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A literary-inclined release from the publishers of Indirect Books. Subscribe for conversations with authors, editorial talks, critical deep dives, and other book-type discussions. Updated at certain times.

  1. Waves of Pure Lemon: Katharine Smyth and "All The Lives We Ever Lived"

    DEC 18

    Waves of Pure Lemon: Katharine Smyth and "All The Lives We Ever Lived"

    Katharine Smyth joins the show to talk about her memoir, All The Lives We Ever Lived, her Woolfian inheritance, her family, and much more. She takes us through how Woolf inspired the emotional symbolism of her memoir and connected it with the impact of her father’s death. Listen in as Dan and Katharine discuss tattoo parallels, going to Woolf’s former house, and how the publication of her memoir affected her family. In the meantime, check out Katharine’s website and, as always, stay critical!

    55 min
  2. It Was His Sayings One Remembered: Mrs Woolf and Mrs Dalloway

    NOV 1

    It Was His Sayings One Remembered: Mrs Woolf and Mrs Dalloway

    Suddenly Elizabeth stepped forward and most competently boarded the omnibus, in front of everybody. This episode is the first in our series on Mrs Dalloway, for the 100th anniversary of its publication. In this episode, we talk somewhat generally about the novel, getting into Woolf’s style and narrational mode, and how she manages to create a sense of her book being “lived-in.” What’s really interesting about MRSD, (well, one of the many, many things), is how scenic it is. Literally: the novel is almost entirely scene. This creates a sense of it being “shot in one continuous take,” to use a cinematic comparison, and deepens the feeling of life at its core. This universality, I think, gives MRSD its remarkable staying power. This series will continue over the rest of the year, looking at other texts, taking a deeper dive into MRSD itself, and having a guest or two on to discuss. It’s my favorite book and I really enjoyed recording this one; an excellent way to spend Halloween. Stay tuned for the Substack post with complete show notes next week, and in the meantime check out everything happening at the journal and the press and, of course—stay critical. Merci !

    1h 8m
  3. Searching for Witticisms: Rachel León on THE REMAINS OF THE DAY

    OCT 24

    Searching for Witticisms: Rachel León on THE REMAINS OF THE DAY

    This episode features the excellent Rachel León joining the show to discuss Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day. Rachel wrote for L’Esprit way back in Issue Zero, and has all sorts of cool stuff going on. We get into the novel and break down its use of first person narration, and Stevens’ endless search for the appropriate invocation of banter. It’s a wild book and a fun conversation; hope you enjoy it. In the meantime, check out Rachel’s website and, of course, stay critical!

    1h 2m
  4. A Region That Outlay Human Identity: Rachel Cusk's "The Last Supper"

    OCT 9

    A Region That Outlay Human Identity: Rachel Cusk's "The Last Supper"

    Our first memoir in the Cordlivres Club! On this episode, we’re talking Rachel Cusk’s The Last Supper, from 2009, about a summer spent in Italy with her family. It’s all about art, language, meaning, truth, tennis—you know, typical stuff. We get into Cusk's distinctive writing style, particularly her ability to blend abstract philosophical concepts with concrete human experiences through figurative language. I touch on her unique narrative technique of "first-person free and direct," which allows readers to experience conversations more intimately by subtly incorporating other characters' speech patterns into the narration. We share a few passages from the book to demonstrate how Cusk explores the relationship between language, art, and experience, observing how she approaches memoir writing with those novelistic techniques that make her nonfiction particularly compelling. Check out the free Substack post with complete show notes. More soon, and in the meantime—stay critical. Merci !

