Lit with Charles

On May 25th 2020, in Minneapolis, a black man named George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer named Derek Chauvin who put his knee on George Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, thus asphyxiating him. That tragic event had an immediate global impact, sparking off demonstrations and riots, not just in the US but across the world.

But who was George Floyd? Where did he come from? What was he like? What was his life?

These questions are all addressed in the book co-authored by my guest today, Robert Samuels, and Tolu Olorunnipa called “His Name is George Floyd: One Man’s Life & Struggle for Racial Justice” which won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non Fiction this year. It’s a superbly researched book which provides a look at George Floyd’s ancestry and how the trauma of slavery & discrimination is typically passed down in Black families in America.

In today’s interview, I ask Robert Samuels what the research was like given the raw emotions that must have been omnipresent. This is obviously a difficult subject, but one that must be discussed and this book certainly helps to open our eyes and instigate these important conversations. 

Books mentioned in the episode:

Buy Robert Samuels book: https://amzn.eu/d/jeix2UR

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The British writer LP Hartley opened his novel “The Go-Between” with an unforgettable line “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” There’s a long-standing idea of literature being a vehicle to explore these “foreign countries”, be they temporal or geographical or cultural. 

My guest today has been one of the most innovative voices with regard to the immigrant experience, especially through his 2007 novel “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”. Junot Díaz is a Dominican-American writer who won the Pulitzer Prize for that novel, thanks to its incredibly modern story-telling. The prose was insane, with different characters’ vernacular switching on and off, the timelines, inspirations, characters felt incredibly fresh and exciting. It’s the story of a young Dominican-American boy who navigates this new world of America, whilst pining for the homeland of the Dominican Republican, and he copes with this, and with the turmoil of adolescence, by immersing himself in typical teen nerd culture of comics, and sci-fi. If you haven’t read that book, then I strongly suggest that you do.

Junot Diaz is now a Professor of Creative Writing at MIT (the Massachussetts Institute of Technology) as well as a contributing editor to the Boston Review of Fiction. In this episode, we talk about his inspirations for his work, his process and what makes him tick as an artist.

A list of the books mentioned in the episode:

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Today's guest is a poet named Iona Lee, who I was lucky enough to meet at Glastonbury a few months ago. One night I was in a queue for an event, and Iona mentioned that she was about to publish her first collection of poems. Obviously, that peaked my interest and when I asked her if she would be willing to recite a poem, she delivered a really authentic, amazing performance, right there in the queue.

Iona generously shared with me a copy of her book, a collection of poems with the title “Anamnesis” which is an Ancient Greek word for recollection, especially a recollection of a previous life, it means an “unforgetting”. And I liked this collection a lot. For starters, I love anything that evokes memory and remembrance, but also I appreciate eclectic approaches to literature, and this collection is definitely that: eclectic. It weaves between classical & contemporary subjects, it’s playful and creative in the structure of the poems and above all, it feels really authentic, like this poet is putting her feelings, emotions and perhaps memories out there, which is what we ask of artists. 

I was so excited to speak to Iona about how she gets inspired, her path as an artist and what she recommends in the poetry world. 

Here is the list of books mentioned throughout the episode:

Her favourite poetry collections:

Her favourite book that I’ve never heard of: “Forests: The Shadow of Civilization” by Robert Pogue Harrison, (1992)

Her favourite book of the last 12 months: “The Dangers of Smoking in Bed” by Mariana Enríquez (2009)

Her most disappointing book in the last 12 months: “The Passion of New Eve”, by Angela Carter

The book she would take to a desert island: “The Encyclopedia Britannica”

The book that changed her mind: “Where Are The Women?” by Sara Sheridan
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Evoking the past and how it shapes the present has been the hallmark of some of the greatest writers in history. This year’s winner of the International Booker Prize is “Time Shelter” by the Bulgarian novelist Georgi Gospodinov and it’s been hugely successful not just in its Bulgarian homeland but also abroad. The character at the center of the book is a mysterious crypto-philosophical doctor who opens a clinic for Alzheimer’s patients which allows them to immerse themselves in a replicated era which they best remember, a way for them to reconnect with their memories.

One reason that the book got such visibility and recognition is in large part thanks to my guest today, Angela Rodel who is the translator of the book and a long-time collaborator of Georgi Gospodinov. As translator, she is the co-winner of the International Booker Prize. Angela is originally American, from Minnesota, and as she explains in the episode, she ended up in Bulgaria almost by chance thirty years ago and has built a real understanding of that country’s culture and language.

Here are a list of books Angela mentioned in the interview:

Great Bulgarian book: Wolf Hunt, by Ivailo Petrov (1986)

Favourite book I’ve never heard of: “The Deptford Trilogy” by Robertson Davies (early 1970s)

Best book of last 12 months: “Paradise” by Abdulrazak Gurnah

The book she found over-rated: “In Search of Lost Time” by Marcel Proust

The book she would take to a desert island: “Crime & Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1866)

The book that changed her mind: “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong

My guest today is the latest recipient of the prestigious Fauve d’Or award for a graphic novel whose innovative instincts will likely impact the publishing industry for years to come. Martin Panchaud is a Swiss graphic novelist, which is an interesting coincidence given the origins of the form I mentioned earlier, and his latest work is called “La Couleur des Choses” (The Color of Things). It’s a stunning achievement in that it presents all visual information not in the traditional form of pictures within panels but as somewhat abstract symbols, driven by data to reflect our technological era. The impersonal nature of the drawing is more than made up by the powerful characters and plot that Martin Panchaud has developed.

