Ethan Canin is the author of two short story collections (Emperor of the Air & The Palace Thief) and a number of novels including his latest, A Doubter’s Almanac. On today's show, Ethan discusses one of his favorite lines in literature (4:30), the state of contemporary fiction (14:30), and why he believes America has yet to learn how to teach English (23:00). Plus, Ethan reflects on the influence of Raymond Carver on writers of his generation (28:00), the types of characters he tends to consider in his work (31:00), and why he’s trying to do "the difficult thing." (41:00)A Doubter’s Almanac is available now by clicking here.

 

Topics mentioned:

A Doubter’s Almanac by Ethan Canin

Emperor of the Air by Ethan Canin

Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama

The Palace Thief by Ethan Canin

“A Silver Dish” by Saul Bellow

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

Tenth of December by George Saunders

City of Thieves by David Benioff

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Cathedral by Raymond Carver

The Collected Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever

America, America by Ethan Canin

For Kings and Planets by Ethan Canin

“When Einstein Was Wrong” by Jonah Bromwich

Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman

Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth

The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies

“Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff

Memoir from Antproof Case by Mark Helprin

A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin

People mentioned:

Ethan Canin

Barack Obama

Joe Fassler

Harold Bloom

David Foster Wallace

Mark Leyner

Scott Fitzgerald

Raymond Carver

Tess Gallagher

Gordon Lish

Michael Chabon

Alice Munro

Shakespeare

Danielle Steel

Elwood Reid

Martin Amis

Philip Roth

William Kennedy

 

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