Chad and Brian finish off Radiant Terminus and talk about possible interpretation of the ending, whether anyone came out of this book OK, the balance between humor and horror, written vs. oral culture, possible readings or approaches to the novel, and a desire for a "Post-Exotic" journal.  They also revisit Volodine's two-part series, "Post-Exotic Novels, Novelles, and Novelists" from The New Inquiry, and mention McKenzie Wark's "The October Revolution of Antoine Volodine." As always, you can watch these episodes live on our YouTube channel the day before they’re released in podcast form.  Season Eight will launch in mid-April (details TK) and will focus on Sjón's CoDex 1962. Get your copy now!  Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, Brian Wood, and Rachel Crawford for more thoughts on Volodine and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's music is all from Mother Earth's Plantasia by Mort Garson, which is Moog music for plants. This week you can hear "A Mellow Mood for Maidenhair."

This is a jam-packed episode as Rachel Crawford joins Brian and Chad to talk about Kronauer's "trial," Hannko and Samiya in the Taiga, the lasting impact of PTSD, the post-post-apocalyptic world, Russian literature and French minimalism, New Jersey, and more. This is the penultimate episode of season seven, and sets up a lot of things to talk about next week, including these two articles by Volodine.  As always, you can watch these episodes live on our YouTube channel the day before they’re released in podcast form. The next episode will be recorded live on Wednesday, March 20. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, Brian Wood, and Rachel Crawford for more thoughts on Volodine and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's music is all from Mother Earth's Plantasia by Mort Garson, which is Moog music for plants. This week you can hear "You Don't Have to Walk a Begonia."

Chad and Brian go it alone through Kronauer's "night of amok" as he attempt to murder Solovyei for his myriad crimes. Then they enter into part four of the book, "Taiga," which is a collection of "narracts" set some seven hundred (or a thousand?) years in the future. Hannko is recreating the feminist post-exotic texts from before, along with her dad's crazy ramblings; Kronauer is living in oil, suffering the thousand-plus year punishment Solovyei promised him. Plus, Chad had another Volodine inspired dream . . . as did Brian!  As always, you can watch these episodes live on our YouTube channel the day before they’re released in podcast form. The next episode will be recorded live on Wednesday, March 5. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, and for more thoughts on Volodine and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's music is all from Mother Earth's Plantasia by Mort Garson, which is Moog music for plants. This week you can hear "Swingin' Spathiphyllums."

With just Chad and Brian on this week's episode, the show turns almost full superhero. We get Chad's weirdly specific—and unnerving—Volodine-influenced dream. We get to see Samiya Schmidt transform into a raging version of Captain Marvel/Banshee. We get to see Kronauer assume his role as the one chosen to take down Solovyei. Brian and Chad also talk about the influence of language and ideologies on the characters, "cock's language" and "to rut," and speculate about just who is dreaming the dreamer. As always, you can watch these episodes live on our YouTube channel the day before they’re released in podcast form. The next episode will be recorded live on Wednesday, March 5. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, and for more thoughts on Volodine and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's music is all from Mother Earth's Plantasia by Mort Garson, which is Moog music for plants. This week you can hear "Rhapsody in Green."

Tobias Carroll (Transitory, Reel) joins Chad and Brian to talk about the latest installment of Radiant Terminus. These three chapters get wild, as Schulhoff (who mysteriously disappeared shortly after his marriage to Hannko, Solovyei's daughter) returns and tries to get Ilyushenko to kill him. And then the never-ending train finds Radiant Terminus and Solovyei launches a poetic attack . . . They also talk about the numbers in the book, angels, Chad's dreams of suing the government, and much more. As always, you can watch these episodes live on our YouTube channel the day before they’re released in podcast form. The next episode will be recorded live on Wednesday, February 20. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, Brian Wood, and Tobias Carroll for more thoughts on Volodine and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's music is all from Mother Earth's Plantasia by Mort Garson, which is Moog music for plants. This week you can hear "Concerto For Philodendron & Pothos."

Rhett McNeil joins Chad Post and pinch-hitter Kaija Straumanis to talk about the first half of part two of Radiant Terminus, "Ode to the Camps." From recounting Chad's latest Volodine-inflected dream to a discussion of the ways various ideologies (fairy tales, anarcho-capitalism, Marxism-Leninism) play out in the novel, to the connection between these ideologies and male violence and the way in which the characters are almost like shadows in the novel, this is a wide-ranging, very dialed in episode. As always, there is laughter and a lengthy recap, but it also goes very deep into the novel and Volodine's overall game. As always, you can watch these episodes live on our YouTube channel the day before they’re released in podcast form. The next episode will be recorded live on Wednesday, February 20. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, Brian Wood, Kaija Straumanis, and Rhett McNeil, for more thoughts on Volodine and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's music is all from Mother Earth's Plantasia by Mort Garson, which is Moog music for plants. This week you can hear "Ode to an African Violet."