In today’s episode, Martin Panchaud and I discuss this book, his career path and his inspiration on how to build a completely new style of story-telling.

Books mentioned in the episode:

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Joseph O’Neill published a beautiful novel “Netherland” in 2008 which was rapidly applauded for capturing the zeitgeist of a post-9/11 world, not in a figurative or literal way, but, as its title suggests, in an ethereal, otherworldly way. It is an excellent novel which, if you haven’t read yet, I strongly suggest adding to your reading list. 

In 2014, Joseph O’Neill followed up with an equally absorbing, if somewhat funnier novel, called “The Dog” about a lawyer who accepts an almost comically servile job as an “advisor?” to an ultra-wealthy Lebanese family based in Dubai. To me, that novel is a pioneer of the genre of story-telling around issues of great wealth and social inequality. This is the book that launched a thousand movies & shows like “Succession”, “Triangle of Sadness” or “Parasite”. 

Joseph O’Neill shared so much with me in this episode about his background, his process, his inspirations and overall we had a really great chat. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did.

Books mentioned in the episode:

Favourite book I’ve never heard of: U & I by Nicholson Baker

Favourite book of the last 12 months: Radius, by Yasmine El-Riffae

The book that he would take to a desert island: The Complete Works of Shakespeare with scholarly annotations

The book that changed his mind: Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson

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My guest today is one the leading academics on the life and work of Victor Hugo and his work. Marva Barnett is a Professor Emerita at the University of Virginia, where she taught French and drama. Her great passion and academic specialty is Victor Hugo on whom she’s written extensively, including two books "To Love Is to Act: Les Misérables and Victor Hugo's Vision for Leading Lives of Conscience", as well as "Victor Hugo on Things That Matter".

In this episode, we discuss the political and social context in which he wrote this massive work, how it fits into his wider bibliography, and what are some of the parallels that can connect to his other work.

Books mentioned in the episode:

Favourite book I’ve never heard of: “This Side of Brightness” by Colum McCann

Favourite book of the last 12 months: “Manhattan Beach” by Jennifer Egan

Disappointing book of the last 12 months: “The Good Lord Bird” by James McBride

Desert Island book: “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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I received a book from this week’s guest, the London-based American artist Orfeo Tagiuri called “Little Passing Thoughts”. It reminded me of that fine tradition of cartoons, mixed with a dose of surreal humour, and a dash of poetic perspective, and above all, a very profound, touching, sincerity. 

In today’s episode, Orfeo and I talk about what it takes to come up with great ideas, where they come from, and about the fact that he dislikes the term artist and might prefer “visual poet” which seems apt after giving one glance at his work.

Also in this episode, we hear about Orfeo’s literary tastes and his recommendations on some great reads, including books you may never have heard of included below:

Find Orfeo:

Instagram: @orfeot

Website: https://www.orfeotagiuri.com/

Buy his book: https://chosecommune.com/book/orfeo-tagiuri-little-passing-thoughts/

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I love a good collection of short stories, especially when there’s a great balance between overall thematic consistency and some diversity of genre & setting. And this is what I found in the book written by this weeks’ guest AJ Bermudez, who is an author and screenwriter who wrote the very fun (and occasionally quite dark) collection of short stories called “Stories No One Hopes Are About Them” which won the Iowa Short Fiction Prize in 2022.

AJ Bermudez is based between Los Angeles & New York and her work has appeared in a number of prestigious publications. She’s involved in a huge number of exciting literary organizations and projects but she’s also a screenwriter. In this episode, we discuss her award-winning collection, her process as a writer in different media, her inspirations and her literary tastes.

Books mentioned in the episode:

Find AJ Bermudez:

Website: https://amandajbermudez.com/

Book: https://amandajbermudez.com/index.php/stories-no-one-hopes-are-about-them/

Follow me ⁠⁠@litwithcharles⁠⁠ for more book reviews and recommendations!

In today’s episode, I talk with the Swedish novel Ann-Helen Laestadius about her novel “Stolen” which was released in an English translation several months ago. It’s part of an ongoing trilogy of thrillers exploring the lives of the Sami people who are an indigenous group living in the northern regions of Scandinavian countries. Ann-Helen is a member of the Sami community and in her book, we follow the adventures of a young girl Elsa and the challenges that she and her people face, especially when the reindeer which the Sami people herd start getting tortured and murdered.

Ann-Helen who is originally from the region around Kiruna, in the very north of Sweden, began her career as a journalist until she started publishing award-winning children’s books and young adult novels. This is her first adult-themed novel, and as you’ll see from the episode, her journalistic skills were very useful in researching and writing about the dangers and challenges that the Sami face.

The books mentioned in this interview:

Find Ann-Helen:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annhelenlaestadius/?hl=en

Book: https://amzn.eu/d/0CR8uYK

Follow me ⁠⁠@litwithcharles⁠⁠ for more book reviews and recommendations!