Two Month Review

Latest Episodes:

TMR 16.11: "Hello, Big German" [2666] Dec 18, 2021

Show notes

We're in the home stretch, as Archimboldi appears at last. Chad, Katie, and Brian discuss his origin story, vampires, seaweed, the nature of time, various echoes appearing in this final section, what Bolaño might be saying about himself as a writer through Hans Reiter, and masturbation.

Here's a link to the blog post Katie references in this episode.

This week's music is "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" by Concrete Blonde.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. And tune in next Thursday at 9am ET for the next episode, which will go through page 806.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions. And all of Katie's translations, especially Four by Four and Last Words on Earth.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 16.10: "Three Men and a Congresswoman" [2666] Dec 13, 2021

Show notes

Chad and Brian tackle the braided narratives that close out "The Part About the Crimes," discussing Michel Butor's thoughts about detective novels (from Passing Time) and the "rules" laid out in 20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them against 2666. Some interesting observations about what the core "mystery" of the book really is, questions about the chronology of the four parts so far, and some speculation about what's to come. And some My Little Pony talk. Just because.

Also, this week's episode is sponsored by the Wisdom App, a social audio platform where you can listen to experts talking about a wide range of topics. You can download the app and follow Chad at chadwpost, and this Wednesday, December 15th at 7pm Eastern, he will give a talk about getting started in publishing.

This week's music is "End of the Night" by A Place to Bury Strangers. (Not sure there's a better title + band name more fitting for "The Part About the Crimes.")

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. And tune in next Thursday at 9am ET for the next episode.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 16.9: "Repetition" [2666] Dec 03, 2021

Show notes

Brian's back to talk about dead baby jokes, repetition, the power of reading, snuff films, matriarchal lineage, and much more. Chad didn't sleep before this episode, which explains some of the wackiness.

This week's music is "World Gone Deaf" by Bill Baird.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. And tune in next Thursday at 9am ET for the next episode.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 16.8: "Klaus Haas" [2666] Nov 29, 2021

Show notes

Chad and Katie go it alone on this special Thanksgiving episode, going deeper into "The Part About the Crimes," talking about Chris Andrews's critical book on Bolaño's fiction (in particular the ideas about aimlessness and narrative identity), about Klaus Haas's arrest, about the failure—and disinterest—of most police and detectives in Santa Teresa, and about how to read this particular section of the book.

This week's music is "Interior People" by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. And tune in next Thursday at 9am ET for the next episode.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 16.7: "The Next Dead Woman" [2666] Nov 19, 2021

Show notes

Chad, Brian, and Katie dive into "The Part About the Crimes," talking about the fact that the Penitent gets more detective time than all of the murdered women, about the seer, about ventriloquism, about Lalo Cura, and about the existence of Ciudad Juárez in 2666.

This week's music is "Highlights of 100" by Kiwi Jr.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. And tune in next Thursday at 9am ET for the next episode, "Klaus Haas."

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 16.6: "Fire, Walk With Me" [2666] Nov 16, 2021

Show notes

After Chad, Katie, and Brian finish recapping the end of "The Part About Fate"—including the Twin Peaks reference, representations of violence, the apocryphal Robert Rodriguez porno, blindness and impaired sight, and much more—they're joined by Dr. Andrew Martino, a massive Bolaño fan who raises more questions and observations as the group read heads into "The Part About the Crimes."

This week's music is "Three and a Half Feet High and Rising" by El Ten Eleven.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation—and see Chad looking mighty uncomfortable in a tie—you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. And tune in next Thursday at 9am ET for the next episode, "The Next Dead Woman ."

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 16.5: "DANGER MONEY FOOD STARS USEFULNESS" [2666] Nov 05, 2021

Show notes

In the first chunk of this week's episode, Brian, Chad, and Katie break down the first half of "The Part About Fate" and look specifically at Kessler's speech in the diner, the areas of exploitative capitalism, femicide and how it's everywhere, the idea of a system that kills, and much more. (They literally run out of time.) Then, Chad and Katie are joined by Natasha Wimmer to discuss her translation, how she came to Bolaño, what she's learned about translating over the years, and how she approached this particular section of the novel.

This week's music is "91" by Bleachers.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 16.4: "Ramon Llull and His Fantastic Machine" [2666] Oct 29, 2021

Show notes

This two-part episode opens with Katie, Brian, and Chad talking about madness, the pursuit of knowledge, what great authors "struggle against," and much more. Then, Chad and Katie are joined by Emily Hall (The Longcut) to discuss the art works on the covers of the three-volume edition of 2666, along with Duchamp, Amalfitano's "readymade," and more.

Here are links to a number of the artworks that Emily references throughout the discussion:

Cy Twombly. Academy (1955)

Albertus Seba's Wunderkammer

Frederick Ruysch's Wunderkammer

Marcel Duchamp. Readymade malheureux (Unhappy Readymade, 1919)

This week's music is "Walking at a Downtown Pace" by Parquet Courts.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 16.3: "El Cerdo" [2666] Oct 22, 2021

Show notes

One of the brainiest TMRs to date, this episode talks a lot about doubles and mirrors in 2666, religious iconography, coincidence vs. fate, disappearances and vanishing, the creeping horror found in this novel, the abyss and the void, musicals, and much more. Brian, Chad, and Katie cover the entirely of "The Part About the Critics" and will do all of "The Part About Amalfitano" next episode. Enjoy!

This week's music is from Kunzite.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 16.2: "Can Anyone Solve the Riddle?" [2666] Oct 15, 2021

Show notes

This week's episode opens with 'Professor Post" poking a bit of fun at academics, then dives headfirst into the first 75 pages of 2666. Brian, Katie, and Chad talk about the representation of Liz Norton, of the voids that exist in 2666, the religious experience of becoming obsessed with an author, violence, made up books, the covers of the U.S., UK, and Spanish editions, "ennui" vs. "boredom," Rodrigo Fresán's appearance, and much much more.

Also, stay tuned for a bonus section in which Nick Buzanski of Books Are Magic talks about the hype surrounded 2666 from a bookseller's perspective. And click here if you want to see the videos he and Chad talk about.

This week's music is "Hug from a Dinosaur" by Torres.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected