Episode · How I Write · 2025-02-26
Books mentioned on The Deepest Conversation I've Ever Had About Writing — Dana Gioia
Dana Gioia recommended The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, and discussed The Unquiet Grave by Cyril Connolly, Enemies of promise and other essays by Cyril Connolly, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, City of God by Augustine of Hippo, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy and others, Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and The Illustrated Golden Bough by James George Frazer.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Unquiet Grave
Discussed“and it's called the unquiet grave and it go it be this the first end”
Where to get it
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Enemies of promise and other essays
Enemies of Promise and other essays by Cyril Connolly is a classic critical work examining the various traps, distractions, and psychological perils that threaten literary ambition and prose style.
Discussed“his first book called enemies of Promise which each chapter shows you a different way that you'll go wrong as a writer”
Where to get it
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To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic American novel by Harper Lee that explores themes of racial injustice and moral growth in the American South.
Discussed“Harper Lee only published one book you know while she was alive To Kill a Mocking Bird”
Where to get it
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City of God
Augustine of Hippo's City of God is a monumental theological work written to comfort Christians and defend the faith against accusations that it caused the fall of the Roman Empire.
Discussed“one of the foundational books for me in my life is St Augustine's city of God”
Where to get it
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The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a classic American novel depicting the hardships of Oklahoma families migrating to California during the Great Depression.
Recommended“the his only competition there really is probably Jack London if you read The Grapes of Wrath for all of grapes of wrath's imperfections he has written one of the greatest American novels because he's done something that we forget which is he's shown us the Dignity of the poor the Dignity of the outcasts”
Where to get it
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War and Peace
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is a sprawling Russian epic novel that chronicles elite society and military conflict during the Napoleonic era.
Discussed“I think the Lord of the Rings is the greatest novel in English written about the first world war and it's about a decent fellow who is dragged into a war which he doesn't want to fight but he conducts himself honorably going through great pain great loss uh and interestingly you know comes out of it morally strengthened in”
Where to get it
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Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is a classic nineteenth-century Russian novel that explores themes of betrayal, faith, family, and societal hypocrisy through the tragic romance of its title character.
Discussed“if I was asked you know the you know my top 10 great novels tolto and dovi would both be be honored I think Anna Corina is the greatest novel ever written I think Brothers katsov is one of the three or four greatest novels ever written crime and punishment is a tremendous novel but then you get the novels”
Where to get it
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The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a complex philosophical novel that delves deeply into faith, doubt, free will, and morality through the turbulent relationships of the Karamazov family.
Discussed“I think Anna Corina is the greatest novel ever written I think Brothers katsov is one of the three or four greatest novels ever written crime and punishment is a tremendous novel but then you get the novels like the idiot or the possessed which I think have great moments but they're kind of sprawling books which you know he”
Where to get it
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Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a profound psychological novel that follows the tortured mind and moral redemption of a destitute former student in Saint Petersburg who commits a desperate crime.
Discussed“I think Brothers katsov is one of the three or four greatest novels ever written crime and punishment is a tremendous novel but then you get the novels like the idiot or the possessed which I think have great moments but they're kind of sprawling books which you know he doesn't reign in sufficiently”
Where to get it
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The Illustrated Golden Bough
The Illustrated Golden Bough by James George Frazer is an expansive comparative study of mythology, folklore, and religion that examines the shared psychological and ritualistic foundations of human societies across history.
Discussed“well what's the connection here with Odus and wisdom because when he goes past the muses he puts the wax in his ears and that's one of the things that they entice him with In order for anus to do this he has to have the golden bow which becomes the the title of this this great mythological thing that's”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (4) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“anyway um I wrote an article which I think is one of the best things I've ever written called disappearing Inc poetry at the end of print culture”
“this is what became really the most famous piece I've ever written called can poetry matter of course it's probably the most best known essay on poetry for the last 30 40 years”
“yeah I just published a a book uh on opera called weep shudder die and I began it about 20 years ago”
“this is n called 99 poems and it's 40 years of work”