From the ⁠Free Music Archive⁠ / ⁠CC by SA⁠).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

567 Your Dream Guest: Jessica Kirzane on Translating Yiddish Literature | My Last Book with Jack Zipes Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

Your wish is our command! Jacke talks to listener-nominated "dream guest" Dr. Jessica Kirzane about her work with Yiddish literature, including her recent translations of early twentieth-century writer Miriam Karpilove, Diary of a Lonely Girl and A Provincial Newspaper and Other Stories. PLUS fairy-tale expert Jack Zipes (Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion) returns to the show to select his choice for the last book he will ever read.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected