Infinite Gestation
54 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 6 years ago - ★★★★ - 16 ratingsA Literary Podcast For The Novel Individual
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Episodes
Frank Herbert’s Dune | Episode 054
September 26, 2017 10:00 - 30.6 MBThe podcast goes back to literature as Grant and Sam discuss the giant of science fiction epics: Dune by Frank Herbert. We know this one is much anticipated and the panel doesn’t hold back with the book, the controversial David Lynch film adaptation, or the 2000 miniseries. If you have yet to read the novel, it is highly recommended that you do so before listening to this episode, because - A. Spoilers and B. You will probably find yourself completely lost. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitte...
Sam on Foreign Policy Non-Fiction | Episode 053
September 06, 2017 15:00 - 1 hour - 30.2 MB"Isolationism is deeply stupid." So says Sam in this special episode in which he talks to Grant about three books: Present at the Creation by Dean Acheson, Running the World by David Rothkopf, and How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything by Rosa Brooks. He uses these books as a starter course in foreign policy from the end of World War II to the present day – including where we should go from here, because if we are to be informed citizens we have to know these things. We ...
White Noise by Don DeLillo (or The Airborne Toxic Event) | Episode 052
August 11, 2017 06:00 - 1 hour - 29.5 MBOn this episode of Infinite Gestation, Pat and Sam are joined by frequent guest and now permanent panelist Matt Bird (which means I no longer have to type his last name) to discuss White Noise by Don DeLillo. Published in 1985, it has quickly become a classic postmodern novel. The panel discusses the major themes of the work including modern media, the family, consumerism, and the fear of death. Quick! Death is coming! Better learn to deal with it. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit ...
Bandi – The Accusation – North Korean Dissident Literature | Episode 051
August 02, 2017 04:40 - 1 hour - 31.1 MBSmuggled stories from North Korea - On this episode, recorded when the panel was giddy over the French election results, Pat and Sam delve into the recently published short stories of Bandi. The pseudonym of an unknown North Korean author (which means firefly), Bandi wrote the stories at great personal risk. They were smuggled out of the country by others and have now been published in English as "The Accusation". The panel discusses their favorites of the stories, the work's damning portray...
Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle | Episode 050
July 03, 2017 16:20 - 57 minutes - 26.5 MBInfinite Gestation goes contemporary in this episode featuring John Darnielle's debut novel, Wolf in White Van, nominated for the National Book Award in 2014. Though many know Darnielle as singer-songwriter and member of The Mountain Goats, he is making a well received foray into fiction. His first novel is in no way a vanity project and despite some flaws, stands as a fine specimen of a freshman novel. His sophomore effort Universal Harvester was released in February of this year. Follow @...
Toni Morrison’s Beloved Jazz | Episode 049
June 10, 2017 16:00 - 52 minutes - 24.3 MBPat reads Jazz, Sam reads Beloved, they discuss both! Departing from the usual format, this episode features both novels by Toni Morrison in a discussion exploring the work of one of American literature's greatest icons. Highlights include some comparisons to the film Beloved starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover as well as Sam's definition of magical realism. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Toni Morrison Jazz Beloved Beloved (f...
The Handmaid’s Tale Revisited – Novel + Series | Episode 048
May 30, 2017 01:22 - 1 hour - 35 MBPat and Sam are joined by guest Matt Bird in an episode returning to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. With the success of the series on Hulu, and certain recent political developments, Atwood's frightening vision of the future has attained a new place in the public consciousness. In this episode the panel compares the novel to the television series and discusses the odd choice of music, the wisdom of softening Gilead's racist ideology, and the casting of talented actors who are younger ...
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh | Episode 047
April 11, 2017 21:56 - 50 minutes - 23.3 MBIn an era whereby journalism (and facts in general) have become increasingly important, Scoop reminds us that though the methods, means and technology of news collection and distribution have changed drastically, the story essentially remains the same. This biting satire exposes the timeless woes of sensationalist journalism via a collection of rag tag foreign correspondents living it up in (the fictional East African state of) Ishmaelia. Amid games of ping pong, plenty of drinking and pursui...
Not So Good Country People – 3 Stories by Flannery O’Connor | Episode 046
March 25, 2017 17:20 - 1 hour - 35.2 MBInfinite Gestation welcomes special guest Matt Bird for a discussion on Southern Gothic Literature, and more specifically, three short stories by Flannery O'Connor. "Good Country People", "Everything that Rises Must Converge" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find" all exhibit the craft of a master short story writer at work, while further confirming that the author left us far too soon. These stories take a dark look at the post-bellum American South, with all its complexities. Questions emerge reg...
