Alex Star's guest appearances

Alex Star

Recall This Book

Arlie Hochschild

Nir Eyal

Zadie Smith

Elizabeth Warren

Caleb Crain

Thomas Piketty

Peter Brown

Madeline Miller

Bruce Robbins

Gertrude Stein

Quinn Slobodian

Stephen McCauley

Samuel Delany

Mike Leigh

Kim Stanley Robinson

OwlTail

“Books In Dark Times”  takes its inspiration from Hannah Arendt’s Men in Dark Times, which proposes “That even in the darkest of times we have the right to expect some illumination, and that such illumination may well come less from theories and concepts than from the uncertain, flickering, and often weak light that some men and women, in their lives and their works, will kindle under almost all circumstances and shed over the time span that was given them on earth.”  At this dark moment, we really want to know what brings people like Alex—and like you, dear listener—comfort or joy in these dark Corona days. Alex Star, brilliant editor at Farrar Straus and Giroux, former editor of Lingua Franca, founding editor of the Boston Globe Ideas section, is the editor of many remarkable prizewinning books including George Packer’s The Unwinding and James Forman’s Locking Up Our Own.  Jill Lepore, These Truths Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov Richard Serra, Sculptures Yo Yo Ma performs “Going Home“ Willa Cather, “The Song of the Lark”  (e.g. Part II, Chapter 5 “She was not ready to listen until the second number, Dvorak’s Symphony in E minor, called on the programme, “From the New World.” The first theme had scarcely been given out when her mind became clear; instant composure fell upon her, and with it came the power of concentration. This was music she could understand, music from the New World indeed! Strange how, as the first movement went on, it brought back to her that high tableland above Laramie; the grass-grown wagon trails, the far-away peaks of the snowy range, the wind and the eagles, that old man and the first telegraph message.”) Howard Zinn, “A People’s History of the United States“ Ta-Nehisi Coates “Between the World and Me“ Thomas Hardy, “Candour in English Fiction” (1890) Peter Godfrey-Smith, “Other Minds“ Thomas Nagel, “What is it Like to be a Bat?” (1974 philosophy article that inspired Godfrey-Smith’s subsequent question “what is it like to be an octopus?”) Joseph Conrad, “The Secret Agent“ Thomas Hardy, Return of the Native Thomas Hardy, “Far from the Madding Crowd“Sergeant Troy shows off his mad sword skills to Julie Christie in John Schlesinger’s film version of  Far from the Madding CrowdJohn Schlesinger, Far from the Madding Crowd Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure Paul Beatty, The Sellout  Listen to the episode here  Read the Transcript here: Books in Dark Times 1: StarDownload  Up Next: We will be featuring a series of these conversations, including familiar voices from earlier episodes (novelist Steve McCauley, historian of writing Martin Puchner) and newcomers, including Carlo Rotella and (the Plotz boys together on air at last) John’s fabulous brother David…

