The Norton Library Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Augustine Gives in to Pear Pressure (Confessions, Part 1) Aug 05, 2024

Show notes

In Part 1 of our discussion on Augustine's Confessions, we welcome translator Peter Constantine to discuss the historical context in which Augustine of Hippo wrote the Confessions, the genre of the text, the lasting effect it has had on religious and secular intellectual traditions, and some of the touchstone episodes found in the work.
Peter Constantine is the director of the Program in Literary Translation at the University of Connecticut, the publisher of World Poetry Books, and editor-in-chief of the magazine New Poetry in Translation. A prolific translator from several modern and classical languages, Constantine was awarded the PEN Translation Prize for Six Early Stories by Thomas Mann, the National Translation Award for The Undiscovered Chekhov, the Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize for his translation of The Bird Is a Raven by Benjamin Lebert, and the Koret Jewish Book Award and a National Jewish Book Award citation for The Complete Works of Isaac Babel.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Confessions, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/ConfessionsNL.

Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at https://seagull.wwnorton.com/Confessions/part1/transcript.

Funny as Hell (Inferno, Part 2) Jul 23, 2024

Show notes

In Part 2 of our discussion on Dante's Inferno, translator Michael Palma discusses his own history with the poem and how he came to translate it, the terza rima rhyme scheme Dante employs, and in what ways the Divine Comedy is really a comedy.
Michael Palma is the award-winning translator of Diego Valeri and Guido Gozzano, among others. He has published four collections of his own verse: The Egg Shape, Antibodies, A Fortune in Gold, and Beginning Gladness, and he has also published the title Faithful in My Fashion: Essays on the Translation of Poetry.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Inferno, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/InfernoNL.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at https://seagull.wwnorton.com/Inferno/part2/transcript.

Dante's Inferno: A 13th-Century Scared Straight! (Inferno, Part 1) Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

In Part 1 of our discussion on Dante's Inferno, we welcome translator Michael Palma to discuss Dante's life and the context in which he wrote the Inferno, the narrative structure of The Divine Comedy, and what makes the Inferno so durably compelling.
Michael Palma is the award-winning translator of Diego Valeri and Guido Gozzano, among others, and he has published four collections of his own verse: The Egg Shape, Antibodies, A Fortune in Gold, and Beginning Gladness, and he has also published the title Faithful in My Fashion: Essays on the Translation of Poetry.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Inferno, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/InfernoNL.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at https://seagull.wwnorton.com/Inferno/part1/transcript.

How to Read, How to Feel (Narrative of Frederick Douglass, Part 2) Jun 24, 2024

Show notes

In Part 2 of our discussion on Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, editor Joshua Bennett discusses the cover of the Norton Library edition, approaching the text as history and as literature, how Douglass teaches us to read, the musicality of the book, a Narrative-inspired playlist, and more!
Joshua Bennett is a professor of literature at MIT. He is the author of five books of poetry, criticism, and narrative non-fiction, including The Sobbing School and Being Property Once Myself.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/NarrativeOfFrederickDouglassNL.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4tZk5AIohQcQFJvVOCiRo1?si=54de7b3bf0774d72.
Episode transcript at https://seagull.wwnorton.com/NarrativeFrederickDouglass/part2/transcript.

The Hero's Journey (Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Part 1) Jun 10, 2024

Show notes

In Part 1 of our discussion on the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, we welcome editor Joshua Bennett to discuss Douglass's Narrative as a type of hero's journey, Douglass's political project in writing the book, and how Douglass closes the Narrative with a statement on true Christianity.
Joshua Bennett is a professor of literature at MIT. He is the author of five books of poetry, criticism, and narrative non-fiction, including The Sobbing School and Being Property Once Myself.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/NarrativeOfFrederickDouglassNL.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at https://seagull.wwnorton.com/NarrativeoftheLifeofaFrederickDouglass/part1/transcript.

