June 26, 2025

711 How Does Literature Handle Atrocities? (with Bruce Robbins) | My Last Book with Hemingway Expert Alex Vernon | Who Will Come to Jacke and Emma's Party?

1 hour 10 minutes

For millennia, literature has represented humanity at its finest. Over the same period of time, human beings have been committing the worst acts of mass violence imaginable. How have authors addressed these atrocities? Have they shown an ability to look at their own nation with the critical eyes of a stranger? And if so, have works of imagination proven themselves to be the right means of doing so? In this episode, Jacke talks to Bruce Robbins about his book Atrocity: A Literary History, which explores literary representations of mass violence to trace the emergence of a cosmopolitan recognition of atrocity. PLUS Hemingway expert Alex Vernon stops by to discuss his choice for the last book he will ever read. (Will Hemingway make his list?) AND Jacke reflects on marriage, catch phrases, and the sincere hope that someone will come to his party.

Interested in the History of Literature Podcast Tour? Send us an email at [email protected] or a message via the Contact page of historyofliterature.com.

The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at gabrielruizbernal.com .

Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate . The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature .

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By Jacke Wilson / The Podglomerate

4.6