Episode · The Book Review · 2017-03-31
Books mentioned on The Charm of 'The Idiot'
Gilbert Cruz discussed The Idiot by Elif Batuman, The Possessed by Elif Batuman, and The Idiot by Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский. Pamela Paul recommended The throwback special by Chris Bachelder, and discussed Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and The Novel of the Century by David Bellos. Alexandra Alter recommended Void Star by Zachary Mason, and discussed American War by Omar El Akkad and The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch and others. Elif Batuman discussed Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Greg Cowles discussed The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro and A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. Jennifer Szalai discussed A separation by Katie M. Kitamura. Parul Sehgal recommended Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
The Idiot
The Idiot by Elif Batuman is a brilliant coming-of-age novel that follows a young woman navigating her freshman year at Harvard and her nascent, epistolary romance with an older student.
Discussed“why shouldn't the author of the possessed and owed to Russian literature name her debut novel after another DVI Masterpiece El if batamon will be here to talk about her new book The Idiot”
Where to get it
-
Les Miserables
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is an epic 1862 French novel following ex-convict Jean Valjean and other characters against a sweeping backdrop of nineteenth-century social injustice and revolution.
Discussed“what makes Victor Hugo's lay misera the novel of the century David BOS will join us to talk about his book on Hugo's Masterpiece does speak to us now”
Where to get it
-
The Novel of the Century
The Novel of the Century: The Extraordinary Adventure of Les Misérables by David Bellos is a comprehensive literary history detailing the creation, publication, and enduring global impact of Victor Hugo's monumental masterpiece.
Discussed“David Bellis joins us now he is the author of the novel of the century the extraordinary adventure of liera David thank you for being here”
Where to get it
-
American War
American War by Omar El Akkad is a dystopian debut novel that imagines a fractured United States caught in the throes of a second civil war in the late twenty-first century.
Discussed“and on top of that there's this whole new crop of dystopian fiction coming out this spring starting with American War by Omar Cod which is a debut novel and it takes place in America after a civil war”
Where to get it
-
The Book of Joan
The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch is a dystopian science fiction novel set in a ruined, war-torn future where the remnants of humanity orbit a devastated Earth.
Discussed“another one that's coming out soon is Lydia yuk nich's novel The Book of Joan which is set in the near future again where the globe has been devastated by climate change and War”
Where to get it
-
Void Star
Void Star by Zachary Mason is a speculative science fiction novel set in a near-future San Francisco defined by advanced artificial intelligence, corporate surveillance, and economic disparity.
Recommended“and another April novel that I loved that again might give you nightmares but you'll probably enjoy it while you're reading it is void Star by Zachary Mason”
Where to get it
-
The Possessed
The Possessed by Elif Batuman is an engaging collection of essays subtitled Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them.
Discussed“you obviously wrote another book called the possessed adventures with Russian books and the people who read them”
Where to get it
-
Demons
Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a profound novel exploring the societal and psychological chaos that erupts when ideological dogmas displace spiritual frameworks.
Discussed“I actually wanted to write a novel called the possessed which I thought of as a retelling of dust's Novel the demons which is often translated as the possessed set in a Stanford likee comparative literature graduate program in the earlys”
Where to get it
-
The Idiot
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a profound 19th-century Russian novel that follows the compassionate, innocent, and deeply misunderstood Prince Myshkin as he navigates the cynical and corrupt high society of St.
Discussed“so you've named this book also after ad dovi novel is it in your mind a modern interpretation of the idiot actually the the way the title came about was I was working on a another autobiographical type novel”
Where to get it
-
The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a profound philosophical novel that explores deep spiritual questions surrounding faith, free will, morality, and the human condition.
Discussed“and then Brothers Kaza I te in a amazing lecture class by Monika Greenleaf at Stanford and that was when I kind of acquired a more adult theoretical understanding of DKI”
Where to get it
-
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a profound psychological novel that explores guilt, morality, and the severe consequences of moral relativism and nihilism.
Discussed“the first one I read was Crime and Punishment and that was the one that really struck me at that early moment of Youth when I think one is especially receptive to DVI so that has a special place in my heart”
Where to get it
-
The Power Broker
The Power Broker by Robert A.
Discussed“yes I am back to Robert Moses uh you may remember last time I had taken a break from the power broker to start Hillary mantel's novel”
Where to get it
-
A Place of Greater Safety
A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel is an immersive historical novel that traces the intense lives, political ambitions, and tragic fates of key figures during the French Revolution.
Discussed“uh you may remember last time I had taken a break from the power broker to start Hillary mantel's novel a place of Greater safety about the French Revolution”
Where to get it
-
A separation
A Separation by Katie M.
Discussed“so I'm about a third of a way through of the novel a Separation by Kitty kitamura which came out I think last month”
Where to get it
-
Killers of the Flower Moon
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann is a harrowing work of historical non-fiction examining the systematic murders of wealthy Osage people in Oklahoma during the 1920s and the birth of the FBI.
Recommended“so I'm getting excited for David Gran's new book which is coming out next month I think it's called killers of the flower Moon”
Where to get it
-
The throwback special
The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder is a poignant novel that follows a group of middle-aged men who gather annually to reenact a notoriously violent play from an old NFL game.
Recommended“which is Chris belder the throwback special I love that book I love it so much”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (6) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“and it's Faithfully represented in Gone With The Wind in which you know people read lering Gone With the Wind and that that's quite accurate for the time”
“you know we saw in the first few months of this year this huge surge in sales for classic dystopian novels 1984 Brave New World uh the handmaid's tale which is still selling briskly”
“you know we saw in the first few months of this year this huge surge in sales for classic dystopian novels 1984 Brave New World uh the handmaid's tale which is still selling briskly”
“you know we saw in the first few months of this year this huge surge in sales for classic dystopian novels 1984 Brave New World uh the handmaid's tale which is still selling briskly”
“and I thought I might follow that up with another book about the French Revolution that I've never gotten around to A Tale of Two Cities which I have now bought and left prominently on my bedside table as a kind of prompt like a to-do list”
“I actually started reading Emil zolah the belly of Paris but I will wait to talk about that and I'll talk instead about the book that I just finished reading”