But I Wouldn't Give Myself (The Awakening, Part 2) May 27, 2024

Show notes

In Part 2 of our discussion on The Awakening, editor Laura Fisher tells us about her first encounter with the novel, discusses her approach to teaching it, explores her favorite line of the text, provides a killer Awakening playlist, and more!
Laura R. Fisher is an associate professor of English at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is the author of Reading for Reform: The Social Work of Literature in the Progressive Era.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of The Awakening, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/TheAwakeningNL.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by The Awakening:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/15QEBtiocc5SyhwH4wIfGF?si=15da7e7e396d4e86.
Episode transcript at https://seagull.wwnorton.com/theawakening/part2/transcript.

Don't Nap for Self-Care. Wake up! (The Awakening, Part 1) May 13, 2024

Show notes

In Part 1 of our discussion on The Awakening, we welcome editor Laura Fisher to discuss Kate Chopin's writing career, the novel's reception and themes, as well as some of its major characters.
Laura R. Fisher is an associate professor of English at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is the author of Reading for Reform: The Social Work of Literature in the Progressive Era.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of The Awakening, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/TheAwakeningNL.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at https://seagull.wwnorton.com/theawakening/part1/transcript.

It's Okay to be Frustrated with Joyce (Dubliners, Part 2) Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

In Part 2 of our discussion on Dubliners, editor Ian Whittington discusses the inspiration for the cover of his Norton Library edition, his favorite lines in the collection, his Dubliners hot take, and some suggestions for a Dubliners playlist.
Ian Whittington is an independent scholar whose research and teaching focus on twentieth-century anglophone literature and culture. He is the author of Writing the Radio War: Literature, Politics and the BBC and co-editor of The Edinburgh Companion to Modernism and Technology. His work has appeared in Modernist Cultures, Modernism/modernity, The Global South, and other venues.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Dubliners, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/dublinersNL.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by Dubliners: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0pOrIz0CbgngT4sANu6fkC?si=2c9950dee6f542ab.
Episode transcript at https://seagull.wwnorton.com/dubliners/part2/transcript.

You Can File this All Under "A City in Decline" (Dubliners, Part 1) Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

In Part 1 of our discussion on Dubliners, we welcome editor Ian Whittington to discuss
how this collection of short stories was received by its publisher, by its literary audience, and by the people who made up its subject matter; the Dublin in which Joyce grew up; and, of course, Ian's favorite story.
Ian Whittington is an independent scholar whose research and teaching focus on twentieth-century anglophone literature and culture. He is the author of Writing the Radio War: Literature, Politics and the BBC and co-editor of The Edinburgh Companion to Modernism and Technology. His work has appeared in Modernist Cultures, Modernism/modernity, The Global South, and other venues.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Dubliners, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/dublinersNL.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by Dubliners: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0pOrIz0CbgngT4sANu6fkC?si=2c9950dee6f542ab.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at https://seagull.wwnorton.com/dubliners/part1/transcript.

Medea has Pierced Our Hearts (Medea, Part 2) Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

In Part 2 of our discussion on Medea, editor Sheila Murnaghan discusses her teaching of the drama, what Medea shows us about the nature of revenge, and her approach to the challenges of translating this tragedy.
Sheila Murnaghan is the Alfred Reginald Allen Memorial Professor of Greek at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of Disguise and Recognition in the Odyssey and numerous articles on Greek epic and tragedy, gender in classical culture, and classical reception. She is the co-editor of Odyssean Identities in Modern Cultures: The Journey Home and Women and Slaves in Classical Culture: Differential Equations.
To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Medea, go to https://seagull.wwnorton.com/medeaNL.
Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library.
Listen to our Spotify playlist inspired by Medea: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2jHEa9BnjuCKUkb8JYWgks?si=95b63188d01d4562.
Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter @TNL_WWN.
Episode transcript at https://seagull.wwnorton.com/medea/part2/transcript.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Norton Library Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected