The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner with James Kelman

Short Letter, Long Farewell with Joshua Jones: Writer and artist Joshua Jones joins us to discuss Peter Handke's Short Letter, Long Farewell. We disassemble the machinery of American mythmaking, drift through the empty avenues of modern alienation, and wonder why Europeans are so weird about the Land of the Free. If you're anti-spoiler, we recommend saving this episode until you've had a chance to read the book. More about our guest: Joshua Jones is a queer, autistic writer and artist from South Wales, now residing in Cardiff. He is the Director of Dyddiau Du, a DIY community library and art/literature space in Cardiff. He released a collaborative pamphlet of cut-up poetry and art with Caitlin Flood-Molyneux in 2022, and his debut short story collection, Local Fires, will be published by Parthian Books, September 2023. References: Dubliners by James JoyceUnder Milk Wood by Dylan ThomasThe Last Days of Roger Federer by Geoff DyerWim WendersWings of DesireThe Goalie's Anxiety at the Pena by Unburied Books

74 min listen

Turtle Diary with Ana Gavrilovska: Writer Ana Gavrilovska joins us to talk about Turtle Diary written by Russell Hoban. We discuss middle age, loneliness, romance, Godlessness, and, of course, the symbolic resonance of turtles. References:NinotchkaPagliacciStill Life with Woodpecker by Tom RobbinsI Heart HuckabeesThe SwimmerKing Kong To purchase books covered on the show, please visit our digital bookshop at https://bookshop.org/shop/unburiedbooks. Buying them here helps to support the podcast. by Unburied Books

58 min listen

Mary Olivier: A Life with Nancy Pearl: Librarian, author, and critic Nancy Pearl joins us to discuss May Sinclair's Mary Olivier: A Life, originally published in 1919. We talk controlling mothers, Victorian roles, and the mysterious passage of time. Listeners unfamiliar with the plot may want to read the book before tuning in. References:Virago Modern ClassicsThe Little ReviewUlysses by James JoyceTold by an Idiot by Rose MacaulayJane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëThe Mill on the Floss by George EliotPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenVilletteThe Grand Sophy by Georgette HeyerI'm Not Complaining by Ruth AdamsExcellent Women by Barbara PymMary OliverUp the Down Staircase by Bel KaufmanDolores by Ivy Compton-BurnettA House and Its HeadLolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend WarnerA School for Fools by Sasha SokolovElizabeth Taylor To purchase books we've covered, please visit our digital bookshop. Buying them here helps to support the show. by Unburied Books

66 min listen

Chess Story by Stefan Zweig: Dylan and Kassia unpack Stefan Zweig's Chess Story translated from German by Joel Rotenberg. They toy with some chess pieces, discuss the psychological effects of fascism, and heap praise on this thrilling novella. References:The Life and Death of Colonel BlimpMilgram experimentHow the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It by Arthur HermanMarquis de WavrinOne Way PassageHistory Is Made at NightLet Them All TalkGrand Hotel Abyss: The Lives of the Frankfurt School by Stuart JeffriesThe Stars Down to Earth by Theodor Adorno To purchase books we've covered and browse some of Dylan & Kassia's favorites, please visit our digital bookshop at https://bookshop.org/shop/unburiedbooks. Buying them here helps to support the show. by Unburied Books

55 min listen

A Belated Introduction: In this bonus episode, we explain how the podcast got started, detail our plan to tackle the collection, and describe our personal taste in books. Once Kassia started listing her favorite NYRB books it was impossible to get her to stop. Hopefully the run of this podcast will be equally protracted. References:Moby-Dick by Herman MelvilleVillette by Charlotte BronteThe Age of Innocence by Edith WhartonDanteHomerThe Silmarillion by J. R. R. TolkienIvy Compton-Burnett: A Memoir by Cicely GreigA House and Its Head by Ivy Compton-BurnettManservant and MaidservantOn the Origin of Species by Charles DarwinAnita BrooknerElizabeth TaylorSylvia Townsend WarnerThe Dream of the Red Chamber, or The Story of the Stone by Cao XueqinThe Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert BurtonThe Poetry of Derek Walcott 1948-2013Geek Love by Katherine Dunn2666 by Roberto BolanoConversations with Beethoven by Sanford FriedmanThe Tenants of Moonbloom by Edward Lewis WallantThe Yacoubian Building by by Unburied Books

