The History of Literature
Latest Episodes
592 Virgil (with Sarah Ruden) | Darwin and Gaskell | My Last Book with Tom Holland
Virgil (or Vergil) was the most celebrated poet of Ancient Rome - and also one of the most enigmatic. In this episode, Jacke talks to biographer and translator Sarah Ruden about her book Vergil: A Poet's Life. PLUS some thoughts on Charles Darwin's last b
591 William Wordsworth
Jacke takes a look at the life and works of Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850). Help support the show atpatreon.com/literatureorhistoryofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomera
590 Blotted Lines (with Adhaar Noor Desai) | My Last Book with Lara Vetter
How do geniuses compose their poetry and prose? Do they carefully and laboriously revise until they achieve perfection? Or does perfection just flow out of them - as it reportedly did for Shakespeare? In this episode, Adhaar Noor Desai (Blotted Lines: Ear
589 Dante and Friendship (with Elizabeth Coggeshall) | My Last Book with Dr Tara Bynum
We know - or we think we know - what friendship is today, but what did it mean to Dante? In this episode, Jacke travels back to the Middle Ages with Professor Elizabeth Coggeshall (On Amist: Negotiating Friendship in Dante's Italy) to discuss how Dante a
588 China in African Literature (with Duncan Yoon) | My Last Book with Katherine Howe
Many readers today are familiar with the impact that Western countries have had on Africa, as told through the eyes of writers in both Africa and the West. But what about China and its growing influence in Africa? How have twentieth- and twenty-first-cent
587 Byron's Letters (with Andrew Stauffer) | My Last Book with Jonathan van Belle
Few writers have achieved the celebrity of the notorious Romantic poet Lord Byron. But what was he like in private? In this episode, Jacke talks to Andrew Stauffer about his new book, Byron: A Life in Ten Letters. PLUS Jonathan van Belle (Henry at Work: T
586 The Czech Manuscripts Hoax (with David Cooper) | My Last Book with Jesse Kavadlo
In 1817 and 1818, the discovery of two sets of Czech manuscripts helped fuel the Czech National Revival, as promoters of Czech nationalism trumpeted these centuries-old works as foundational texts of a national mythology. There was only one problem: they
585 Plots and the Modern Novelist (with Pardis Dabashi) | My Last Book with Anne Enright
As far back as Aristotle, plots have been viewed as essential components of long-form narratives. So what happened when Modern novelists like James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner, and Djuna Barnes began turning away from conventional plots? Why d
584 A Conversation with James MacManus | My Last Book with Peter K Andersson
James MacManus was a foreign correspondent for The Guardian during a golden era of covering wars in faroff places. In this episode, Jacke talks to James about his career as a journalist, his transition to becoming the managing director of the Times Litera
583 Margaret Cavendish (with Francesca Peacock) | My Last Book with Patrick Whitmarsh
Philosopher, poet, playwright, science fiction writer, scientist, and celebrity Margaret Cavendish (1623-1673) was a public and publishing sensation. In this episode, Jacke talks to biographer Francesca Peacock about her new book, Pure Wit: The Revolution