This week, former TMR guest Rachel Cardasco returns to talk about speculative fiction in translation, various allegories for Radiant Terminus (current political climate, The Tempest, The Bible), who dreams the dreamer, the patriarchy and Maria Kwoll's feminist post-exotic texts, steampunk technology, spider dreams, and much more. This is the college course you wish you'd taken--fun and smart and funny all at once, and featuring a genuinely interesting book. With a series of detailed recaps and call backs to earlier chapters, you can enjoy this without having read a page of Volodine. And should.  As always, you can watch these episodes live on our YouTube channel the day before they’re released in podcast form. The next episode will be recorded live on Wednesday, February 13 Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, Brian Wood, and Rachel Cordasco, for more thoughts on Volodine and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's music is all from Mother Earth's Plantasia by Mort Garson, which is Moog music for plants. This week you can hear "Baby's Tears Blues." 

From Tarkovsky to Jessica Jones, this week's episode covers a lot of ground. Anthony and Chad are joined by Hailey Dezort to walk through the first three chapters of Antoine Volodine's Radiant Terminus. There's a lot to unpack, from the plant names, to the nature of men, to horrible fathers, to the humor found in Gramma Ugdul talking to the core of a failed nuclear reactor. Given how plotted this novel is, you can definitely follow along, even if you haven't read the section yet. Also, we get to find out who Hailey thinks Khrili Gompo is, and we officially changed this season's contest: Whoever sends in the best drawing of one of the imaginary plants found in Radiant Terminus will receive copies of both of his previous published Open Letter titles AND all forthcoming ones.  If you want to get one of these t-shirts, email Open Letter and let us know! As always, you can watch these episodes live on our YouTube channel the day before they’re released in podcast form. The next episode will be recorded live the evening of Wednesday, February 6th. You can also get 30% off Radiant Terminus, or any other Volodine book, by using the code VOLODINE at checkout from the Open Letter website. (Offer is only good until midnight Eastern on 1/31.) Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, Brian Wood, Anthony Blake, and Hailey Dezort for more thoughts on Volodine and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's music is all from Mother Earth's Plantasia by Mort Garson, which is Moog music for plants. This week you can hear "Symphony for a Spider Plant." (A very Volodine title.) 

We’re back! . . . And a few days late. Chad explains why on the podcast itself, but suffice it to say that last week was a bit, um, stressful. But Brian and Chad finally got together to talk about Antoine Volodine in general, post-exoticism, Brian Evenson’s introduction to Radiant Terminus, similarities between Evenson’s writing and Volodine’s, this season's game (SEND US YOUR DREAMS!), Volodine's essay in The New Inquiry, and much more. As always, you can watch these episodes live on our YouTube channel the day before they’re released in podcast form. The next episode will be recorded live on Wednesday, January 30th at 11am Eastern. You can also get 30% off Radiant Terminus, or any other Volodine book, by using the code VOLODINE at checkout from the Open Letter website. (Offer is only good until midnight Eastern on 1/31.) Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's music is all from Mother Earth's Plantasia by Mort Garson, which is Moog music for plants. This week you can hear the opening track from the album, "Plantasia." 

It's all over! After eleven weeks of Pessoa, Chad and Brian have finished The Book of Disquiet. And to celebrate, they each wrote some jacket copy and blurbs and went hard at trying to get BINGO for someone. They also preview the next season of TMR and come up with a very marketable Pessoa-themed product idea . . .  As always, you can find the video for this episode on our YouTube channel, where we livestream the episodes. Stay tuned for more details about the schedule for Season 7: Radiant Terminus by Antoine Volodine. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's opening music is "E Às Vezes Dou Por Mim" by contemporary fado star Cristina Branco. And the episode ends with an energetic blast of bad music. 

Probably the most controversial Two Month Review to date, so buckle up! Are there unhinged rants? You bet! Questions regarding the marketing and "completeness" of the New Directions edition? Yep! A long discussion about the differences in voice between the both excellent Margaret Jull Costa and Richard Zenith translations? That too! It's a jam packed penultimate episode that's not to be missed. As always, you can find the video for this episode on our YouTube channel, where we livestream the episodes. Next week's podcast will cover sections 359-393 (pages 388-421 in the U.S. edition). Stay tuned for more details about the exact time. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's opening music is "E Às Vezes Dou Por Mim" by contemporary fado star Cristina Branco. And for next season can we please finish each episode with good music?

This week David Smith—former Open Letter intern and current grad student at the University of Iowa—joins Chad and Brian to debate poetry vs. prose, separating the p.o.v. of Pessoa's heteronyms from his own personal viewpoint, Soares's morality and metaphysics, how to judge the quality of a translation, and much more. As a bonus, Brian shares his first ever work of erasure poetry! As always, you can find the video for this episode on our YouTube channel, where we livestream the episodes. Next week's podcast will cover sections 359-393 (pages 388-421 in the U.S. edition). Stay tuned for more details about the exact time. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's opening music is "E Às Vezes Dou Por Mim" by contemporary fado star Cristina Branco. And wow, Taking Back Sunday really sucks.

Chad and Brian fly solo this week, filling in dozens of TMR Bingo squares, and trying to come up with "rules for writers" based on this particular section of The Book of Disquiet. It's a pretty imprecise set of rules, but whatever, in the words of Pessoa, "perfection is inhuman." They also talk a bit about a "Mount Rushmore of American Literature," whether or not listicles can hit a saturation point in which they're all useless, and much more.  As always, you can find the video for this episode on our YouTube channel, where we livestream the episodes. Next week's podcast will cover sections 316-358 (pages 337-387 in the U.S. edition). Stay tuned for more details about the exact time. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's opening music is "E Às Vezes Dou Por Mim" by contemporary fado star Cristina Branco. And this week's closing music is the most Pessoa-like song we've included to date . . . 

This week's special guest is Portuguese author and translator João Reis who knows a lot about Pessoa and the writings of his various heteronyms. He also talks about his forthcoming novel, The Translator's Bride, and his work as a translator. There's some of the usual banter as well, including a solid rundown of everyone's favorite lines and some of Pessoa's sayings that have become Portuguese colloquialisms.   Get your BINGO card here! And if you get a "bingo" while listening, send a picture of your playing card to Chad Post. Each week, the first person who does so will receive a special one-time code to get 30% off of any and everything on the Open Letter website.   As always, you can find the video for this episode on our YouTube channel, where we livestream the episodes. Next week's podcast will cover sections 222-273 (pages 238-287 in the U.S. edition). Stay tuned for more details about the exact time.   Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.   Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests.   You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast.   This season's opening music is "E Às Vezes Dou Por Mim" by contemporary fado star Cristina Branco. And now Chad has heard some of a My Chemical Romance song.

This week's podcast goes off the rails pretty quickly, and includes a hungover dismissal of this version of The Book of Disquiet, the phrase "reclaim some of the douchery" is spoken, there is a lot of laughter, a discussion about the tensions between trying to read this as poetry vs. the expectations that come from trying to read it as fiction, and much more.  Get your BINGO card here! And if you get a "bingo" while listening, send a picture of your playing card to Chad Post. Each week, the first person who does so will receive a special one-time code to get 30% off of any and everything on the Open Letter website. As always, you can find the video for this episode on our YouTube channel, where we livestream the episodes. Next week's podcast will cover sections 222-273 (pages 238-287 in the U.S. edition). Stay tuned for more details about the exact time. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's opening music is "E Às Vezes Dou Por Mim" by contemporary fado star Cristina Branco. And here's another terrible emo song: "Better This Way" by The Get Up Kids.

This week Chad and Brian come to some conclusions about the Vicente Guedes part of The Book of Disquiet and get very excited about the more "mature, sophisticated" writings of Bernardo Soares. They both love this new voice and dig into what separates the heteronyms and their philosophies on life. And without a guest, Chad and Brian go on some entertaining digressions and keep trying to crack each other up. Informational, smart, and funny—the Two Month Review combination. Get your BINGO card here! And if you get a "bingo" while listening, send a picture of your playing card to Chad Post. Each week, the first person who does so will receive a special one-time code to get 30% off of any and everything on the Open Letter website.  As always, you can find the video for this episode on our YouTube channel, where we livestream the episodes. Due to Chad's travel schedule, the timing of the next livestream is still up in the air, but will be announced on Twitter as soon as it's all confirmed. That episode—which will be available as a podcast on November 8th—will cover sections 174-221 (pages 190-237 in the U.S. edition). Stay tuned for more details about the exact time. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's opening music is "E Às Vezes Dou Por Mim" by contemporary fado star Cristina Branco. And here's another terrible emo song Chad had never listened to before today: "Ohio Is for Lovers" by Hawthorne Heights.  

BINGO! That's the theme of today's episode, which includes a Twin Peaks reference, awkward introduction, LitHub reference, and many other squares on the recently released Two Month Review bingo cards. It's explained in full at that post and on the podcast, but every week, the first person to email Chad with "bingo" in the subject line and a picture of their card will receive a one-time code to get 30% off any and everything Open Letter sells. In terms of The Book of Pessoa, Chad, Brian, and Anthony Blake break down the bits they liked (and didn't) from this week's reading, including the "sensationist" bits, the role of heteronyms in Pessoa's outlook, depression, the misogynist bits, and the line "to be published = the socialization of the self." It's a fun, free-wheeling episode that alternates between high analysis and low jokes in the way the best TMR episodes tend to. As always, you can find the video for this episode on our YouTube channel, where we livestream the episodes. Due to Chad's travel schedule, the next livestream will take place this Sunday and will cover sections 131-173 (pages 142-189 in the U.S. edition). Stay tuned for more details about the exact time. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast.  

Jerónimo Pizzaro—editor of the "complete edition" of The Book of Disquiet published by New Directions—is the special guest on this week's Two Month Review. He discusses his history with Pessoa, how this volume came to be, the next three volumes in the New Directions project, how to approach The Book of Disquiet and its separate halves, some of the philosophical shift that take place over the course of the book, and more. For Pessoa fans and newbies, this episode is not to be missed! As always, you can find the video for this episode on our YouTube channel, where we livestream the episodes every Wednesday morning. Next week we'll be covering sections 82-130 (pages 95-141 in the U.S. edition) with special guest Anthony Blake. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's opening music is "E Às Vezes Dou Por Mim" by contemporary fado star Cristina Branco. And, in keeping with the theme from last season, we'll be featuring a different emo rock song every episode for the outro music. Today it's Anthony Blake's favorite song from Chad's most hated band.

