Island Idylls

Barry Menikoff, Aaron Menikoff
  • 4.7 (30)
  • BOOKS
Island Idylls

Island Idylls riffs on books and life with Barry Menikoff. Author of Stone Mother, Brooklyn born and bred, retired Hawaii university professor, international scholar. Evangelical pastor Aaron Menikoff, author of Politics and Piety, spices this dialogue between father and son. Both chasing that elusive line in an old song, What's it all about, Alfie?

  1. 09/17/2021

    36 - The Gothic Lit of Flannery O’Connor

    In their last episode of season three, the Menikoffs discuss one of the most interesting writers of the twentieth century, Flannery O’Connor. Her stories, categorized in the genre of Southern Literature or Gothic Literature, are dark, realistic, and reflective of the South in her generation. A Roman Catholic, O’Connor rejects the existentialism of other, famous, twentieth-century authors. But there is no sappy Christianese on the pages of her stories. She writes of horror, but she leaves room for hope, too. Barry and Aaron talk about “Revelation,” “The LIfe You Save May Be Your Own,” and “Everything that Rises Must Converge.”

    1 hr

  2. 08/18/2021

    35 - Hemingway, Regret, and Death

    Everybody’s heard of Ernest Hemingway, that leader of the “Lost Generation” and author of The Old Man and the Sea. By most accounts he wasn’t what we’d consider a “good” man but he was a writer of unparalleled skill. Barry and Aaron look at three of his short stories: “The Killers,” “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” and “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.” The main thread tying each story together is death, it’s inevitability, and how people respond to it. Does Hemingway believe life has meaning? Not really, at least not more than any individual can give to it. Aaron disagrees, but that’s what makes their conversations so interesting.

    1h 5m

  3. 07/28/2021

    34 - “Look it Up!” - A Dive Into the Dictionary

    For those keeping track, this may be the only podcast episode on the dictionary out there! In this episode, Barry and Aaron take a break from the short story to think and talk about English dictionaries. Where did they come from, what are they, and why do they matter? Are dictionaries prescriptive--telling you what words should mean or descriptive--reflecting how we use words today? In the world of Google does anyone even need a dictionary today? Speaking of words, they begin this episode with a brief discussion of plagiarism, the stealing of someone else’s words. Take a break and enjoy a conversation you won’t hear anywhere else.

    56 min

  4. 06/16/2021

    33 - The Great Fitzgerald

    Barry and Aaron are back working through three of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most famous short stories: “May Day,” “The Rich Boy,” and “Babylon Revisited.” After emerging as a rising star in his twenties, critics largely dismissed Fitzgerald in his own generation. However, few writers in American are as influential. His description of life in the Roaring Twenties of a hundred years ago is picked up by students and readers all across the land. Listen in as father and son discuss class conflict, getting ahead, wealth, and much more.

    52 min

  5. 05/18/2021

    32 - God & Meaning

    In this episode, Barry and Aaron take a break from working through literature to hit the question of God head on. Why is it family members have such a hard time talking about politics and religion? Should they? These are hard questions to answer, but they’re important. Religion matters and even when we disagree we ought to be able to do so charitably, respecting the opinion of others regardless of whether we see eye-to-eye. But this episode isn’t about lecturing the listener--it’s about a Jewish father and his evangelical son talking openly and honestly about questions they both care about deeply. Listen and enjoy!

    57 min

  6. 04/28/2021

    31 - J. D. Salinger & Bananafish

    Salinger is most famous for that often-banned book, The Catcher in the Rye. It catapulted him to fame. However, in this episode, Barry and Aaron discuss his second popular work, a collection of stories not-so-creatively entitled, Nine Short Stories. From a man who playfully pretends to swim with bananafish--have you heard of them?--to a child who tries to comfort a soldier before he heads to battle, Nine Short Stories present us with the fact that reality can be hard and cold. One might wonder if Salinger channels Thomas Hobbes who insisted life is “nasty, brutish, and short.” Barry is captivated by the sparse and nearly-perfect writing of this mysterious, twentieth-century author. Aaron is impressed but raises questions about the theme of hopelessness that seems to saturate each tale. Take a moment and join another fascinating conversation.

    54 min

  7. 04/07/2021

    30 - Who is Irwin Shaw?

    Master. Short. Story. Writer. Seriously, if you pick up one of his short stories you will be impressed by his engaging and thoughtful writing. In episode 30, Barry and Aaron revisit their conversation about the nature of true beauty, but they also dig into Shaw. They examine four of his short stories: Main Currents of American Thought, The Fifty-Yard Run, Mixed Doubles, and The Girls in Their Summer Dresses. Each of these works can be found in his book, Short Stories: Five Decades.

    1h 1m

  8. 02/17/2021

    29 - What is Art?

    Who even asks this question anymore? Isn’t art whatever gets hung up on a wall in a museum? Barry and Aaron don’t think so--though they don’t agree about why this is the case! You’ve probably heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder? But is it? Are there any universal principles that help explain why some art is better than other art? In this episode, the Menikoffs take a break from their series on short stories and explore what makes some art better than others. Please listen, and if you have a definition of art or beauty, let them know!

    1h 6m
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4.7
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

Island Idylls riffs on books and life with Barry Menikoff. Author of Stone Mother, Brooklyn born and bred, retired Hawaii university professor, international scholar. Evangelical pastor Aaron Menikoff, author of Politics and Piety, spices this dialogue between father and son. Both chasing that elusive line in an old song, What's it all about, Alfie?

Information

  • Creator
    Barry Menikoff, Aaron Menikoff
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2021
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2019 Island Idylls
  • Show Website
    Island Idylls

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