Solly’s Special: Thanksgiving and Its Jewish Roots
For this special Thanksgiving episode, Chris is joined by Meir Soloveichik, the Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel (the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States) and the director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University. They discuss the Jewish origins of the Thanksgiving holiday, the history of Jews in America, and the current plight of antisemitism in American politics. Show notes:For Solly’s writing about Thanksgiving, see here and here.Solly’s recent essay for Mosaic, “The Christian-Jewish Alliance and Its Enemies”The recent volume to which Solly contributed, Jewish Roots of American LibertyGeorge Washington's letters to the Hebrew congregations in Newport and SavannahGet Chris’s book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read), here.Time stamps: 1:41 – Origins of Thanksgiving and the history of Solly’s congregation12:22 – The significance of religious liberty for early Jewish Americans23:33 – Hebraic roots of the American founding40:05 – Antisemitism on the American left and right53:12 – Maintaining gratitude in the face of hardshipOpening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.Produced by Sean Doolan.
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A Spark of Literary Genius
The critic and literary biographer Frances Wilson drops by to discuss her exceptional new book, Electric Spark: The Enigma of Dame Muriel. She and Chris talk about the fascinating life and early career of Muriel Spark, including her development as a novelist, tumultuous family life, and journey to religious belief. This is an especially fun conversation about one of the 20th century’s greatest—and slipperiest—novelists.Show notes:Frances’s book, Electric Spark: The Enigma of Dame MurielChris’s review of Electric Spark for the Washington ExaminerSome of Chris’s other essays about Spark: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Mandelbaum Gate; (his book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read), includes a chapter about another Spark novel).Martin Stannard’s authorized biography of SparkSpark’s memoir, Curriculum VitaeTime stamps:0:34 – Muriel Spark's background and literary style (with a digression about Frances’s and Chris’s favorite Spark novels)11:00 – Grappling with slippery biographical details18:07 – Spark's early life and family28:49 – Doppelgängers and doubling36:15 – Peculiar day jobs and resulting entanglements51:05 – Conversion to CatholicismOpening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist.Produced by Sean Doolan and R. Rubin.
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Who Was Oskar Stoessel?
Chris is joined by Bryan A. Garner: grammarian, lexicographer, and author of The Etcher: The Life and Art of Oskar Stoessel. They discuss Stoessel’s life and work, how he managed to etch portraits of FDR and eight Supreme Court justices, and what compelled Bryan to write about him. They also talk about Bryan’s recent defense of originalism against a strange new critique, his career as a grammarian, and the origins of his collaboration with Justice Scalia. Show notes: Bryan’s new book, The Etcher: The Life and Art of Oskar StoesselBryan’s two recent columns for National Review, on Jill Lepore and H.W. FowlerBryan’s coauthored books with Justice Scalia, Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts and Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges Time stamps: 1:50 – “Who was Oskar Stoessel?”6:08 – Oskar’s early career and the nature of etching15:19 – Oskar’s remarkable time in the United States28:20 – Oskar’s return to Austria, later life, and legacy37:42 – Defending originalism from a new critique44:20 – Becoming a grammarian
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Welcome to the Machine: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds & the Greatest World Series Ever Played
Chris is joined by prolific sportswriter Joe Posnanski to discuss his 2009 book, The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-Stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Reds’ legendary victory, they discuss the personalities, politics, and drama that culminated in what is considered by some to be the greatest World Series of all time. Joe also gives a sneak preview of his next book, tells the story of his career in sports journalism, and shares some thoughts about the current state of sports writing. Show notes: · Joe’s 2009 book, The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds· Joe’s website· Joe and Michael Schur’s forthcoming book, Big Fan: Two Friends, 81,589 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love Time stamps: 2:05 – Origins of the “Big Red Machine”16:57 – The Reds’ 1975 season29:41 – The 1975 World Series42:10 – The Machine’s impact and legacy52:08 – Joe’s career and the future of sports writing Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan.
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Panic on the Podcast!
Chris is joined by Michael Clune, a professor at the Ohio State University’s Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, and the author of the excellent new novel, Pan. They discuss some of the themes and ideas underlying Pan, as well as Michael’s vision of literary scholarship and its place in the modern university. Show notes: Michael’s new novel, PanMichael’s previous book, A Defense of Judgement“We Asked for It,” Michael’s 2024 essay in The Chronicle of Higher EducationAEI’s recent event, “Literature in Limbo,” for which Michael served as a panelist Time stamps: 1:12 Pan’s origin and its relation to Michael’s criticism7:12 The challenges of portraying mental illness in literature13:51 Ritual and cultural artifacts in the novel27:33 Technology, shared experience, and the 90s40:22 Understanding experience through narrative50:30 The study of literature in higher education Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan and S. Lillywhite.
In The Back of the Book, host Christopher J. Scalia interviews writers, scholars, and other expert guests about culture and the arts.Listen to The Back of the Book, along with more than 40 other original podcasts, at Ricochet.com. No paid subscription required.
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