This is one of the most Two Month Review podcasts yet. Chad, Brian, and Tom Flynn (Volumes Books in Chicago) come together to discuss the first forty-six pages (sections 1-39) of the complete version of Fernando Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet. In addition to breaking down the philosophy and literary style representing Vicente Guedes--Pessoa's heteronym for this section of the book--they swap favorite lines, invent a new Instagram idea for Chad, link up Pessoa with emo bands, and try and tackle the difficulty of reading this book sequentially versus dipping in and out.  As always, you can find the video for this episode on our YouTube channel, where we livestream the episodes every Wednesday morning. Next week we'll be covering pages 47-94 (sections 40-81) with special guest Jerónimo Pizarro, the mastermind behind this particular edition of The Book of Disquiet. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can also follow Tom Flynn, and you can buy as many books as you can carry from Volumes in Chicago. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's opening music is "E Às Vezes Dou Por Mim" by contemporary fado star Cristina Branco. And, in keeping with the theme from last season, we'll be featuring a different emo rock song every episode for the outro music. Today it's Kaija Straumanis's favorite Dashboard Confessional song.

The Two Month Review is back! This season we'll be reading the New Directions publication of The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa, translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa, one of the greatest works of literature (or poetry?) from the past century. To kick things off Declan Spring joined Brian Wood and a (happily hungover on baseball and beer) Chad W. Post to introduce Pessoa and his many heteronyms. They talk a lot about ND's Pessoa project, how they pitch uncategorizable books, how this edition differs from others, and much more.  As always, you can find the video for this episode on our YouTube channel, where we livestream the episodes every Wednesday morning. Next week we'll be covering pages 1-40 (sections 1-39). Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts on Pessoa and literature in general, and for information about upcoming guests. You can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This season's music is "E Às Vezes Dou Por Mim" by contemporary fado star Cristina Branco.   

Dubravka Ugresic is in Rochester for Open Letter's tenth anniversary celebration, so she got together with Chad and Brian to talk about how she wrote Fox, Melania-related tourism, the two story points that launched the book, her writing process, and more! As always, Fox (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests and for more information about Season 6: The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa. And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This week's intro music is "The More and Moreness" by Haiku Salut, with the theme music of Back to the Future III ending the run of Michael J. Fox movies. (Thank god.)

Ryan Chapman (Conversation Sparks, Riots I Have Known) came on this week to talk about the final section of Dubravka Ugresic's Fox. They discuss "business class vs. economy class" writers, authenticity and performing in the role of a writer, Franzen, the overall genius of Ugresic's writing, and much more. It's a very thoughtful final episode, enthused about having completed the project, yet sad to be leaving this world.  You can watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube, and while you’re there, subscribe to the Two Month Review channel and stayed tuned for the next broadcast, which will welcome Dubravka herself! As always, Fox (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, Brian Wood, and Ryan Chapman for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And when the info is officially released, please pre-order a copy of Ryan's new novel, Riots I Have Known and tell everyone that the Two Month Review made you do it. Chad wants to hold him to that whiskey promise . . .  And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This week's intro music is "Unless It's Kicks" by Okkervil River, with the theme music of Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco taking us out. (Can not wait to forget all of these Michael J. Fox movies.)

Caitlin Luce Baker from University Bookstore in Seattle joined Chad and Brian to talk about the "Little Miss Footnote" section of Dubravka Ugresic's Fox. They touch on Dorothy Leuthold, Vladimir Nabokov, and much more, including a very subtle weaving of references that you'll definitely want to tune in to learn about.   You can watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube, and while you’re there, subscribe to the Two Month Review channel and stayed tuned for the next broadcast--Tuesday, September 4th at 10am--which will feature Ryan Chapman (author of Conversation Sparks: Trivia Worth Talking About and several other ventures) and will cover the final section of the novel. As always, Fox (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, Brian Wood, and Caitlin Luce Baker for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This week's intro music is "We Don't Have a Sail but We Have a Rudder" by El Ten Eleven, with the theme music of Life with Mikey serving as the outro track. (Please check out the trailer for this Michael J. Fox movie. It's . . . unsettling. The early 90s were a time.) 

This episode, Chad and Brian are joined by the newest Open Letter employee--Anthony Blake! He joins in on a really fun episode about Russian avant-garde literature, connections between the fourth part of Fox and the very earliest sections of the book, footnotes, invented novels, how to smuggle like a fox, and more. This episode was not sponsored by Moon Palace Books, but they do receive a nice verbal and visual shout-outs. If you're ever in Minneapolis, go visit them! You can watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube, and while you’re there, subscribe to the Two Month Review channel and stayed tuned for the next broadcast--Tuesday, August 28th--which will feature Caitlin Luce Baker and focus on baseball, Nabokov, and Dorothy Leuthold. As always, Fox (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, Brian Wood, and Anthony Blake for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This week's intro music is "As We Go Up, We Go Down" by Guided by Voices, with the theme music of Bright Lights, Big City serving as the outro track. (Yes, another Michael J. Fox movie.)

Pete Mitchell—who wrote this great review of Fox for Asymptote—joined Chad and Brian this week to talk about the heartbreaking (and semi-profane) ending to "The Devil's Garden," the third part of Dubrakva Ugresic's latest novel. From the idea of a small ping singling one's eventual crack-up to peeing on the side of the road as you burn it all down, this episode has it all.  You can watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube, and while you’re there, subscribe to the Two Month Review channel and stayed tuned for the next broadcast, in which we'll be talking about the last half of Part III of "The Devil's Garden," pages 144-183. As always, Fox (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And follow Pete Mitchell for info on soccer, international literature, and other Twitter-type stuff. And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This week's episode opens with the theme song to Falling Down, and ends with part of the theme song from For Love or Money starring Michael J. Fox.

In this week's Two Month Review, Brian drops some excellent knowledge about why this chapter is called "The Devil's Garden," opening a window into Ugresic's genius, guest George Carroll talks about his time in Kolkata, and Chad says a bunch of mildly entertaining things about camping and landmines. The most stunning moment comes when all three reveal their complete ignorance of one particular major work of international literature . . . Overall, a great episode! You can watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube, and while you’re there, subscribe to the Two Month Review channel and stayed tuned for the next broadcast, in which we'll be talking about the last half of Part III of "The Devil's Garden," pages 144-183. As always, Fox (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And follow George Carroll for info on soccer, international literature, and retirement. And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. This week's episode opens with "Fall Down" by the Throwing Muses, and ends with part of the theme song from Casualties of War starring Michael J. Fox.   

After a two week hiatus due to technical difficulties trying to record from Dublin, the Two Month Review is back! Chad and Brian are joined by translator Ellen Elias-Bursać to talk about her favorite section of the novel--"A Balancing Art." They discuss the various viewpoints presented in this chapter--especially that of the outspoken, unforgiving young artist compared to the more "fox-like" older widow--and all the subtleties found in Ugresic's prose. Listen to the end to get information about Ellen's new book, Translating Evidence and Interpreting Testimony at a War Crimes Tribunal: Working in a Tug-of-War. Which is far more interesting than the title might suggest. It's about her time working in the Hague and the role translation played on a daily basis. You can watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube, and while you’re there, subscribe to the Two Month Review channel and stayed tuned for the next broadcast, in which we'll be talking about the first section of Part III of Fox, "The Devil's Garden," pages 110-144. As always, Fox (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. There are two bits of music on this episode, "Yr Throat" by Jeff Rosenstock opens up the podcast, and the outro music is the theme music to Doc Hollywood, another great Michael J. Fox movie.

Tom Flynn from Volumes is back, surprising Brian, who mostly prepared for the podcast by Googling Croatian Fun Facts. World Cup banter and good natured ribbing aside, Chad, Brian, and Tom dig in to the first half or "A Balancing Art," talking about immigration vs. tourism, literary conferences and celebrity, one of the best penis jokes ever, and much more. They look at some of the parallels between the first two parts and marvel at Ugresic's genius in putting this novel together. Finally, they talk a bit about "Levin," the Russian author who runs throughout this book . . . You can watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube, and while you’re there, subscribe to the Two Month Review channel and stop by next Monday, July 2nd at 9pm Eastern to discuss the second half of Part II of Fox, "A Balancing Art," pages 76-109. As always, Fox (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. You can also find Tom Flynn and Volumes Bookcafe on Twitter. If you're in the Chicagoland area, please visit Volumes on Milwaukee and tell them that the Two Month Review sent you. (Or order a book from them online.) And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. There are two bits of music on this episode--the first was chosen by Rafa Montes, an Open Letter summer intern who is producing these podcasts, and the outro music is the theme music to Back to the Future, another great Michael J. Fox movie.  

This week's podcast is pretty fast and loose, with Fortnite disruptions, embarrassing pronunciations, lots of ribbing, and a deep dive into the various games going on in Part I of Dubravka Ugresic's Fox, "A Story about How Stories Come to Be Written." Starting from Pilnyak's story of the same name, this section revolves around the idea of how real life events are transformed into stories, why certain stories "feel" believable, and the way certain stories are lauded and others dismissed. It's a great starting point for the book, and all the silliness aside, Tom, Chad, and Brian do pull a lot of interesting ideas out of this section. You can watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube, and while you’re there, subscribe to the Two Month Review channel and stop by next Monday, June 25th at 9pm Eastern to discuss the first half of Part II of Fox, "A Balancing Art," pages 46-75. As always, Fox (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. You can also find Tom Flynn and Volumes Bookcafe on Twitter. If you're in the Chicagoland area, please visit Volumes on Milwaukee and tell them that the Two Month Review sent you. (Or order a book from them online.) And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. There are two bits of music on this episode--the first is "What Does the Fox Say?," which was Tom's "brilliant" suggestion. The outro music is more Michael J. Fox gold, this time from The Secret of My Success. 

