Udith Dematagoda revisits and reads from 'The Duel' by Anton Chekov, one of the first works of Russian literature he read, and briefly reflects on its theme.

First episode of our re-vamped podcast on literature, art and philosophy, The Empyrean Path, as part of Hyperidean Press. Each episode will be a loose discussion based on a theme. This week Udith Dematagoda and Augustin Cambau discuss serpents; taking in the 2015 film 'The Embrace of the Serpent' (2016) by Ciro Guerra, shamanism, ayahuasca, classical symbolism, and the 1st century Buddhist thinker Nagarjuna.

We'll be back with our regular content hopefully next week. In the meantime, we'd like to share with you a project that some of us have been working on. Hyperidean Press is a new indie publisher dedicated to experimental literature and speculative writing. We just brought out their first release, an anthology of short stories about the future and its possibilities. Here is a brief discussion of the premise. and readings from some of the contributors. You can purchase a copy here:

www.hyperideanpress.com/books

Or through the fantastic Typewronger Books in Edinburgh: http://www.typewronger.com