Episode · The Daily Stoic · 2024-09-14
Ryan Holiday & Francis Ford Coppola: books mentioned on The Daily Stoic
Francis Ford Coppola Opens Up About How Philosophy Has Inspired His Life and Career
In his first ever podcast interview, Francis Ford Coppola joins Ryan to talk about how Marcus Aurelius, Stoicism, and Epicureanism have impacted his life, both personally and professionally.
Francis Ford Coppola recommended The swerve by Stephen Greenblatt, and discussed De Rerum Natura by Titus Lucretius Carus, De Bello Gallico Libri Vii. by Julius Caesar and others, Ideal and Actual in the Story of the Stone by Dore Jesse Levy, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Shahnameh by Abolqasem Ferdowsi, Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Antkind by Charlie Kaufman, and A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake by Joseph Campbell and others. Ryan Holiday recommended The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan, Burr by Gore Vidal, Creation by Gore Vidal, Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt, and Tyrant by Stephen Greenblatt, and discussed Papyrus by Irene Vallejo and Meditations by Aurelius Marcus.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
The Storm Before the Storm
Recommended“one of my favorite books is this book called The Storm before the storm and uh the idea is that we kind of just see Caesar Crossing the Rubicon one day as if it it just popped into his head as if there wasn't all this history and all these other events leading up to this other major event yes”
Where to get it
-
Burr
Recommended“had you by the way ever read the gorv Vidal's book on Aaron bur no that's another great book uh Vidal was a you know brilliant for all his other complications he was a great scholar and he wrote a beautiful book uh on on Aaron Burr”
Where to get it
-
Creation
Recommended“had you by the way ever read the gorv Vidal's book on Aaron bur no that's another great book uh Vidal was a you know brilliant for all his other complications he was a great scholar and he wrote a beautiful book uh on on Aaron bur and also on who's the first CH Christian uh uh Emperor uh Ju”
Where to get it
-
De Bello Gallico Libri Vii.
Discussed“Well, the schoolboys in the founding of our nation were reading Caesar and the Gallic Wars. They knew it all by heart.”
Where to get it
-
The swerve
Recommended“there's a wonderful book that I recommend to you that you'll thank me a million times that it's a good read it's called the swerve have you ever heard of it yes Incredible Book oh you read it yes Ste stepen Steven greenblood is a is a is a treasure yeah he he wrote he's a Shakespearean scholar but he”
Where to get it
-
Will in the World
Recommended“so so let's talk uh because you mentioned Shakespeare green blot wrote this amazing book uh called will in the world that's incredible also”
Where to get it
-
Tyrant
Recommended“so so let's talk uh because you mentioned Shakespeare green blot wrote this amazing book uh called will in the world that's incredible also and he has a book called Tyrant which I loved but but I was thinking you know a common theme between this movie and then of course apocalypse now but is also the theme of Shakespeare”
Where to get it
-
Ideal and Actual in the Story of the Stone
Discussed“For example, one time I chose a great Chinese book called "The Story of the Stone" or "Dream of the Red Mansion" written in the 16th century. I found myself trying to change Megalopolis to be more like that, which I actually did, because that was one of the few books I ever read where the dream life of the”
Where to get it
-
Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship
Discussed“He wrote a book called "Wilhelm Meister" and that was him stealing from Shakespeare. That is Goethe saying, "I want to be as much like Shakespeare as I can be," while Shakespeare was stealing from Plutarch, from Montaigne, from Danish legends, and from other plays—everyone has been stealing from one another.”
Where to get it
-
Papyrus
Discussed“I was just reading this book called Papyrus I'm just so excited to tell you this so I was just reading this book called Papyrus which is about the history of paper and the early writings”
Where to get it
-
Shahnameh
Discussed“Have you ever read that beautiful Persian book called the Shahnameh by Ferdowsi? No, that's like Gilgamesh! It's an early Persian epic, and it's great—a tale of kings!”
Where to get it
-
Tender is the Night
Discussed“That it wasn't successful at first, so he and his editor straightened out something, I guess, I don't know which version I have. But I think what's unusual is that in the original 'Tender Is the Night,' there's a huge flashback in the middle of it that goes back and tells the story of Nicole and Dick Diver.”
Where to get it
-
Antkind
Discussed“he wrote a book a novel called ant antind uh a seven 800 page book called antkind and that's what Google said you know if you want to read something about being a so I got it”
Where to get it
-
Meditations
Discussed“And speaking of books, just 'cause I know he's a through line in the movie, one of the characters quotes him a few times. What's your relationship with Marcus Aurelius's 'Meditations'?”
Where to get it
-
A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake
Discussed“And maybe a period where it's an apparent disaster, but over time, you know, I once read an article that James Joyce was talking about 'Finnegans Wake.' And he said, 'I'm going to put so much interesting stuff in this that it's going to take, you know, uh, 50 years for people to figure out what's in it and it'll”
Where to get it