30 min listen

A School for Fools with José Vergara: Scholar José Vergara joins the show to talk about A School for Fools written by Sasha Sokolov and translated from Russian by Alexander Boguslawski. Enroll in a fabulous world where the dead are alive, language changes forms, minds split, and love flowers. Read our guest's article on A School for Fools here and more about his work here. References:All Future Plunges to the PastJames JoyceJ. D. SalingerBetween Dog and WolfAstrophobiaMartina NapolitanoStalingrad by Vasily GrossmanVasily AksyonovAndrei BitovNikolai GogolAlexander PushkinMikhail ShishkinRaul RuizSergei Rachmaninoff Edgar Allan PoeUlyssesThe Twilight ZoneChuck-will's-widowIvan the fool To purchase books covered on the show, please visit our digital bookshop. Buying them here helps to support the podcast. by Unburied Books

58 min listen

In a Lonely Place with Farran Smith Nehme: Film critic Farran Smith Nehme joins us to discuss In a Lonely Place written by Dorothy B. Hughes and adapted into a movie by Nicholas Ray. We talk about the book's unique approach to suspense, the film's relocation of the characters from the margins of Hollywood to the center, and some of our guest's favorite noirs. Listeners unfamiliar with the plot may want to wait until they've read the book (and watched the movie) to tune in. Check out Farran's Sight and Sound list here. As promised, you can view Dylan's Ray ranking here and Kassia's top 100 here. References:The Lady VanishesNicholas RayRide the Pink HorseRobert MontgomerySarah WeinmanWomen Crime Writers: Four Suspense Novels of the 1940sGone GirlMary Higgins ClarkRyan MurphyBurnett GuffeyHumphrey BogartLouise BrooksLauren BacallGloria GrahameNoir AlleyNoir City Film FestivalThe Maltese FalconOut of the PastLauraOtto Preminger He Walked By NightLawrence TierneyImogen SmithDetourDecoyThe M by Unburied Books

52 min listen

History of the NYRB Classics with Edwin Frank: Edwin Frank, editorial director of the NYRB Classics, joins us to discuss the evolution of the series. We learn how the books are selected, how the project has grown, and whether or not there was a secret plan all along. Endless thanks to John Hoekstra, who composed our theme music. References:The Iliad and the Odyssey adapted by Jane Werner Watson and illustrated by Alice & Martin ProvensenThe Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. TolkienThe HobbitThe Reader's CatalogJ. R. AckerleyAlberto MoraviaThe Woman of RomeThe Winners by Julio CortázarThe Blind Owl by Sadegh HedayatNicolas PoussinThe Paper Museum of Cassiano dal PozzoEzra PoundAnchor BooksPeasants and Other Stories by Anton ChekhovEdmund WilsonEileen ChangVasily GrossmanThe Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes"The Lottery" by Shirley JacksonWe Have Always Lived in the CastleAndrey PlatonovVictor SergeTove JanssonMy Dog TulipThe Stones of by Unburied Books

48 min listen

The Go-Between with Vivek Narayanan: Writer and poet Vivek Narayanan joins us to discuss L. P. Hartley's The Go-Between. We talk about how Hartley, in this novel about a schoolboy's loss of innocence at the turn of the 20th century, explores childhood guilt and dramatizes the act of memory. Follow Vivek on Twitter, and find out more about his work here. References:Ali SmithValmikiVirginia WoolfThe BoatEustace and HildaSpeak, Memory by Vladimir NabokovFredoon KabrajiLagaanThe AshesThe Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton Find us on Twitter or Instagram, and click here to view our most up-to-date episode schedule. by Unburied Books