The new season is here! For the next two months, Chad and Brian will be talking about Dubravka Ugresic's Fox with a wide range of guests. To kick things off this week, Chad talks about Ugresic's writing career and his history of publishing her, and Brian comes up with a great challenge for our listeners and a running gag about this season's theme music. You can watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube, and while you’re there, subscribe to the Two Month Review channel and stop by next Monday, June 18th at 9pm Eastern to discuss Part I of Fox, pages 1-45. (If you want to read "A Story About How Stories Come to Be Written" by Pilnyak, just email me.) As always, Fox (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode—or on the book in general—either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes. It really helps people to discover the podcast. There are two bits of music on this episode--the first is "I Wanna Be" by Don't, which was recommended by long-time listener (and guest!) Caitlin Luce Baker, and the second is inspired by Brian's comment about Michael J. Fox.  

This week, Chad and Brian are joined by Stiliana Milkova from Oberlin College to talk about the final sections of The Physics of Sorrow: "An Elementary Physics of Sorrow," "Endings," and "Epilogue." They talk about the structure of the novel as a whole, about Chad's favorite page in the book, about aging and nostalgia, and, in a true throwback moment, Twin Peaks.  You can watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube, and while you're there, subscribe to Chad's channel and stop by next Monday, April 16th at 9pm eastern for a very special episode that will feature Santiago Morrice AND Georgi Gospodinov himself! If you watch that episode live you'll have the opportunity to ask Georgi all the questions you want! As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. While you're there, pick up a copy of Fox by Dubravka Ugresic. This will be the next Two Month Review book, and we'll release the schedule in the near future. Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes! The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

This week, Rachel Cordasco from Speculative Fiction in Translation and the Wisconsin Historical Society Press joined Chad and Brian for a fun conversation about part VII of Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics of Sorrow. They talked about how this book invokes a variety of memories, hotel rooms, Eastern European self-deprecating humor, the saddest place on earth, and much more. It's a wide-ranging conversation that truly captures the spirit of the Two Month Review. Whether you've read the book or not, you'll come away from this informed and entertained. (And probably wishing you had read the book.) You can watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube, and while you're there, subscribe to Chad's channel and stop by next Monday, April 9th at 9pm eastern to talk with Chad, Brian, and special guest Stiliana Milkova. They'll be discussing "An Elementary Physics of Sorrow" and the "Conclusion," and probably touching on Milkova's literary interests, which include Russian Symbolist erotic poetry and Elena Ferrante. As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And be sure to follow Rachel Cordasco as well for more book information--especially about speculative fiction.  And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes! The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

This week, translator Angela Rodel joins Chad and Brian to talk about The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov, the recent surge in Bulgarian literature in translation, point of view issues in writing, Bulgarian folk music, what makes a translation work, and much more. Then Chad and Brian banter about "The Story Buyer," the giving away of ideas for novels, and the next title to be featured on the Two Month Review! There is an unedited version of the second half of this podcast available on YouTube. that contains a longer discussion of the future of the project and what other titles could be included. And be sure to come by next TUESDAY, April 3rd at 9pm to talk with Chad, Brian, and special guest Rachel Cordasco. They'll be discussing "Global Autumn," the saddest places in the world, Eastern European humor, and more. As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests.  And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes! The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

In addition to ripping on Chad and the poor showing by the Michigan State Spartans in the NCAA Tournament, Brian Wood and Tom Flynn (from Volumes Bookcafe) discuss the morality of animals, how this section of The Physics of Sorrow focuses more on the "animal" side of the minotaur, the mixture of lightness and sorrow in Gospodinov's writing, terrible sounding alcoholic drinks, and more. It's a great blend of pure entertainment and literary insight, reinforcing just how carefully crafted and incredible this novel is. There is an unedited version of this podcast--with maybe eight extra minutes of jokes--that you can watch on YouTube. And be sure to come by next Monday, March 26th at 9pm to hangout with Chad and Brian. They'll be talking about Part VI (pages 179-200) and answering any and all of your questions. As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can follow Volumes Bookcafe for more information about books and upcoming events. (Like the one on April 26th with Two Month Review alum Rodrigo Fresán!) And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes! The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

This week, Patrick Smith joined Chad and Brian to talk about time capsules and their potential danger, nostalgia and the urge to collect, aliens, Chernobyl, and more. It was a very fun part of the book to discuss, and the three of them made the most of it, really digging into how The Physics of Sorrow is constructed, while also entertaining listeners who might not have read the book. (Bonus: March Madness tips from Brian and former TMR guest Tom Roberge.) If you want to see this conversation (instead of listening to the podcast), you can view it all here on YouTube. And be sure to come by next Monday, March 19th at 9pm to hangout with Brian, Chad, and special guest Tom Flynn from Volumes Bookcafe. In addition to talking about Part V (pgs 151-178), they'll be happy to answer any and all questions in the chat. As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can follow Patrick Smith for more book info, updates on The Scofield, and random bad takes about the New England Patriots. And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes! The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

