Episode · EconTalk · 2024-11-25
Books mentioned on Tyler Cowen on Life and Fate
Life and Fate might be the greatest novel of the 20th century or maybe ever. Tyler Cowen talks about this sprawling masterpiece and its author, Vasily Grossman, with EconTalk's Russ Roberts.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Life and Fate
Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman is a sweeping masterpiece depicting the brutality and human ramifications of the Eastern Front, the Holocaust, and totalitarianism during World War II.
Recommended“Our topic for today is Vasily Grossman's masterpiece Life and Fate. We will minimize spoilers, but I'd encourage you to read the book before listening if that's your habit.”
Where to get it
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War and Peace
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is a sweeping historical epic exploring Russian society and human agency during the Napoleonic Wars.
Discussed“The one that comes closest to it is in fact his model. That's Tolstoy's War and Peace. You know, a a three-word title with an and in the middle and two important concepts.”
Where to get it
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The Charterhouse of Parma
The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal is a classic nineteenth-century novel that explores the political intrigue, romance, and complex personal fates of individuals moving through post-Napoleonic Europe.
Discussed“Stendhal is also mentioned several times a Charterhouse of Parma which is a book about war and individual fate and I strongly suspect all of the literary references have some meaning to Grossman.”
Where to get it
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Sakhalin Island
Sakhalin Island is a classic account by Anton Chekhov documenting his journey to a remote Russian penal colony and the harsh realities of the camp.
Discussed“And that I think is his bottom line and that too comes from Chekhov and then he cites Chekhov's book about prison camp Sakhalin Island which is also a fantastic story.”
Where to get it
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The road
The Road by Vasily Grossman is a powerful collection of short stories and essays reflecting on war, human resilience, and the author's profound worldview.
Discussed“He's got a an essay in the road which we may talk about in a future episode where he looks at a painting of Raphael's called the Sistine Madonna.”
Where to get it
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An Armenian Sketchbook
An Armenian Sketchbook by Vasily Grossman is a poignant travel narrative and memoir by the celebrated Soviet-Russian author, chronicling his time spent in Armenia during the autumn of 1961 while recovering from the suppression of his literary masterpiece Life and Fate.
Recommended“If you read Armenian Sketchbook, which is a also a great short book to read by him. He just seems so much not a fanatic.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (4) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Um it's not a traditional novel akin to War and Peace or akin to other Russian novels such as uh The Brothers Karamazov or In the First Circle, which we talked about here on the program uh previously.”
“Um it's not a traditional novel akin to War and Peace or akin to other Russian novels such as uh The Brothers Karamazov or In the First Circle, which we talked about here on the program uh previously.”
“You know, in this case, another thing that that Grossman captures, I thought, with such accuracy and and lets you feel it is the exhilaration of scientific discovery.”
“My wife, Natasha, a Jew from the Soviet Union, this and Master and Margarita are her two favorite novels.”