62 min listen

Summer Cooking with Valerie Stivers: Writer Valerie Stivers joins us to discuss Elizabeth David's Summer Cooking. Originally published in 1955, this cookbook celebrates the fleeting freshness and enduring joy of the summer season. We seek the origins of David's refreshing approach to cooking, ponder the uses of food photography, and learn how Valerie's David-inspired menu came together. Find all of our guest's Paris Review columns here, and read her reviews for Compact Magazine here. References:Nikolai GogolRichard BrautiganWriting at the Kitchen Table by Artemis CooperNorman DouglasAntony BeevorGiovanna GarzoniVictoria GranofRachel RoddyErica MacLeanEssentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella HazanMastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child Find us on Twitter or Instagram to join in on our #SummerofDavid. Here is our most updated episode schedule. To purchase books we've covered, please visit our digital bookshop. Buying them here helps to support the show. by Unburied Books

62 min listen

A House and Its Head with John Darnielle: Musician and author John Darnielle joins us to discuss A House and Its Head by Ivy Compton-Burnett, a wickedly funny novel first published in 1935. We talk about how Compton-Burnett's family background did or did not shape her style, explore the influence of Greek drama on her approach to narrative, and try to understand why we find her characters' conversations about horrific acts so hilarious. Pre-order the new Mountain Goats album and check our their tour dates here. References:The Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett by Hilary SpurlingThe Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor DostoevskyMikhail BulgakovJack KerouacFrancine ProseDevil HouseImmanuel KantJacques DerridaJoan DidionPropagandhiRobert E. HowardWolf in White VanUniversal HarvesterMinotaur by Benjamin TammuzEuropa EditionsRobert LiddellElizabeth TaylorJane AustenCharlotte BrontëJ. D. SalingerCharles DickensYasujiro OzuSeinfeldMichael Fengler and Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?On by Unburied Books

74 min listen

Butcher's Crossing with John Williams: Washington Post books editor John Williams joins us to discuss... John Williams' Butcher's Crossing, orginally published in 1960. The story, set in the 1870s, follows a Harvard dropout as he attempts to find a truer version of himself in the West. We talk about the book's challenge to Emersonian transcendentalism, American rapaciousness, and Western archetypes. (And worry not, we don't play the theme to Star Wars.) References:StonerWilliam MaxwellHenry JamesJean-Patrick ManchetteEve BabitzBarbara ComynsTove JanssonNatalia GinzburgSylvia Townsend WarnerAlbert BierstadtAnthony MannBudd BoetticherThe Coen brothersClint Eastwood"Nature" by Ralph Waldo EmersonFred SchneiderThe Confidence-Man by Herman MelvilleKurtz from Heart of Darkness by Joseph ConradBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthyJohn Ford's The SearchersJohn WayneInto the Wild by Jon Krakauer"Rip Van Winkle" by Washington IrvingEdward Abbey Find us on Twitter or Instagram, and click here to view by Unburied Books

56 min listen

In the Café of Lost Youth with Adam Morgan: Critic and journalist Adam Morgan joins us to talk about In the Cafe of Lost Youth written by Patrick Modiano and translated by Chris Clarke. We discuss the title's double meaning, recall the joys and sorrows of our own nocturnal wanderings, and nominate this book for sexiest NYRB Classic of all time. Also, we owe a massive thank you to John Hoekstra for composing our new theme music. Read more about Adam Morgan's work here: https://adam-stephen-morgan.com/ References:When Harry Met SallyJulie and JuliaThe Beginning of Spring by Penelope FitzgeraldBalcony in the Forest by Julien GracqWong Kar-waiLacombe, Lucien directed by Louis MalleBreathlessLove on the Left Bank by Ed Van Der Elsken 2666 by Roberto BolanoSatin Island by Tom McCarthyNon-Places: An Introduction to Supermodernity by Marc AugeLost Horizon by James HiltonJesse BallPedigree: A Memoir To purchase books covered on the show, please visit our digital bookshop at https://bookshop.org by Unburied Books