To up the Bay Area sports content, we invited Nick Buzanski of Book Culture to come on and talk about one of his favorite sections of Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics of Sorrow. They talk about community and storytelling, seeing movies in person, Gospodinov's humor and beautiful writing, Gaustine's wild ideas, sexy books subterraneously shared, and crappy 90s music. If you want to see this conversation (instead of listening to the podcast), you can view it all here on YouTube. And be sure to come by next Monday, March 12th at 9pm to hangout with Brian, Chad, and special guest Patrick Smith. In addition to talking about Part IV (pgs 119-150), they'll be happy to answer any and all questions in the chat. As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can follow Caitlin Baker for great book recommendations and more! And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes! The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

Caitlin Baker of the University Book Store in Seattle joined Chad and Brian to talk about this very short section of Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics of Sorrow. Mostly they talk about the constant conflicts between kids and their parent in myths. And eating children. But it's not as gruesome as all that! Mostly they have a good time hanging out and talking about the Minotaur and how he's been portrayed both in myths and pop culture. If you want to see this conversation (instead of listening to the podcast), you can view it all here on YouTube. And be sure to come by next Monday, March 5th at 9pm to hangout with Brian, Chad, and special guest Nick Buzanski. In addition to talking about Part III (pgs 73-118), they'll be happy to answer any and all questions in the chat. As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can follow Caitlin Baker for great book recommendations and more! And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes! The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

Chad and Brian are joined by Tom Roberge of Riffraff (and the Three Percent Podcast) to discuss the first section of Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics of Sorrow. They talk about the book's general conceit, the minotaur myth, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Eastern European history, fascism and communism, and much more. It's a really fun episode--and one that you can actually watch on YouTube. Caitlin Baker of University Bookstore in Seattle will guest star on the next episode, which covers Part II (59-72). This episode will be broadcast live on YouTube on Sunday, February 25th. We'll be discussion Part II (pgs 59-72), and you can watch us, ask questions, make general comments, talk about the lighting in Brian's closet, etc. Or you can wait for the normal podcast release next Thursday, March 1st. As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And also follow Tom Roberge for more book and bookselling related content. (And other fun stuff.) And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes! The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

The new season of the Two Month Review kicks off now with a general overview Georgi Gospodinov's The Physics of Sorrow, one of the most beloved books Open Letter has ever published. Brian's on the lam, or in witness protection, or something, so Open Letter senior editor Kaija Straumanis stepped in to talk about one of the first books she ever worked on for the press. You can participate in the next episode--covering the Epigraphy, Prologue, and Part I (1-58)--which will be recorded on YouTube LIVE on Monday, February 19th at 9pm EST. All you you have to do is click here and you can comment or ask Chad, Brian, and Tom Roberge about anything you want. The podcast recording of that episode will be released in normal fashion on Thursday, February 22nd. So you don't have to watch it live, but if you want to come hang out with us and participate in the making of these episodes, we'd love to see you there! As always, The Physics of Sorrow (and all the previous Two Month Review titles) is available for 20% off through our website. Just use the code 2MONTH at checkout. Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood, for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And also follow Tom Roberge for more book and bookselling related content. (And other fun stuff.) And you can find all the Two Month Review posts by clicking here. And be sure to leave us a review on iTunes! The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Stars and Babies" by Splendor and Misery, featuring Georgi's translator, Angela Rodel!

Here it is, the infamous live recording at McNally Jackson! There was a great turnout to hear Brian, María Christina, and I work our way through our thoughts about Death in Spring, Rodoreda's overall stature, the banning of the color yellow, and much more. We had a great time doing this, and thanks again to McNally Jackson for making it all possible.   We might have a special bonus episode in the new year, but stay tuned for details on Two Month Review season four, when we go deep on The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov. Buy a copy now! (Use the code 2MONTH at checkout for 20% off!)   And, in case you still don't have them, both Death in Spring and Selected Stories are also available through the Open Letter website. And like with Physics above, if you use 2MONTH at checkout, you'll get 20% off.   Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.   Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And you can follow María Christina Hall there as well.   And you can find all Two Month Review posts by clicking here.   The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Montseny" by Els Surfing Sirles.   And please rate us on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts) and/or leave a review!   

Mara Faye Lethem joins us this week to talk about Catalonia's scatological obsession, the challenges of the current political situation, Max Besora's wild novel, and Rodoreda's triumphant return to the best-seller list. Then they get into a more autobiographical reading of this section of Death in Spring, a section that's all about death and chaos.   Both Selected Stories and Death in Spring are available through the Open Letter website, and if you use 2MONTH at checkout, you'll get 20% off.   Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.   Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And be sure to read all of Mara's translations, including The Boys by Toni Sala and Wonderful World by Javier Calvo.    And you can find all Two Month Review posts by clicking here.   The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Montseny" by Els Surfing Sirles.   And please rate us on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts) and/or leave a review!

