Marlon and Jake Read Dead People

Penguin Random House
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  • Updated Biweekly

Marlon and Jake Read Dead People is a podcast hosted by the Booker Prize-winning and internationally bestselling author Marlon James and his editor, Jake Morrissey, Executive Editor at Riverhead Books. In each episode, Marlon and Jake talk about authors—specifically dead authors. Authors they like. Authors they hate. Great books, terrible books, and books they love that you’d never expect them to. As a writer and an editor, Marlon and Jake have read thousands of books between them, and they’re not shy in expressing their opinions about them. Sometimes they’ll agree, sometimes they won’t, but in every episode, they’ll tell you what they think— uncensored and with no holds barred. (That’s why the authors have to be dead.) So, listen along to hear about the spectacularly good, the hilariously bad, and the brutally honest.

  1. 4d ago

    Why Does Great Literature Have Such Bad Sex?

    Marlon and Jake dive into one of literature's trickiest subjects: sex. Why do some writers capture intimacy with honesty while others veer into the unintentionally hilarious? Along the way, they discuss why writing about sex is really writing about people, the differences between American and French attitudes toward sexuality in fiction, ghost stories as a vehicle for taboo desires, and the delicate balance between telling the truth and keeping readers engaged. Tune in for a conversation about why the best writing on sex is rarely just about sex. Subscribe to our River-herd digital newsletter and our print newspaper, The Eddy, for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content: https://sites.prh.com/the-eddy-newspaper. Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth  “The Diamond Mine” by Nadine Gordimer The Late Bourgeois World by Nadine Gordimer Death of Venice by Thomas Mann The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig Miracle of the Rose by Jean Genet Maurice by E. M. Forster The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton Ernesto by Umberto Saba Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller London Fields by Martin Amis The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe Sex and the Single Girl by Helen Gurley Brown G. by John Berger  Flashman series Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel The Godfather by Mario Puzo Jaws by Peter Benchley

  2. Jul 28

    Writers We'll Never Read Again (Sorry, Faulkner)

    Marlon and Jake tackle the writers they have no interest in revisiting, asking when it's worth giving a beloved (or notorious) author another chance and when it's perfectly fine to walk away for good. Tune in as they debate literary canon, books that simply aren't for them, the difference between a difficult author and a difficult book, and why sometimes the most honest review is, "Nobody needs to go back to that" Subscribe to our River-herd digital newsletter and our print newspaper, The Eddy, for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content: https://sites.prh.com/the-eddy-newspaper. The Executioner series by Don Pendleton Hotel by Arthur Hailey Airport by Arthur Hailey Wheels by Arthur Hailey The Moneychangers by Arthur Hailey Advise and Consent by Allen Drury Shōgun by James Clavell Tai-Pan by James Clavell King Rat by James Clavell Whirlwind by James Clavell Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson Light in August by William Faulkner Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner Pylon by William Faulkner In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote Answered Prayers by Truman Capote “Where Is the Voice Coming from?” by Eudora Welty The Ballad of the Sad Café by Carson McCullers The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy The Return of a Native by Thomas Hardy The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing The Summer Before the Dark by Doris Lessing Children of Violence series by Doris Lessing Pentimento by Lillian Hellman Scoundrel Time by Lillian Hellman An Unfinished Woman by Lillian Hellman The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Appointment in Samarra by John O’Hara Butterfield 8 by John O’Hara A Rage to Live by John O’Hara Sophie’s Choice by William Styron Grendel by John Gardner October Light by John Gardner The Art of Fiction by John Gardner On Moral Fiction by John Gardner The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Giant by Edna Ferber Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver A Distant Mirror by Barbara W. Tuchman Once Is Not Enough by Jacqueline Susann Burr by Gore Vidal The Godfather by Mario Puzo In the Hand of Dante by Nick Tosches Delina Delaney by Amanda McKittrick Ros Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl Stuart Little by E. B. White The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews Jaws by Peter Benchley

  3. Jul 21

    Is Jane Eyre Okay?

    Marlon and Jake explore why we're so eager to revisit the worlds of our favorite stories, asking whether great characters are better left where their authors left them—or if there's value in imagining what came before or after. Tune in as they unpack the appeal of sequels, the pitfalls of origin stories, and why some fictional worlds are more powerful when they remain a mystery. Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletter A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes Lord of the Flies by William Golding Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë The Life and Loves of a She-Devil by Fay Weldon Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser Mansfield Park by Jane Austen To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Lost Horizon by James Hilton Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Little Men by Louisa May Alcott David Copperfield by Charles Dickens The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Bleak House by Charles Dickens Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Big Blonde by Dorothy Parker The Tempest by William Shakespeare

