Episode · The Book Review · 2020-06-12
Stephen Fry on The Book Review: books mentioned
Stephen Fry on Reimagining the Greek Myths
Pamela Paul discussed Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellmann, Mythos by Stephen Fry, Heroes by Stephen Fry, Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang, and Exhalation by Ted Chiang. Stephen Fry discussed The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, The plays of Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde, Complete Works of Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde, The trials of Oscar Wilde by Michael S. Foldy, Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh, Enemies of promise and other essays by Cyril Connolly, On Writing by Stephen King, and The Greek myths by Robert Graves. Lauren Christensen discussed The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X, Homie by Danez Smith, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, Passing by Nella Larsen and others, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Tar Baby by Toni Morrison, and Sula by Toni Morrison. Andrew Lavallée recommended American sonnets for my past and future assassin by Terrance Hayes, and discussed Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang and No-no boy by John Okada. Greg Cowles discussed Mystery and manners by Flannery O'Connor and A bell for Adano by John Hersey. Tina Jordan discussed The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Oscar Wilde
Discussed“I was living in London in the time and I had only recently read Richard elman's biography of wild”
Where to get it
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The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a classic comedic play celebrated for its brilliant wit, biting social satire, and timeless epigrams.
Discussed“and when she eventually unpicked my breathless gushing about this uh thing she said oh that was The Importance of Being Earnest”
Where to get it
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The plays of Oscar Wilde
Discussed“I said do you have anything by Oscar wild and she said oh yes we've got the plays of Oscar wild”
Where to get it
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Lady Windermere's Fan
Discussed“and I read the the four great comedies you know woman of no importance and Lady wind's fan”
Where to get it
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Complete Works of Oscar Wilde
Discussed“and then I got the complete works and I I read such of those as I could understand”
Where to get it
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The trials of Oscar Wilde
Discussed“I saw a book called The Trials of Oscar wild I said oh take that”
Where to get it
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Brideshead Revisited
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh is a classic British novel exploring nostalgia, memory, faith, and the aristocratic machinations of the English upper class during the interwar period.
Discussed“and EVN War the prsh novelist a male eelin he wrote Brides head Revisited and Decline and fall”
Where to get it
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Decline and Fall
Evelyn Waugh's classic satirical novel Decline and Fall showcases the author's mastery of prose and biting wit through the misadventures of its unassuming protagonist and eccentric cast.
Discussed“he wrote Brides head Revisited and Decline and fall and many extraordinary satirical novels”
Where to get it
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Enemies of promise and other essays
Enemies of Promise by Cyril Connolly is a celebrated work of literary criticism and essays examining the various personal, social, and aesthetic pitfalls that threaten to derail a writer's career.
Discussed“sir Connelly who was a great critic founded Horizon magazine and he was a friend of all the writers... he wrote a book called the enemies of Promise”
Where to get it
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On Writing
On Writing by Stephen King is a celebrated memoir and masterclass that blends the author's personal experiences with practical, no-nonsense advice for aspiring writers.
Discussed“and and Stephen King wrote a book didn't he about his style guide as it were yes on writing”
Where to get it
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The Greek myths
The Greek Myths by Robert Graves is a comprehensive, two-volume reference work that retells classical Greek mythology while providing extensive commentary and anthropological context.
Discussed“apart from Robert Graves who was hugely influential who wrote a magnificent two volume edition of the Greek myths”
Where to get it
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Mythos
Mythos by Stephen Fry is a contemporary retelling of classical Greek mythology that brings ancient pantheons and legendary tales to life with modern wit and accessible storytelling.
Discussed“I was sent your new book Heroes and my 15-year-old daughter was already a super fan of Mythos the first book”
Where to get it
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Heroes
Heroes by Stephen Fry is a popular retelling of classical Greek mythology that brings ancient legends to life with wit and narrative flair.
Discussed“That was an excerpt from the audio edition of Steven Fry's Heroes”
Where to get it
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The Warmth of Other Suns
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson is a powerful and extensively researched historical account that chronicles the decades-long Great Migration of black citizens leaving the American South for northern and western cities.
Discussed“right before George Floyd came into the news I had actually picked up the warmth of other Sons The Epic story of America's Great Migration”
Where to get it
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is a classic American memoir recounting the life, civil rights activism, and spiritual evolution of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley.
Discussed“whether it's in a memoir like the autobiography of Malcolm X or coming of AG in the Mississippi or in a novel”
Where to get it
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American sonnets for my past and future assassin
American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin is a powerful and formally inventive poetry collection by Terrance Hayes that confronts the political and social realities of contemporary America.
Recommended“and one of the ones that I'm reading right now is a book that came out a couple of years ago called American sonnets for my past and future Assassin by Terrence Hayes”
Where to get it
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Days of Distraction
Discussed“it's called days of distraction by Alexander Chang it came out a couple months ago”
Where to get it
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The Vanishing Half
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett is a compelling contemporary novel that examines family, racial identity, and the choices that shape our lives through the lives of twin sisters who choose to live in very different worlds.
Discussed“speaking to Britt Bennett about her recently published novel her second called The Vanishing half”
Where to get it
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Passing
Discussed“it brought me back to the the classic Nell Larson book called passing which has has been recently reissued”
Where to get it
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The Bluest Eye
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is a powerful and critically acclaimed novel that examines identity, beauty standards, and trauma through the experiences of a young Black girl growing up in mid-century America.
Discussed“as well as you know Echoes of Tony Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Tar baby and Sula”
Where to get it
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Tar Baby
Toni Morrison's novel Tar Baby received thoughtful reflection and recommendation across multiple episodes of The Book Review in July 2024.
Discussed“and Tar baby and Sula and and so much of her work”
Where to get it
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Sula
Sula by Toni Morrison is a powerful and lyrical novel that examines the complex, lifelong friendship between two Black women growing up in a small Ohio town while confronting the oppressive weight of racism and community expectations.
Discussed“and Sula and and so much of her work”
Where to get it
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Mystery and manners
Discussed“I'm reading flanner o Conor's only essay collection it's called mystery and manners and it is subtitled occasional Pros”
Where to get it
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A bell for Adano
Discussed“she's talking about the John hery novel AEL for Adano which some people were protesting was too mature”
Where to get it
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The Righteous Mind
The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt is an insightful exploration of moral psychology that investigates why good people are divided by politics and religion.
Discussed“so I'm reading a book by Jonathan height called The Righteous Mind subtitle is why good people are divided by politics and religion”
Where to get it
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Stories of Your Life and Others
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang is an acclaimed collection of speculative short fiction that explores complex philosophical, linguistic, and temporal concepts.
Discussed“well the book I just finished was Ted Chang's first collection stories of your life and others”
Where to get it
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Exhalation
Exhalation by Ted Chiang is a critically acclaimed collection of philosophical science fiction short stories.
Discussed“listeners of this podcast heard me rave many times about his later collection exhalation which was one of our 10 best books of 2019”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Steven fry will be here to talk about his latest book Heroes the Greek myths reimagined”
“in fact even we're going to come on to these books on Greek myths at one point but funny enough when I was writing the first one Mythos”