This week, fresh off a publication in the Boston Review, Jess Fenn (JR Fenn) joins Chad, Brian, and Best Translated Book Award judge Patrick Smith (P.T. Smith) to talk about the second part of Death in Spring. They trace a few motifs, talk about dystopias and literary world-building, and much more. Another very informative and captivating episode about one of the greatest novels of the past hundred years.   Both Selected Stories and Death in Spring are available through the Open Letter website ,and if you use 2MONTH at checkout, you'll get 20% off.   Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.   Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. Be sure and buy the Boston Review to read Jess's story, and follow Patrick on Twitter for various book thoughts and terrible sports takes.   And you can find all Two Month Review posts by clicking here.   The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Montseny" by Els Surfing Sirles.   And please rate us on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts) and/or leave a review!

Welcome to one of the strangest villages in all of fiction! Now that Chad and Brian have gone through the stories, they turn their attention to Rodoreda's Death in Spring, which was published posthumously in 1986. They're joined by Catalan researcher and translator Meg Berkobien and Anastasia Nikolis, who you might remember from the season on Tómas Jónsson, Bestseller. This episode is loaded with information about Rodoreda and this novel, followed by accolade after accolade about one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century.   Both Selected Stories and Death in Spring are available through the Open Letter website ,and if you use 2MONTH at checkout, you'll get 20% off.   Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.   Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests.    And you can find all Two Month Review posts by clicking here.   The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Montseny" by Els Surfing Sirles.   And please rate us on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts) and/or leave a review!

After yelling at Skype a bunch, Chad, Brian, and special guest Tom Flynn of Volumes Bookcafe discuss the merits of some of Rodoreda's final stories, especially "The Thousand Franc Bill," "Paralysis," and "The Salamander." Then they manage to slightly diss groups upon groups of people--in a rather entertaining way. And they discuss the state of the short story collection and how stories are perceived by publishing execs and bookstores. They also preview next week's book, Death in Spring.   Both Selected Stories and Death in Spring are available through the Open Letter website ,and if you use 2MONTH at checkout, you'll get 20% off.   Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.   Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. Follow Volumes Books to keep up to date on all their events, staff picks, and general comments.   And you can find all Two Month Review posts by clicking here.   The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Montseny" by Els Surfing Sirles.   And please rate us on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts) and/or leave a review!  

After doing a bit of a deeper dive into the situation in Catalonia--and discussing the LIVE recording that will take place on December 12th at the new McNally Jackson--Chad and Brian are joined by George Carroll to talk about this batch of Rodoreda's stories. Although a couple of the stories discussed in this episode (especially "Before I Die") fit in with her more domestic stories, there is a distinct shift in tone and subject as she starts writing more about World War II ("On a Dark Night," "Orléans, Three Kilometers"), which points toward her later works, especially Death in Spring.   Both Selected Stories and Death in Spring are available through the Open Letter website ,and if you use 2MONTH at checkout, you'll get 20% off.   Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.   Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And stay tuned to Lit in Translation for more writing and opinions from George Carroll.   And you can find all Two Month Review posts by clicking here.   The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Montseny" by Els Surfing Sirles.   And please rate us on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts) and/or leave a review!  

Things are a bit rough for Chad the morning after the Open Letter gala, but he powers through and talks about this new phase of Rodoreda's stories. He and Brian break down some of the more challenging of her stories, including "Noctural" and "The Bath," and talk about what does and doesn't work in creating an authentic voice, and how to behave on airplanes.   Both Selected Stories and Death in Spring are available through the Open Letter website ,and if you use 2MONTH at checkout, you'll get 20% off.   Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.   Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests.    And you can find all Two Month Review posts by clicking here.   The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Montseny" by Els Surfing Sirles.   And please rate us on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts) and/or leave a review!

This week, Mark Haber of Brazos Bookstore and the Best Translated Book Award committee joins Chad and Brian to talk about the next seven stories in Mercè Rodoreda's collection. Although they touch on a number of them, a lot of time is spent focusing on "Carnival" and the literary antecedents to Rodoreda.   Both Selected Stories and Death in Spring are available through the Open Letter website ,and if you use 2MONTH at checkout, you'll get 20% off.   Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.   Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And follow Mark Haber to learn more about contemporary literature and bookselling.   And you can find all Two Month Review posts by clicking here.   The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Montseny" by Els Surfing Sirles.   And please rate us on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts) and/or leave a review!

This week, Chad and Brian dive into the first six stories in Mercè Rodoreda's Selected Stories and call up Quim Monzó, arguably the most important contemporary Catalan author, to talk about the precision and emotionality in her work. They also talk about Catalan literature as a whole, A Thousand Morons, Catalan independence, and much more. An incredibly fun and funny episode, this one really lays the groundwork for approaching Rodoreda's stories.   Both Selected Stories and Death in Spring are available through the Open Letter website ,and if you use 2MONTH at checkout, you'll get 20% off.   Feel free to comment on this episode--or on the book in general--either on this post, or at the official GoodReads Group.   Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for more thoughts and information about upcoming guests. And follow Quim Monzó to learn more about his writings and the case for Catalan independence.   And you can find all Two Month Review posts by clicking here.   The music for this season of Two Month Review is "Montseny" by Els Surfing Sirles.   And please rate us on Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts) and/or leave a review!