Episode · Lex Fridman Podcast · 2025-10-01
Lex Fridman & Pavel Durov: books mentioned on Lex Fridman Podcast #482
#482 – Pavel Durov: Telegram, Freedom, Censorship, Money, Power & Human Nature
Pavel Durov is the founder and CEO of Telegram. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.
Pavel Durov discussed Illusion of Paradise by Joanna Mansell. Lex Fridman recommended A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka and others and In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka, and discussed The Trial by Franz Kafka, Animal Farm by George Orwell, 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, THE PLAGUE by Albert Camus, The Castle by Franz Kafka, and The Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
Illusion of Paradise
Discussed“When I was 11 years old, my biochemistry teacher, he gave me this book he wrote, it was called The Illusion of Paradise.”
Where to get it
-
The Trial
Franz Kafka's renowned novel "The Trial" tells the chilling story of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is abruptly arrested on his birthday for an unspecified crime by an amorphous, incomprehensible judicial system.
Discussed“There's a story literally about the situation that he wrote, perhaps predicted, called "The Trial," where a person is arrested for no reason that anybody can explain and is stuck in the judicial system for a long time.”
Where to get it
-
Animal Farm
Animal Farm by George Orwell is a classic allegorical novella that uses a farmyard setting to satirize the corruption of socialist ideals and the rise of totalitarianism following the Russian Revolution.
Discussed“Of course, "The Trial" is a work of fiction, but I think it is often useful to go to the surreal world of literature, even of the over-the-top dystopian variety like "1984," "Animal Farm," "Brave New World," "The Trial," "The Castle," "Metamorphosis," even "The Plague" by Albert Camus...”
Where to get it
-
1984
1984 by George Orwell is a classic dystopian novel depicting a totalitarian regime characterized by extreme surveillance, historical denial, and psychological manipulation.
Discussed“Of course, "The Trial" is a work of fiction, but I think it is often useful to go to the surreal world of literature, even of the over-the-top dystopian variety like "1984," "Animal Farm," "Brave New World," "The Trial," "The Castle," "Metamorphosis," even "The Plague" by Albert Camus, all to better understand our real world...”
Where to get it
-
Brave New World
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a classic dystopian science fiction novel that depicts a technologically advanced future society controlled through engineered reproduction, psychological conditioning, and constant superficial pleasure.
Discussed“Of course, "The Trial" is a work of fiction, but I think it is often useful to go to the surreal world of literature, even of the over-the-top dystopian variety like "1984," "Animal Farm," "Brave New World," "The Trial," "The Castle," "Metamorphosis," even "The Plague" by Albert Camus...”
Where to get it
-
THE PLAGUE
The Plague by Albert Camus is a classic existentialist novel that uses the allegorical setting of a city struck by a deadly epidemic to explore profound themes of human suffering, absurdism, collective responsibility, and resilience.
Discussed“Of course, "The Trial" is a work of fiction, but I think it is often useful to go to the surreal world of literature, even of the over-the-top dystopian variety like "1984," "Animal Farm," "Brave New World," "The Trial," "The Castle," "Metamorphosis," even "The Plague" by Albert Camus...”
Where to get it
-
The Castle
The Castle by Franz Kafka is a surreal, unfinished novel that delves into the nightmarish nature of bureaucratic systems and the absurd inaccessibility of authority figures.
Discussed“Of course, "The Trial" is a work of fiction, but I think it is often useful to go to the surreal world of literature, even of the over-the-top dystopian variety like "1984," "Animal Farm," "Brave New World," "The Trial," "The Castle," "Metamorphosis," even "The Plague" by Albert Camus...”
Where to get it
-
The Metamorphosis and Other Stories
The Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka is a collection of surreal fiction best known for its opening novella where a traveling salesman named Gregor Samsa wakes up transformed into a giant insect.
Discussed“Of course, "The Trial" is a work of fiction, but I think it is often useful to go to the surreal world of literature, even of the over-the-top dystopian variety like "1984," "Animal Farm," "Brave New World," "The Trial," "The Castle," "Metamorphosis," even "The Plague" by Albert Camus...”
Where to get it
-
A Hunger Artist
A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka is a classic collection of short fiction featuring psychological depth, themes of isolation, and existential struggle.
Recommended“I can also highly recommend Kafka's "In the Penal Colony" and "Hunger Artist." Both are too interesting and weird to explain in depth here. But let me say, "The Hunger Artist" is a story that I think is relevant to our modern-day attention economy...”
Where to get it
-
In the Penal Colony
In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka is a haunting short story that examines the gruesome mechanics of justice, punishment, and absolute authority through the execution of a condemned prisoner by an elaborate and terrifying torture device on a remote penal island.
Recommended“I can also highly recommend Kafka's "In the Penal Colony" and "Hunger Artist."”
Where to get it
