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Every book Jane Hirschfield recommended on podcasts
Jane Hirschfield appeared on The Ezra Klein Show to discuss the art of noticing, poetry, and mindfulness in a dizzying world. At the conclusion of her interview, Hirschfield offered several indispensable book recommendations. She suggested George Lakoff and Mark Johnson's Metaphors We Live By, praised Joseph Brodsky's essay collection Less Than One—specifically highlighting a chapter featuring a close reading of a W. H. Auden poem—and recommended James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time for its clarity of vision and profound affection for humanity. Earlier in the conversation, Hirschfield wove various texts into her reflections on labor and focus. She brought up Ivan Illich's Shadow Work to draw an analogy about the unacknowledged labor that sustains the human body, referenced Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow to describe moments of intense focus and ego dissolution, and invoked C. P. Snow's The Two Cultures to critique the false binary separating science and the humanities. These references highlight Hirschfield's expansive intellect, bridging poetry, sociology, psychology, and philosophy.
Books recommended by Jane Hirschfield
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Less than one
Less Than One by Joseph Brodsky is a critically acclaimed collection of essays written by the exiled Russian poet and Nobel laureate, offering profound reflections on literature, politics, exile, and the human condition.
Recommended“so the Russian poet Joseph Brodsky has a book of essays less than one and one long chapter in that essay is a close reading of the poem September 1st 1939 by Auden”
Where to get it
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Metaphors We Live By
Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson is a foundational cognitive linguistics text that argues human conceptual systems are fundamentally metaphorical in nature, shaping how we think, speak, and act.
Recommended“one is a book called metaphors we live by by George lakov and Mark Johnson”
Where to get it
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The fire next time
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin is a searing and brilliant collection of essays examining race, religion, and American identity through letters and personal reflection.
Recommended“the next one just because I reread it and felt it was indispensable and invaluable and has not been surpassed for its Clarity of seeing combined with an absolute commitment to affection for our fellow human beings James Baldwin the fire next time”
Where to get it
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Flow
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a seminal work in psychology that explores the optimal state of consciousness known as flow, where individuals become entirely immersed and energized in an activity through a delicate balance of challenge and skill.
Discussed“there's The Marvelous book um by mihai chick sent me high called flow that probably many of your listeners know”
Where to get it
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Shadow Work
Discussed“um the wonderful thinker Yvonne Ilitch wrote a book called Shadow work some decades ago where he talked about all of the unacknowledged laborers that sustain communities and what actually happens in the world”
Where to get it
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the two culture and the scientific revolution
The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution by C.P.
Discussed“CP Snow's book about the two cultures”
Where to get it
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Art of Noticing – and Appreciating – Our Dizzying World | The Ezra Klein Show | 2023-03-03 | 6 |