The Writer-Diplomat Tradition - Audio Essay Edition

09/27/20 • 11 min

We launch our new "Audio Essay Edition" with Robert Fay's meditation on the writer-diplomat tradition. The list is illustrious, and includes Stendhal, Chaucer, Octavio Paz, Washington Irving and Pablo Neruda--and almost included Marcel Proust. Find out why this tradition has been overlooked and what similarities run through both crafts. You can also read the essay here: http://robertfay.com/2020/09/in-search-of-the-writer-diplomat-tradition/ Music attribution: “Sunday Smooth" by Scott Buckley, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Previous Episode

Babel, Mallo, Stendhal & The Political Novelist - Episode No. 30

We report back on various reading projects; marvel at Isaac Babel's Red Calvary stories; Rob is disappointed with Agustin Fernandez Mallo; and Roman remembers his first brush with Stendhal. We also wonder what political role, if any, the literary artist can play in 2020, as (some) western democracies lean rightward. Additionally, we muse on the absolute freedom of the artist in a world of fears, constraints and ideology. Music attribution: “Sunday Smooth" by Scott Buckley, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Next Episode

Václav Havel on Politically-Dangerous Times - Audio Essay Edition

In the second installment of our Audio Essay podcast, Robert Fay remembers August of 1968 when the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia. In that time of epic political turmoil, the Czech playwright Václav Havel, using imagination and his faith in writers and literature, took a surprising approach to the chaos and danger; an important model for our times. You can read a version of the essay here: https://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2019/01/vaclav-havels-guide-to-politically-dangerous-times.html Music attribution: “Sunday Smooth" by Scott Buckley, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License - www.scottbuckley.com.au.