65 min listen

An African in Greenland with Chris Lee: Writer Chris Lee joins us to discuss An African in Greenland written by Tété-Michel Kpomassie and translated from French by James Kirkup. The book follows a young man's dream to reach the Arctic. We investigate some tropes of travel literature, find surprising links between Togolese and Greenlandic culture, and thirst for some reindeer coffee. References:"A Year of Reading the World" by Ann MorganLynn DavisTennessee Williams BBC InterviewJupiter's Travels by Ted SimonThe NYRB Classics Book ClubPinocchio by Carlo CollodiGuston in Time by Ross FeldConversations with Beethoven by Sanford FriedmanThe Open Road by Jean GionoA Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson To purchase books we've covered, please visit our digital bookshop. Buying them here helps to support the show. by Unburied Books

54 min listen

The Other House with Sheridan Hay: Writer and scholar Sheridan Hay joins us to discuss The Other House by Henry James. An unusual work for the author in that it contains his only murder, we analyze the novel's theatrical inspiration, bizarre tone, and gruesome climax. Please be wary as we wound up spoiling this one earlier than we normally do. Find us on Twitter or Instagram, and click here to view our most up-to-date episode schedule. by Unburied Books

63 min listen

Akenfield with Nick During: NYRB publicist Nick During joins us to discuss Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village by Ronald Blythe, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 100. We talk about the tricky business of categorization, the tension between work and vocation, and the nature of agricultural society. Massive thank you to John Hoekstra, who composed our theme music. References: BookCourt Edwin Frank Word from Wormingford The View in Winter John Piper Shell Guides John Nash Cedric Morris Charfield Studs Terkel Matt Weiland Antony Beevor Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman The Red Thread: Twenty Years of NYRB Classics The Hunchback of Notre-Dame Fenwomen: A Portrait of Women in an English Village by Mary Chamberlain Iris Murdoch by Unburied Books

60 min listen

Stalingrad with Antony Beevor: Historian Antony Beevor joins us to discuss Stalingrad written by Vasily Grossman and translated from Russian by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler. We talk about Grossman's observational powers, the boundaries between history and literature, and the context surrounding the book's narrative. Listeners unfamiliar with the plot may want to wait until they've read the book to tune in. Read more about our guest's work here. References:A Writer at WarLuba VinogradovaChristopher MacLehoseAndrew NurnbergArthur GrimmWar and Peace by Leo TolstoyLife and FateThe great man theoryGuernica by Pablo PicassoMichael HowardMargaret MacMillanCatherine MerridaleOperation FoxleyJohn EricksonOperation UranusKonstantin SimonovIlya EhrenburgVasily ZaitsevAnatoly ChekhovEnemy at the GatesTreblinkaPablo NerudaStefan ZweigChess StoryGulag: A History by Anne Applebaum To purchase books we've covered, please visit our digital bookshop. Buying them here helps to support the show. by Unburied Books

65 min listen

The Moon and the Bonfires with Patrick Preziosi: Writer and critic Patrick Preziosi joins us to discuss Cesare Pavese's The Moon and the Bonfires, translated from Italian by R. W. Flint. The story features a nameless narrator who returns to his native Italy from America in the wake of World War II. We talk about the ghosts of the past, the cyclical nature of violence, and the innate desire to find one's home. Be sure to follow Patrick on Twitter here. References:Jean-Marie Straub and Daniele HuilletNatalia GinzburgFamily LexiconA Private Affair by Beppe FenoglioThe Little VirtuesJacques TourneurThe Business of Living or The Burning BrandThe Selected Works of Cesare PaveseThe House on the HillWaiting for Godot by Samuel BeckettMichaelangelo AntonioniJean-Patrick ManchetteMuriel SparkConversations in Siciliy by Elio VittoriniAlina Stefanescu Find us on Twitter or Instagram, and click here to view our most up-to-date episode schedule. by Unburied Books

