Episode · EconTalk · 2024-07-08
Books mentioned on Reading, Writing, and Fighting (with Mark Helprin)
For many men, surviving the test of battle intensifies the joy of being alive. A provocative claim, perhaps, but to novelist Mark Helprin, simply a fact, and one that drives his new book about men who commit themselves fully both to service during wartime and to the women they love.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Oceans and the Stars
The Oceans and the Stars by Mark Helprin is a sweeping contemporary novel that weaves together elements of a traditional sea story, a gripping war narrative, and a profound love story.
Discussed“our topic for today among other things is his latest book the oceans and the Stars a sea story a war story a love story”
Where to get it
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Refiner's Fire
Refiner's Fire is a novel by Mark Helprin that follows the spiritual and physical journeys of a protagonist navigating a complex and often turbulent world.
Discussed“uh you started off the if I'm correct your um your first your first published novel was refiner fire which was published in 1977”
Where to get it
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A Dove of the East
A Dove of the East is a collection of short stories by Mark Helprin known for its lyrical prose and evocative depictions of various landscapes and human experiences.
Discussed“um you wrote uh Dove of the East the collection and Ellis Island”
Where to get it
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Ellis Island
Ellis Island is a collection of short fiction by Mark Helprin that showcases the author's distinct lyrical style and keen observation of human nature across various settings.
Discussed“um you wrote uh Dove of the East the collection and Ellis Island”
Where to get it
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The Pacific and Other Stories
The Pacific and Other Stories by Mark Helprin is a collection of short fiction showcasing the author's mature narrative style and thematic concerns.
Discussed“no uh my my favorite is a collection of short stories called the Pacific”
Where to get it
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Winter's Tale
Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin is a sweeping, magical realist novel set in a mythical New York City around the turn of the twentieth century.
Discussed“then then you have uh Winter's taale which was mistaken for a fantasy novel which had which it was not”
Where to get it
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A soldier of the great war
A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin is an epic and sweeping historical novel that follows an elderly Italian man reflecting on his youth, art, and his harrowing experiences fighting on the Italian front during World War I.
Discussed“and then there was um the soldier of the Great War which was a very realistic sort of tlan type of Novel Freddy and Frederica which is a comic novel”
Where to get it
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Freddy and Fredericka
Freddy and Fredericka by Mark Helprin is a humorous, satirical comic novel set in the contemporary world that follows the comedic misadventures of its royal protagonists.
Discussed“and then there was um the soldier of the Great War which was a very realistic sort of tlan type of Novel Freddy and Frederica which is a comic novel in the present they're all different”
Where to get it
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Swan Lake
Discussed“but it's the the the first volume of Swan Lake um probably remember the names”
Where to get it
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A City in Winter
Discussed“yeah this there were three books Swan Lake a city in Winter and the veil of Snows and they were published one volume”
Where to get it
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The Veil of Snows
Discussed“yeah this there were three books Swan Lake a city in Winter and the veil of Snows and they were published one volume”
Where to get it
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A Kingdom Far and Clear
Discussed“as um City far and clear far no a u a kingdom far and clear”
Where to get it
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A Kingdom Far and Clear Limited Edition Calla Editions
Discussed“as um City far and clear far no a u a kingdom far and clear”
Where to get it
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The Ulysses Theme
Discussed“one of the great books of British scholarship WB St the ulyses theme Oxford reissued 1968”
Where to get it
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The Great War and Modern Memory
Critiqued“Paul fael and you you may know him wrote a book called The Great War in modern memory and I don't know whether this was because of his particular situation or not”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (3) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Mark was here on June of 2009 talking about his book digital barbarism”
“small point is that I wrote the oceans and the stars it came out three days before October 7th and it's about well war against Iran in the Red Sea”
“and so Wendy said to me you know when I when I take client in they'll and they ask what is the book about they say well it's about this guy who met a girl a girl who met a guy at a bar”