  4. Jul 14

    Calling B******t on Dystopias

    Marlon and Jake dive into the world of dystopian fiction, unpacking what truly makes a dystopia—and whether some of the genre’s biggest ideas hold up under closer scrutiny. Along the way, they discuss why some dystopias feel more believable than others, how our understanding of these stories changes over time, and the real-world parallels that make them resonate long after the final page. Tune in as they explore how history, power, and human nature shape the worlds we imagine. Subscribe to our River-herd digital newsletter and our print newspaper, The Eddy, for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content: https://sites.prh.com/the-eddy-newspaper.  Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow The Last Man by Mary Shelley 1984 by George Orwell  Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban Pilgermann by Russell Hoban The Road by Cormac McCarthy Lord of the Flies by William Golding Pincher Martin by William Golding Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

  5. Jul 7

    Clearing the Cobwebs

    Welcome back for a new season! Marlon and Jake catch up on what they’ve been reading, writing, and working on, including Marlon’s new novel, and explore the books they return to when it’s time to create. They discuss the stories that inspire rather than intimidate, the surprising value of giving up on a book, and the writers they revisit to clear the cobwebs from their minds. Tune in to hear how reading shapes their creative process, from finding the right voice to discovering what makes great dialogue. Subscribe to our River-herd digital newsletter and our print newspaper, The Eddy, for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content: https://sites.prh.com/the-eddy-newspaper. “A Trifle from Life” by Anton Chekhov Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne War Music by Christopher Logue The Odyssey by Homer The Oresteia by Aeschylus Letters from a Stoic by Seneca Maurice by E. M. Forster Ernesto by Umberto Saba Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar New Hampshire by Robert Frost In Parenthesis by David Jones Civil War by Lucan

  6. 05/02/2023

    The Beach Read

    In the final episode of the season, Marlon and Jake weigh in on their favorite vacation reads, including the ones they started but never finished. Tune in to find out which classic novels Jake took to the beach and which ones Marlon says should have been thrown in the ocean.  Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletter The Goodbye Look by Ross McDonaldWar and Peace by Leo TolstoyAnna Karenina by Leo TolstoyMoby Dick by Herman MelvilleThe Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre DumasChances by Jackie CollinsThe Year of the French by Thomas FlanaganAll Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria RemarqueThe Golden Bowl by Henry JamesThe Ambassadors by Henry JamesPortrait of a Lady by Henry JamesPronto by Elmore LeonardHowl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne JonesSmallbone Deceased by Michael GilbertThe Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur, Jr.Persuasion by Jane Austen

  7. 04/25/2023

    The Campus Novel

    It was the best of times; it was the worst of times—it was school. In this episode, Marlon and Jake discuss books where school is the setting or going to school is central to the plot. They debate which authors got school right and which got school wrong, what makes an inspiring teacher, and what the closed universe of a schoolyard or college campus can feel like. Tune in to hear Marlon and Jake reminisce over their own college experiences and what they were like as students. Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletter Tom Brown’s School Days by Thomas HughesThe History of Tom Jones, A Foundling by Henry FieldingBrideshead Revisited by Evelyn WaughDecline and Fall by Evelyn WaughVile Bodies by Evelyn WaughScoop by Evelyn WaughThe Crime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel SparkA Separate Peace by John KnowlesLook back in Anger by John OsborneTess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas HardyJude the Obscure by Thomas HardyReturn of the Native by Thomas HardyAbsalom, Absalom! By William FaulknerLove Story by Erich SegalThe Miracle Worker by William GibsonStoner by John WilliamsZuleika Dobson by Max BeerbohmThe Corn is Green by Emlyn Williams

  8. 04/18/2023

    City Settings

    In this episode, Marlon and Jake talk about cities in books. Books set in memorable cities, books set in cities you're glad you've never been to and books where the city itself is nearly a character. They talk about the specificity of London of the 19th century British novel, the New York novel, entirely fictional cities in Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and don’t miss Marlon’s personal experience with Bloomsday in Dublin! Subscribe to our River-herd newsletter for sneak peeks of our upcoming books, free giveaways, and exclusive content. https://sites.prh.com/riverhead-reader-newsletterUlysses by James Joyce  Ulysses by James JoycePortrait of the Artist by James JoyceDubliners by James JoyceThe Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom WolfeThe Age of Innocence Edith Wharton The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell HammettPalace Walk by Naguib MahfouzPalace of Desire by Naguib MahfouzSugar Street by Naguib MahfouzInvisible Cities by Italo Calvino Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred DoblinIn Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor HugoInterview with a Vampire by Anne Rice Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy TooleThe Master and Margarita by Mikhail BulgakovThe Young Unicorns by Madeleine L’Engle

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Marlon and Jake Read Dead People is a podcast hosted by the Booker Prize-winning and internationally bestselling author Marlon James and his editor, Jake Morrissey, Executive Editor at Riverhead Books. In each episode, Marlon and Jake talk about authors—specifically dead authors. Authors they like. Authors they hate. Great books, terrible books, and books they love that you’d never expect them to. As a writer and an editor, Marlon and Jake have read thousands of books between them, and they’re not shy in expressing their opinions about them. Sometimes they’ll agree, sometimes they won’t, but in every episode, they’ll tell you what they think— uncensored and with no holds barred. (That’s why the authors have to be dead.) So, listen along to hear about the spectacularly good, the hilariously bad, and the brutally honest.

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