67 min listen

Zama with Esther Allen: Writer Esther Allen joins us to dicuss her translation of Antonio di Benedetto's Zama, an Argentine existential novel originally published 1956. We discuss the intricacies of translation, the author's repudiation of the idea of a historical novel, and Lucrecia Martel's 2017 film adaptation of the story. Listeners unfamiliar with the plot may want to read the book (and watch the movie) before tuning in. References: Burton PikeThe Man Without Qualities by Robert MusilJorge Luis BorgesJulio CortázarThe SilentiaryThe SuicidesCésar AiraRoberto BolañoThe Sound of MusicWerner HerzogAguirre, the Wrath of God"Sensini" by BolañoGuido BoggianiCanaan MorsePeach Blossom ParadiseWaiting for GodotSamuel BeckettDaisy RockwellBenjamin KunkelIn a Lonely Place"Benito Cereno" by Herman MelvilleJuan José SaerFederico FelliniRoberto Bolaño's Fiction: An Expanding Universe by Chris Andrews Find us on Twitter or Instagram. by Unburied Books

77 min listen

Thus Were Their Faces with Kim McNeill: Kim McNeill joins us to dicuss Thus Were Their Faces, a collection of short stories written by Silvina Ocampo and translated from Spanish by Daniel Balderston. We explore Ocampo's various renditions of cruelty, trace themes and motifs across her career, and use the F-word (feminism). Follow along with Kim's splendid #NYRBWomen23 project here. References:The Levant Trilogy by Olivia ManningThe Tale of GenjiPilgrimage by Dorothy RichardsonA Chill in the Air by Iris OrigoMore Was Lost by Eleanor PerenyiSylvia Townsend WarnerRobert WalserThe Corner That Held ThemSurVictoria OcampoJorge Luis BorgesAdolfo Bioy CasaresCity Lights BooksForgotten JourneyThe PromiseNorah LangeMariana EnriquezRemedios VaroHelen OyeyemiVirginia Woolf"Borges and I"The Invention of MorelLucrecia MartelRead Cynthia Duncan's article hereEzekielMary Olivier: A Life by May SinclairJames Joyce Find us on Twitter or Instagram, and click here to view our most up-to-date episode sched by Unburied Books

66 min listen

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner with James Kelman: Author James Kelman joins us to discuss James Hogg's The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, originally published in 1824. It tells the story of a staunch Calvininst who is lured into a killing spree by a mysterious, shapeshifting being. We discuss the novel's unusual structure, moral ambiguity, and mixture of genres. Kelman offers historical insight into the book's philospophy and places the work in a modern, international context. References:Andre GideFranz KafkaThe Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides by James Boswell and Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland by Samuel JohnsonThe Collected Letters of James HoggThe Brownie of Black HaggsJohn BrownWilliam BlakeEdgar Allan PoeRobert Louis StevensonDracula by Bram StokerSamuel BeckettThe CastleThe TrialPeggotty in David Copperfield by Charles DickensImmanuel KantDavid HumeAdam SmithFrancis HutchinsonJames Clerk MaxwellHegelKarl MarxSoren Ki by Unburied Books

82 min listen

NYRB Classics Draft: In this taster for the Patreon, Dylan and Kassia compete to draft their four favorite books covered on the show thus far. If you're interested in more lighthearted episodes like this, please consider trying out a subscription. by Unburied Books

