Literary Friction Literary Friction

We're on our summer break, which means we can re-run this excellent conversation we had with the French-Moroccan author Leïla Slimani in 2018. Leïla came in to talk to us about her second novel Lullaby (or Chanson Douce in French) which is about a middle-class couple in Paris and the nanny they hire to care for their children, who at first seems like the perfect caretaker. Inspired by the book, our theme was nannies, and the fascinating and sometimes fraught place that they occupy in our culture and in our books, from the magic caretaking of Mary Poppins to the killer babysitters of slasher B-movies. So, tune in for a spoonful of sugar and we'll be back with a brilliant new programme in September.

When does fandom tip over into unhealthy obsession? What are the power dynamics of being someone's fan, and how do they get exploited? This month author Sheena Patel joins Carrie to talk about her debut, I'm A Fan, a novel that gets to grips with power and relationships and what it means to be a fan. Octavia came back for the show chat to continue the conversations about fans and fandom - are we living in the age of the stan? What about celebrity memoirs? All this plus all the usual recommendations, we hope you enjoy it, love from your biggest fans at Team LF.

Recommendations on the theme, Fandom:
Octavia: Bluets by Maggie Nelson
Carrie: Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

General Recommendations:
Sheena: We Move by Gurnaik Johal and An Exciting and Vivid Inner Life by Paul Dalla Rosa
Carrie: Lost & Found by Kathryn Schulz

Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/july-2022-fandom-with-sheena-patel

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction
Email us: litfriction@gmail.com
Tweet us & find us on Instagram: @litfriction

This episode is sponsored by Picador: https://www.panmacmillan.com/picador

For this month's minisode, we thought we'd give our listeners a preview of some of the bonus minisodes that we're creating for our patreon subscribers. This is one we recorded in May 2021, and it's all about the history of Literary Friction. We had a lot of fun thinking back to when we were baby interviewers, so listen in for the fruits of Carrie's archival digging, our memories of the night we first met all those moons ago (clue: big earrings and a jumpsuit were involved), and our high points and low points over the years. We hope you enjoy it, and head over to patreon.com/litfriction if you'd like to support our show and hear more episodes like this one.

This month we're bringing you an author special with Elif Batuman, who joined Carrie in cyberspace to talk about her hilarious and original second novel Either/Or. In this extended interview, they discussed what makes a novel political, snobberies about structure and storytelling, learning to be funny on Twitter, the allure of the '90s, and much more. Plus the usual book recommendations. We hope you enjoy!

Recommendations:
Elif: The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili, translated by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin
Carrie: Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell

Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/june-2022-special-with-elif-batuman

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction
Email us: litfriction@gmail.com
Tweet us & find us on Instagram: @litfriction

This episode is sponsored by Picador: https://www.panmacmillan.com/picador

Spring is finally really happening here in the UK: the roses are out, we’ve swapped our coats for jackets, we even had dinner together outside the other night and watching the city come to life made us think about parties. Remember them? Parties! Outfits! Strangers in close proximity! The agony and the ecstasy of all that might happen... So, listen in for an ode to parties good, bad, imaginary and literary, plus all the usual recommendations.

PLUS, your last chance to get your hands on one of our excellent tote bags, here: https://literaryfriction.myshopify.com/collections/all

Patrons get an extra 20% off and you can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction

Who gets to decide what a 'classic' is? And how and why do some books get reintroduced to us years after they were first published? This month we're continuing a conversation we started four years ago with Jennifer Hodgson and Nell Dunn about literary rediscoveries, with our guest, author and translator Lauren Elkin. Lauren joined us to talk about her translation of The Inseparables, a newly discovered novel by the influential philosopher and novelist Simone de Beavouir. Just published in English by Vintage, it tells the story of the intense friendship between two schoolgirls in turn of the century Paris. Listen in for some fascinating insight into the translation process and Simone de Beauvoir's life, plus all the usual recommendations.

Recommendations on the theme, Rediscovery:
Octavia: Nevada by Imogen Binnie
Carrie: Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks

General Recommendations:
Octavia: Home is Where We Start From: Essays by a Psychoanalyst by D. W. Winnicott
Lauren: Translating Myself and Others by Jhumpa Lahiri
Carrie: The Promise by Damon Galgut

Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/may-2022-rediscovery-with-lauren-elkin
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction

Email us: litfriction@gmail.com
Tweet us & find us on Instagram: @litfriction

This episode is sponsored by Picador: https://www.panmacmillan.com/picador