Václav Havel on Politically-Dangerous Times - Audio Essay Edition

10/08/20 • 15 min

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.

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The Writer-Diplomat Tradition - Audio Essay Edition

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.

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Louis-Ferdinand Céline and Essentialism vs. Relativism - Episode No. 31

We examine the problem of great writers who were bad men, why Louis-Ferdinand Céline is a compelling, important writer for 2020, the paradox of Roman's essentialism versus relativism view of literature, and once more, we try to tap the mystery of how great books affect the business of living. Music attribution: “Sunday Smooth" by Scott Buckley, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License - www.scottbuckley.com.au.