“Books In Dark Times” takes its inspiration from Hannah Arendt’s <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Men_in_Dark_Times.html?id=0YkkngEACAAJ" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Men in Dark Times</a>, which proposes “That even in the darkest of times we have the right to expect some illumination, and that such illumination may well come less from theories and concepts than from the uncertain, flickering, and often weak light that some men and women, in their lives and their works, will kindle under almost all circumstances and shed over the time span that was given them on earth.” At this dark moment, we really want to know what brings people like Alex—and like you, dear listener—comfort or joy in these dark Corona days.<a href="https://groveatlantic.com/author/the-new-york-times-staff/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Alex Star</a>, brilliant editor at Farrar Straus and Giroux, former editor of Lingua Franca, founding editor of the Boston Globe Ideas section, is the editor of many remarkable prizewinning books including George Packer’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jun/21/unwinding-history-america-packer-review" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Unwinding</a> and James Forman’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/books/review-locking-up-our-own-james-forman-jr.html" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Locking Up Our Own</a>.  Jill Lepore, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/These_Truths" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">These Truths</a> Hilary Mantel, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Hall" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Wolf Hall</a> Fyodor Dostoevsky, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/28054/28054-h/28054-h.html" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Brothers Karamazov</a> Richard Serra, <a href="https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/14" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Sculptures</a> Yo Yo Ma performs “<a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9335157/yo-yo-ma-going-home-antonin-dvorak-solo" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Going Home</a>“ Willa Cather, “<a href="https://cather.unl.edu/writings/books/0023" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Song of the Lark</a>” (e.g. Part II, Chapter 5 “She was not ready to listen until the second number, Dvorak’s Symphony in E minor, called on the programme, “From the New World.” The first theme had scarcely been given out when her mind became clear; instant composure fell upon her, and with it came the power of concentration. This was music she could understand, music from the New World indeed! Strange how, as the first movement went on, it brought back to her that high tableland above Laramie; the grass-grown wagon trails, the far-away peaks of the snowy range, the wind and the eagles, that old man and the first telegraph message.”) Howard Zinn, “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_People%27s_History_of_the_United_States" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">A People’s History of the United States</a>“ Ta-Nehisi Coates “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/books/review/ta-nehisi-coates-between-the-world-and-me.html" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Between the World and Me</a>“ Thomas Hardy, “<a href="https://people.stfx.ca/rnemesva/hardy/candour.html" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Candour in English Fiction</a>” (1890) Peter Godfrey-Smith, “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/mar/15/other-minds-peter-godfrey-smith-review-octopus-philip-hoare" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Other Minds</a>“ Thomas Nagel, “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=fBGPBRX3JsQC&amp;pg=PA165#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">What is it Like to be a Bat?</a>” (1974 philosophy article that inspired Godfrey-Smith’s subsequent question “what is it like to be an octopus?”) Joseph Conrad, “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=-ukKAQAAMAAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=intitle:secret+intitle:agent&amp;hl=en&amp;newbks=1&amp;newbks_redir=0&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwieqbmFmrPoAhWhm-AKHX54DzcQ6AEwAHoECAEQAg#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Secret Agent</a>“ Thomas Hardy, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=KDZHAQAAMAAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=intitle:return+intitle:of+intitle:the+intitle:native&amp;hl=en&amp;newbks=1&amp;newbks_redir=0&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiaruDVmbPoAhVqTd8KHWGhCC4Q6AEwAHoECAAQAg#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Return of the Native</a> Thomas Hardy, “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=qJMvCeKehQEC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=intitle:far+intitle:from+intitle:the+intitle:madding&amp;hl=en&amp;newbks=1&amp;newbks_redir=0&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi7soiNmbPoAhVug3IEHZ3uAYcQ6AEwAXoECAMQAg#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Far from the Madding Crowd</a>“Sergeant Troy shows off his mad sword skills to Julie Christie in John Schlesinger’s film version of Far from the Madding Crowd John Schlesinger, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far_from_the_Madding_Crowd_(1967_film)" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Far from the Madding Crowd</a> Thomas Hardy, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/143/143-h/143-h.htm" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Mayor of Casterbridge</a> Thomas Hardy, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=1wkPAQAAIAAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=intitle:jude+intitle:the+intitle:obscure&amp;hl=en&amp;newbks=1&amp;newbks_redir=0&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiu2cPxmbPoAhUHmuAKHYPPCtkQ6AEwAXoECAEQAg#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Jude the Obscure</a> Paul Beatty, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sellout_(novel)" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Sellout</a> Listen to the episode here Read the Transcript here: <a href="https://recallthisbookorg.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/books-dark-times-star.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Books in Dark Times 1: Star</a><a href="https://recallthisbookorg.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/books-dark-times-star.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download</a> Up Next: We will be featuring a series of these conversations, including familiar voices from earlier episodes (novelist<a href="https://recallthisbook.org/2019/02/13/episode-5-the-comic-novel-with-stephen-mccauley/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Steve McCauley</a>, historian of writing <a href="https://recallthisbook.org/category/writing-then-and-now-with-martin-puchner/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Martin Puchner</a>) and newcomers, including <a href="https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/mcas/departments/english/people/faculty-directory/carlo--rotella.html" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Carlo Rotella</a> and (the Plotz boys together on air at last) John’s fabulous brother <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Plotz" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">David</a>…

24 RTB Books in Dark Times 1: Alex Star (JP)