Niko and Tatiana start their Valentine series with a classic by the bard. We discuss young love, warring families, and the colorful host of characters in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

Niko and Tatiana discuss beauty, delusions, violence, and heritage in Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima, based on the real life burning of the Kinkakuji in Kyoto in 1950.

To find Mishima’s body-building photos posted, go to our Instagram page: @desperatereaderspod

Heathcliff, it’s me! Niko and Tatiana talk about Emily Brontë’s gothic, melodramatic novel and discuss ghosts, winds, and whether Wuthering Heights is actually a love story. Apologies in advance for Niko’s terrible Kate Bush impression.

In this week’s episode, we settle into the English seaside. Niko and Tatiana discuss sailors, longing gazes, character, and courtship in Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

You can read John Michael Colón's article "On the End of the Canon Wars" here: https://thepointmag.com/letter/on-the-end-of-the-canon-wars/ 

Niko and Tatiana welcome their first guest, Sophia, to discuss 20th century French literature. While tackling Le ravissment de Lol V. Stein (The Ravishing of Lol Stein), the three talk about desire, obsession, reality in fiction, and the works of Marguerite Duras.

Niko and Tatiana read the last story in James Joyce’s Dubliners. They discuss food, Irish heritage, and long lost loves in “The Dead.”

"The Dead" is easily accessible online at Project Gutenberg.

A classic why-dunnit. Niko and Tatiana talk about honor, the significance of marriage, Angela and Bayardo, and the death of Santiago Nasar in this short novella by Gabriel García Márquez.

Production notes: There is a consistent tapping noise in the background. Apologies in advance.

In this episode Niko and Tatiana share a glass of wine to honor the god Dionysus while discussing ceremonial violence, bodily ecstasy, and the divine madness. This play is easily available online for your reading pleasure.

According to the Yoruba tradition in Nigeria, the King’s Horseman, Elesin, must die by ritual suicide 30 days after the king’s death. Conflict arises as District Officer Pilkings tries to put a stop to it with universe-altering effects—Niko and Tatiana discuss metaphysics, traditions, and dance in this multifaceted play by Wole Soyinka. In the last 10 minutes they discuss the film adaptation (now available on Netflix) and who they would want to cast in the play. The play is easily available online for your reading pleasure.

Production notes: We dive in pretty quickly to this episode and may have skipped over some plot details. Apologies in advance.

Why is no one talking about the Odyssey by Homer? We discuss translation, violence, and the possibility of homecoming in the story that started story-telling.