26 min listen

The Inferno with Diane Mehta: Poet Diane Mehta joins us to discuss Dante's Inferno translated by Ciaran Carson. We talk about our guest's ongoing Dante project, the multiple levels the text works on, and how, in the Florentine's view, the greatest sins stem from a lack of love. We recently launched a Patreon featuring two exclusive bonus episodes a month! Check out our three patron tiers (Minor Work, Instant Classic, and Magnus Opus) here. And be sure to grab Tiny Extravaganzas (we especially love "Shredder") and read more about our guest's work here. by Unburied Books

79 min listen

Muhammad with Tariq Ali: Writer and filmmaker Tariq Ali joins us to discuss Muhammad written by Maxime Rodinson and translated from French by Anne Carter. We talk about Rodinson's Marxist perspective, how the biography works as an "antidote" to far-right sentiment, and what it means to read it during a war in Gaza. Check out our Patreon here: patreon.com/user?u=84429384 by Unburied Books

73 min listen

Melville Live at the Moby-Dick Marathon: This episode was recorded before a live audience at the New Bedford Whaling Museum during their annual Moby-Dick Marathon. We spoke with Tim Marr and Wyn Kelley of the Melville Society Cultural Project about Melville: A Novel written by Jean Giono and translated from French by Paul Eprile. Giono's "novel" was originally conceived as a preface to his French translation of Moby-Dick. Our conversation covers Giono's imagined vision of the great American author, the struggle to create art, and the role of an ideal reader. We have more special Moby-Dick content coming soon on our Patreon! Check out our page here: patreon.com/user?u=84429384 by Unburied Books

54 min listen

Teaser: British Library Women Writers with Simon Thomas: Book blogger, podcaster, and Ivy Compton-Burnett admirer Simon Thomas returns to discuss his work with the British Library Women Writers series and his favorite book in it: O, the Brave Music by Dorothy Evelyn Smith. We talk about the ethics of censorship in republishing and what makes this coming-of-age story so strangely uplifting despite its tragic elements. Toward the end, we debrief last summer's NYRB Classics bracket championship. To listen to the full episode, head over to our Patreon page and subscribe: patreon.com/user?u=84429384 by Unburied Books

2 min listen

Teaser: Antwerp with Michael Barron: Returning guest Michael Barron joins us to discuss Roberto Bolaño's "curio" published near the end of his life. We talk about Bolaño's universe, his unromantic youth, and why this is the only book that doesn't embarrass him. To hear the full episode, head over to our Patreon page and subscribe. by Unburied Books

4 min listen

The Word of the Speechless with Michael Barron: Writer and editor Michael Barron joins us to share this short story collection from Julio Ramón Ribeyro. We discuss issues of class, the stereotyping of Latin American literature, and what it means to be "speechless." This book is one to be shared. Pass it on. Read more about our guest's work here. References:Alejandro ZambraGabriel García MárquezJorge Luis BorgesFranz KafkaJulio CortázarMario Vargas LlosaThe Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di LampedusaKatherine SilverCalvin and HobbesTár Find us on Twitter or Instagram, and click here to view our most up-to-date episode schedule. by Unburied Books

70 min listen

The Radiance of the King with Frank Wynne: Writer and translator Frank Wynne joins us to discuss The Radiance of the King written by Camara Laye and translated from French by James Kirkup. We talk about the book's hilarious absurdity, reversal of Western tropes, and mysterious ending. Read more about our guest's work here: https://www.terribleman.com/ Interested in extra bookish content? Check out our three Patreon tiers here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84429384 by Unburied Books

93 min listen

Tun-huang by Yasushi Inoue: In this episode, Kassia and Dylan discuss the Japanese novel Tun-huang written by Yasushi Inoue and translated by Jean Oda Moy. This work of historical fiction imagines how a trove of early Buddhist sutras came to be hidden in caves along the Silk Road for centuries. We talk about the book’s criticism of education, bureaucracy, and materialism, as well as the significance of freedom, preservation, and translation. Interested in supporting the show? Check out our Patreon page here: patreon.com/user?u=84429384 by Unburied Books

59 min listen

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The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner with James Kelman

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner with James Kelman

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