Episode 15: "The Conqueror" by Jan Kjærstad, translated by Barbara Haveland w/ special guest Chad Post
Having sorted some annoying technical issues, herewith Episode 3 of Season 2 (our way of apologizing for the delay in uploading this episode) in which we discuss The Conqueror by Jan Kjærstad, translated by Barbara Haveland and published by Open Letter Books.
And to kick off our series of guest hosts, Chad Post of Open Letter Books (and Dalkey Archive Press (and the Two Month Review)) joins to chat about The Conqueror, publishing writ large, publishing works in translation, and, well, to maybe have a go at a few different…peoples? (In fairness to Chad, Tom very much started it.) It’s a fun conversation and a really amazing book.
Titles discussed/mentioned:
Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf
kind of all of Knausgaard
also kind of a lot of Dag Solstad
Your Face Tomorrow (you really ought to know who wrote and translated this one)
Njál’s Saga
Egil’s Saga
Dickens, but specifically David Copperfield
W. Somerset Maugham, but specifically Of Human Bondage
Tirza by Arnon Grunberg, translated by Sam Garrett (and the forthcoming Good Men by Arnon Grunberg, translated by Sam Garrett (out 5/23/23 and click here to order from Open Letter)
The Seventh Function of Language by Laurent Binet, translated by Sam Taylor
all of Jean Echenoz: really, all of it
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Music: “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” by Traffic
Logo design: Flynn Kidz Designs