This week we discuss Sylvia Townsend Warner's Lolly Willowes. The illustrious Simon Thomas, our first-ever guest, helps us understand how the 1920s trend for the fantastic helped produce this weird, wonderful book about a spinster aunt who sells her soul to Satan. But is it satire? And is it really a feminist manifesto? We tackle these and other pertinent questions while having a laugh along the way. Butter your villager-shaped scones, sit back and enjoy the broomstick ride.
In this bonus teaser, we discuss a work of experimental poetry chosen by a patron. Explore the hidden character of the vowels here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84429384
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...
Edwin Frank, editorial director of the NYRB Classics, joins us to discuss the evolution of the series. We learn how the books are selected,...