Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2024-01-24
Tyler Cowen & Rebecca F. Kuang: books mentioned on Conversations with Tyler
Rebecca F. Kuang on National Literatures, Book Publishing, and History in Fiction
Rebecca F. Kuang just might change the way you think about fantasy and science fiction.
Rebecca F. Kuang recommended Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, and discussed The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, A Floating Chinaman by Hua Hsu, The world republic of letters by Pascale Casanova, Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, Deep Work by Cal Newport, and Watchmen by Alan Moore and others. Tyler Cowen discussed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, and The Dream of The Red Chamber.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Three-Body Problem
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu is a sweeping science fiction novel exploring humanity's first contact with an alien civilization against the backdrop of China's cultural revolution.
Discussed“My fiance is reading 2001: A Space Odyssey right now and its sequels, and he was a big fan of Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem trilogy, and he's telling me he can see where the Clarke influence comes from.”
Where to get it
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Piranesi
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke is a critically acclaimed fantasy novel that follows an isolated protagonist navigating a surreal, statue-filled labyrinth known as the House.
Recommended“I really hope that Susanna Clarke lasts. I'm a big fan of her work. I hope Piranesi becomes one of those immortal works of fiction.”
Where to get it
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Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
Jonathan Strange and Mr.
Discussed“Do you think that Piranesi was a lot less accessible than Jonathan Strange was?”
Where to get it
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House of Leaves
House of Leaves is a complex postmodern novel by Mark Z.
Discussed“Mark Danielewski. You mean House of Leaves? That's right.”
Where to get it
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Pale Fire
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov is a complex postmodern novel structured as a long narrative poem with an extensive, eccentric commentary and index written by a deranged scholar.
Discussed“How about Pale Fire? I love Pale Fire. For my birthday this year, one of your friends, Rodrigo, got me this special edition that has the cantos printed on index cards...”
Where to get it
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A Floating Chinaman
Discussed“I did just finish Hua Hsu's A Floating Life, which is a text that thinks very much about the trans-Pacific imagination, who has the authority to talk about China...”
Where to get it
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The Dream of The Red Chamber
The Dream of the Red Chamber by Tsʻao Hsüeh-chʻin is an eighteenth-century Chinese masterpiece chronicling the rise and fall of a prominent aristocratic family alongside a central tragic romance.
Discussed“But again, you get into Chinese fiction or if you look at a classic work, Dream of Red Chamber, other than people with some kind of background in China or Chinese studies, I know very few people who've read Dream of Red Chamber.”
Where to get it
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The world republic of letters
Discussed“So, the kind of theories of literary economy and world literature I'm thinking of really start with Pascale Casanova's The World Republic of Letters and she makes some good points about the Latin American authors here...”
Where to get it
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Digital Minimalism
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport is a thoughtful manifesto that advocates for a targeted, intentional approach to personal technology use, encouraging individuals to reclaim their time and attention from constant digital stimulation.
Discussed“I recently read Digital Minimalism because I was fed up with social media. I found it very compelling. And then I read Deep Work, too.”
Where to get it
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Deep Work
Deep Work by Cal Newport is a productivity and self-help guide that argues for the immense value of cultivating distraction-free concentration in a hyper-connected world, asserting that focused effort is the key to achieving extraordinary professional outcomes and personal fulfillment.
Discussed“And then I read Deep Work, too. And I know lots of people have strong feelings, good or bad, about all those books.”
Where to get it
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Watchmen
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is a landmark graphic novel set in an alternate history that deconstructs the superhero genre against the backdrop of Cold War tensions.
Discussed“And this might be because we're reading Watchmen right now, which is a comic book that I'd slept on for many years, and I hadn't realized what a Cold War work of fiction it was...”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (9) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Today I'm here with Rebecca Kuang, who is a New York Times number one best-selling author with her earlier book, Babel.”
“Her latest work is Yellowface, which I loved. Stephen King described it as the following, quote, "This is a great read. Crime, satire, horror, paranoia, questions of cultural appropriation, Plenty of nasty social media pile-ons, too, but basically just a great story. Hard to put down, harder to forget."”
“She also has a fantasy trilogy of The Poppy War, which is not quite a young adult's novel, but maybe not not a young adult's novel, also.”
“My fiance is reading 2001: A Space Odyssey right now and its sequels, and he was a big fan of Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem trilogy, and he's telling me he can see where the Clarke influence comes from.”
“If I had to send a person to one place to learn Chinese science fiction, assuming they're not going to read three volumes of Three-Body Problem, I'd send them to Folding Beijing.”
“Now, a lot of your latest book, Yellowface, deals with the book trade, being a best-selling author.”
“Like not many people have read Soul Mountain or Mo Yan or just not that much, right?”
“When I wrote Yellowface, this was during mid-2021, so we were all at home and largely existing on the internet, which was the worst place to be.”
“Anyway, Rebecca, thank you very much. Her new book, Loved It Yellowface, out this year, and she tells us over time there will be at least three more books coming.”