Person
Every book Lev Grossman recommended on podcasts
Lev Grossman appears on The Book Review podcast as a dedicated writer and scholar of Arthurian legend and fantasy literature, offering deep reflections on how foundational myths are retold across generations. Grossman discusses his personal entry point into the Arthurian tradition, explaining how he fell in love with the legends through T. H. White's classic novel cycle, The Once and Future King, and its constituent part, The Sword in the Stone. While expressing enduring affection for White's work, he reflects on how it ultimately feels like a book belonging to the past when compared to subsequent retellings. Grossman traces the evolution of the myth through various mediums and texts, referencing Thomas Malory's works, Alfred Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King—which he cites as the high-water mark for magical Arthurian romance—and Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon. Amidst these classic explorations, Grossman offers high praise for Bernard Cornwell's The Winter King, recommending it as an amazing and grounded modern take on the Arthurian legend that stands out distinctively to him. Through these observations, Grossman demonstrates a profound appreciation for the enduring adaptability of Arthurian stories, balancing historical reverence for literary milestones with an enthusiasm for grittier, contemporary reinterpretations of ancient mythic material.
Books recommended by Lev Grossman
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The Winter King
The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell is a gritty, historical reimagining of the Arthurian legend told from the perspective of an elderly Derfel Cadarn.
Recommended“the one that states with me is the winter King by Vernard Cornwell amazing book”
Where to get it
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Idylls of the King
Discussed“probably Tennyson idles of the king as the high water mark of that”
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The Magicians
Discussed“The Magicians was not my first book I had two books before then but The Magicians was when I really I found my voice as a writer and really learned my craft”
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The Mists of Avalon
Discussed“and then I went on and I read mallerie and M Avalon and Rosary s Cliffe”
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The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King by T.
Discussed“like a lot of people I fell in love with Arthur through Sword in the Stone the th White and The Once and Future King which is that sort of Novel cycle that he wrote”
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War and Peace
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is a monumental literary masterpiece that chronicles Russian society, family life, and the dramatic historical events surrounding the Napoleonic Wars.
Discussed“that scene oddly came out of I I I had been reading War and Peace a book that I had put off reading for a very long time”
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Watchmen
Watchmen is a seminal graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons that deconstructs the superhero genre against the backdrop of an alternate Cold War history.
Discussed“I feel like the great Treatise on this which was a formative reading experience for me is Watchmen by Alan Moore which I read when I was in high school”
Where to get it
Books Lev Grossman wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| What It's Like to Write a King Arthur Tale | The Book Review | 2024-07-19 | 13 |
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and I thought somebody it was time somebody took him seriously and told his story and that that that's how the bright sword happened”
“and I came back to that in in the bright swword one of the heroes of the book column”
“And I tried to bring some of that to the battle scenes in the bright sword because it must have been a truly amazingly difficult experience being in a battle”