    52 min
  5. Bore This Funeral Affair: James Joyce's Ulysses [Part Two]

    OCT 2

    Bore This Funeral Affair: James Joyce's Ulysses [Part Two]

    What better way to tackle the most titanic of twentieth century novels—both within and beyond the text itself—than to bring in a very special guest? Indirect Books’ debut author, and noted literary maverick, Michael Nath joins to show to get stuck in to Joyce’s monumental Ulysses. We take a look at Episodes Four (“Calypso”) & Five (“The Lotus Eaters”), more or less, in this epic two-part conversation. In this second episode, we get into Episode Five of the novel, talk a little about the resonances to Michael’s own Talbot & The Fall, and generally carry on much as we did in Part One. We also look at some of the very funny and insightful letters written by Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap, as found in my copy, The Little Review “Ulysses”. We also talk about T. S. Eliot’s essay “Ulysses, Order, and Myth”. I hope everyone enjoys this excellent discussion; I know I did. More episodes on the way next week. In the meantime—stay critical. Merci !

    1h 13m
  6. The Inner Organs of Beasts and Fowls: James Joyce's Ulysses [Part One]

    SEP 29

    The Inner Organs of Beasts and Fowls: James Joyce's Ulysses [Part One]

    What better way to tackle the most titanic of twentieth century novels—both within and beyond the text itself—than to bring in a very special guest? Indirect Books’ debut author, and noted literary maverick, Michael Nath joins to show to get stuck in to Joyce’s monumental Ulysses. We take a look at Episodes Four (“Calypso”) & Five (“The Lotus Eaters”), more or less, in this epic two-part conversation. Michael starts us off with his personal connection to the book, having first read it in 1983 and falling in love with both its humor and its thought. He suggests that Ulysses provides a sense of home for readers over time, much like its own thematic. From there we get into all manner of things, from Joyce's skillful manipulation of voice to the idea of Ulysses as a secular Bible and its expansive nature, even in these (seemingly) straightforward episodes of the novel. I hope everyone enjoys this excellent discussion; I know I did. We’ll definitely have Michael back on the show (maybe for Hamlet), and we’ve got another great conversation coming in Part Two on Thursday. In the meantime—stay critical. Merci !

    55 min
  7. Thinking Was A Vain Act: H. S. Cross' AMANDA

    SEP 23

    Thinking Was A Vain Act: H. S. Cross' AMANDA

    Our latest guest episode in the Cordelives Club doubles as our first author talk! The marvellous H. S. Cross joins us to talk about her new novel, Amanda. Heather and I talk about her belief in point-of-view, the MFA-less route she took to writing, how she researched and thought about her novel, and so much more. Amanda is a super cool book, and this episode is a great look both at it and at Heather’s approach to her craft. A fascinating conversation that might offer a lot of insight for those thinking about how longterm careers in writing. I’ve got a review of the novel coming out with Chicago Review of Books, and Heather and I did a written interview that’ll be out in L’Esprit Issue Seven, in October. For now, check out Heather’s website, and order one of her books! You can preorder Amanda now and find her first two novels via her website. If you can, please consider buying them direct from FSG. Thanks so much to Heather for coming on the show. I hope everyone enjoys this excellent discussion; I know I did. More soon, and in the meantime—stay critical. Merci !

    57 min
  8. If The Past Comes In It Will Wring Her Neck: Eimear McBride's Strange Hotel [Part Two]

    SEP 17

    If The Past Comes In It Will Wring Her Neck: Eimear McBride's Strange Hotel [Part Two]

    This episode focuses on the second half of Eimear McBride's 2020 novel Strange Hotel, talking about the way her prose creates a parallel relationship between the reader’s repose to the text and the character’s response to memory. We looked at some more of that awesome McBride language, and had fun with quotes. We focused on how the novel's language and structure create immersive memories and emotional depth, with specific attention to the narrative's shift from third-person to first-person perspective in the final pages. Then we talked a bit about stream-of-consciousness, and where Strange Hotel does or does not fit into that world—a conversation that’ll be ongoing in the Club. Hopefully this is only the beginning of McBride’s “experimental” phase. Check out the Substack post with complete show notes, and in the meantime—stay critical. Merci !

    36 min
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A literary-inclined release from the publishers of Indirect Books. Subscribe for conversations with authors, editorial talks, critical deep dives, and other book-type discussions. Updated at certain times.

Information

  • Creator
    Indirect Books
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 1882 Literary, LLC
  • Show Website
    Free and Direct