Two Month Review

On this week’s episode, Chad, Kaija, and Brian discuss chapters 6–8 of Pynchon’s Vineland, three very episodic chapters featuring Frenesi and her family history, an Italian wedding in which Deleuze & Guatari get name-checked, and a visit to the Sisterhood of Kunoichi Attentives. Lots of fun and hijinks, some anti-binary, anti-computer sentiments, more fetishization of weapons, and some random (?) coincidences that start linking up our various characters.

This week’s music is “Frenesi” by Artie Shaw.

Next week we’ll be reading through page 191 (chapter 9) and getting deeper into Pynchon’s vision of the 60s and 80s and the never-ending conflict between the counterculture and The Man.

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Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large.

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Our six-week discussion of Pynchon’s Vineland kicks off with a bang as Brian, Chad, and Kaija are joined by Rodrigo Fresán (author of Melvill, Mantra, The Part Trilogy, and who’s had four books featured on TMR) to breakdown the first five chapters of the book, although most of the time is spent introducing Pynchon’s world, illustrating how relevant this book is today (an ICE raid on an airplane, perhaps?), and what makes him such a fun author to read. Lots of laughs in this book and episode, after which, no one should be too intimidated to read this modern master—Vineland is some doped-up fun!

This week’s music is “T.V. Crazy” by Little Charlie & the Nightcats.

Next week we’ll be reading through page 129 (chapters 6–8) and getting deeper into Pynchon’s vision of the 60s and 80s and the never-ending conflict between the counterculture and The Man.

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large.

Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive.

Daisy Rockwell joins the gang this week to talk about her translation, the challenges and joys of translating Tomb of Sand, its structure, what “dhwani” means, and more. She also previews the as yet unpublished—in any language, any country—new book by Geetanjali Shree. A wide-ranging conversation about translation, South Asian literature, and more!

In addition, there is a bonus interview with Pia Sawhney, who is cofounder and partner emeritus of Armory Square Ventures, and who helps run the Armory Square Ventures Prize for South Asian Literature in Translation, which she cofounded. She discusses the award, its importance, and some of the books the prize is helping bring to English-reading audiences.

Next week we go right into Season 28: Vineland by Thomas Pynchon. Full reading schedule is available here.

This week’s music is Ravi Shankar’s “Tabla—Dhwani.”

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Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large.

Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive.

At long last we learn of Ma’s connection to Pakistan and Rosie, and the stories behind the Buddha featured in Part II and the chironji seeds. Chad, Kaija, and Brian break this down, reflect on how the information alters their understanding of all that came before, and how the shape of the novel is finally snapping into place. They also make predictions about what’s to come and try and figure out how years work.

Next week’s episode will cover all of Tomb of Sand! (And, if all goes according to plan, will feature Daisy Rockwell herself!) Following that episode, we’ll be jumping into Season 28: Vineland by Thomas Pynchon immediately, with the first episode coming out on August 28th. The full schedule for that season will be available in the next few days. You can purchase Tomb of Sand and Vineland from Bookshop.org or better bookshops everywhere.

This week’s music is Vampire Weekend’s “M79.”

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large.

Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive.

With Brian still settling in to his new digs, Chad and Kaija are left to take on the most unsettling section of Tomb of Sand so far—the death of Rosie and the discourse surrounding it. They do their best though, as the book gets very emotional, setting up Ma’s journey to Pakistan.

And stay tuned after their conversation to hear a conversation with translator and professor Jason Grunebaum about SALT, South Asian literature, narrative styles, and more!

Next week’s episode will cover up to Chapter 21 of Part III. Full schedule is available here. And you can purchase Tomb of Sand from Bookshop.org or better bookshops everywhere.

This week’s music is Banco de Gaia’s “How Much Reality Can You Take?”

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large.

Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive.

Chad and Kaija go it alone this week, so there are a few more inside jokes than usual. (And a nod to the brilliant Knowledge Fight podcast.) But they also talk about this section of the book, which they both loved, breaking down each character, and what it’s like becoming like your parents and struggling with their aging. It’s a section buoyed by Rosie/Raza, and ends with what seems to be a turning point in the plot . . .

Next week’s episode will cover up to Chapter 4 of Part III. Full schedule is available here. And you can purchase Tomb of Sand from Bookshop.org or better bookshops everywhere.

This week’s music is Blur’s “Boys & Girls” from their Parklife album.

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Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large.

Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive.

After a blissful, quiet time in which Ma and Rosie Bua turn junk into Etsy projects, the chaos descends on Beti’s house—and the missing Buddha is found. And then Ma falls. Brian, Chad, and Kaija talk about these plot points, the lists and verbal trills that denote Shree’s style, the sections that they struggled with, and the pleasures of letting a wild, unpredictable novel of this sort just take over.

Next week’s episode will cover up to Chapter 66 of Part II. Full schedule is available here. And you can purchase Tomb of Sand from Bookshop.org or better bookshops everywhere.

This week’s music is Dan Deacon’s remix (with 147 tracks laid on top of one another creating a true cacophony of voice) of “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen.

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large.

Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive.

This week, Chad, Brian, and Kaija discuss their various reactions to the end of Part I and opening of Part II. They also revisit the idea of “meeting a book where it is”—via a discussion of the new Superman—along with the struggle to get a holistic picture of the book’s form and intent. They also get into the tonal differences between the parts, namely the chaos of Part I and the “sunny,” more singularly focused vibes of Part II.

Next week’s episode will cover up to Chapter 45 of Part II. Full schedule is available here. And you can purchase Tomb of Sand from Bookshop.org or better bookshops everywhere.

This week’s music is “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” by The Vaselines.

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad W. Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large.

Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive.

A lot of this week’s discussion is about “meeting a book where it is” and looking at the literary strategies Geetanjali Shree & Daisy Rockwell use in this book. This includes ideas of editing for different audiences, and different ways to view the first part of this long novel. There are also some jokes, a lengthy bit about audiobook narration, and more!

This week’s music is “Possession” by Ty Segall.

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large.

Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive.

Chad, Kaija, and Brian start of the new season featuring Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree and translated from the Hindi by Daisy Rockwell by looking at the number of titles from Hindi (and all Indian languages) that have made their way into America and stereotypes about Indian literature the average American reader might have about Hindi fiction, before turning to discuss the fun, playful nature of the novel. Next episode will cover up to Part 1, Chapter 35. (Full reading schedule available here.)

This week’s music is “The Sun Never Sets” by Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid.

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow Open Letter, Two Month Review, Chad Post, Kaija Straumanis, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And subscribe to the Three Percent substack for information about Open Letter Books and literature in translation writ large.

Also consider subscribing to the Mining the Dalkey Archive substack and its respective podcast (Apple, Spotify) about all things Dalkey Archive.