Who Was Shakespeare, Anyway? | Episode 045
February 21, 2017 05:02 - 1 hour - 30.3 MBThe long-awaited Shakespeare episode has finally arrived! In this episode the panel delves into the question and the many theories of: who was Shakespeare? Questions as to Shakespeare's true identity are not new. Over the decades, scholars and enthusiasts alike have presented a wide range of theories to satisfy those who remain unconvinced that William Shakespeare was not simply a man from Stratford-upon-Avon. The Shakespeare authorship question runs the spectrum from informed academic schol...
Dystopian Novel Series Part III – It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis | Episode 044
February 03, 2017 20:29 - 54 minutes - 50.4 MBIt Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis made a sudden and dramatic climb on bestseller lists in late fall 2016. Parts of the novel bear some uncanny similarities to the 2016 election –– Donald Trump in particular can be seen vividly in character of Buzz Windrip, demagogue and presidential candidate. Published in 1935 during the rise of fascism in Europe, Lewis' novel imagines how the United States of America might become seduced by a man promising great things while quickly transitioning the c...
Orwell & Hemingway in Spain – The Spanish Civil War – Homage to Catalonia + For Whom the Bell Tolls | Episode 043
January 16, 2017 10:08 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBOrwell and Hemingway in Spain - the long awaited episode on the Spanish Civil War is finally here! Herein the panel covers Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell and For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, complete with some mustache styling tips and a brief lesson in Spanish swear words. Though centered on the same conflict (albeit in separate regions of the country) the two works differ wildly in style, tone and detail. Hemingway's novel is essentially fiction, making use of the conflict...
Year End Review 2016 | Episode 042
January 01, 2017 20:32 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBThe official "Nonfiction Round Table Year End Review What's Coming Up Episode". Featuring a look at the inner workings of the podcast and a look back on the panelists' favorite episodes from 2016. Sam Zurcher shares some thoughts on his recent reading of The New Tsar - The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin by Steven Lee Myers (along with a healthy dose of foreign policy), and Grant Karazsia schools us on Born a Crime by Trevor Noah & The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and t...
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee Tribute | Episode 041
December 16, 2016 19:24 - 1 hour - 57 MBIn a tribute episode to Edward Albee (who passed away this September 2016), Infinite Gestation discusses Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962) – perhaps the author's best known work. The 1966 film adaptation of the award winning play deviates only slightly from the source material, offering an ideal way to experience the piece, outside of reading the play (or attending a live performance, which certainly comes recommended). Originally thought too young for the role of middle-aged Martha, Eli...
The Shining – Novel by Stephen King + Stanley Kubrick Film – Halloween Special | Episode 040
October 29, 2016 20:16 - 1 hour - 77.4 MBThis year's annual Halloween Special is a double-parked megasode featuring all things "The Shining"! The panel's trifecta discussion includes the novel by Stephen King as well as the classic Stanley Kubrick film, before finishing strong with the more recent documentary "Room 237" and the dubious conspiracy theories that it contains. Words of wisdom, Lloyd. Words of wisdom. Happy Halloween! Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Stephen King ...
(The Real) Twilight by Elie Wiesel | Episode 039
October 23, 2016 18:59 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBIn a memorial tribute to Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, who passed away this past July, the panel tackles his 1988 novel Twilight. Elie Wiesel spent his life being an exemplary spokesman for those who lived through the Holocaust; both those who died and those who had to try and live their life after witnessing such horrors. He's primarily known for his memoir Night, required reading in most schools, but his fiction is an integral part of the Wiesel canon. Delving into the functions of memory, m...
Reading Them Anyway – Banned Books Week 2016 | Episode 038
September 27, 2016 06:34 - 35 minutes - 33 MBRead a banned book today! Once again breaking traditional episode format, Infinite Gestation celebrates Banned Books Week with three short segments on Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary, John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and Joseph Heller's Catch 22 respectively, followed by a general discussion entailing the questionable wisdom behind literary censorship. All three selections from this episode are readily available from your favorite bookstore. For purposes of correction, it should be noted t...
Star Trek vs. Star Wars | Episode 037
September 11, 2016 19:20 - 1 hour - 58 MBThe Star Wars movies are back and Star Trek is celebrating 50 years! In commemoration, the panel has broken form for a discussion of these two Science Fiction franchises, including the theory that both occupy the same universe. Eschewing debates about "the biggest space ship" and "can the Enterprise take a hit from the Death Star" this episode concentrates on storytelling, themes and the reason both universes are so beloved. Whether dealing with the nature of humanity, the realities of sexua...
Don Quixote de la Mancha – Celebrating 400 Years of Miguel de Cervantes | Episode 036
August 30, 2016 04:12 - 56 minutes - 51.9 MBIn this anniversary year of the death of Miguel de Cervantes, Infinite Gestation discusses the possible reasons for the timelessness of The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. Though four hundred years has passed since its publication, Don Quixote remains quite modern, continuing to remind us that however re-tooled, camouflaged or rediscovered, there are seldom new ideas in literature. Widely considered the first modern novel, Cervantes' masterpiece serves to remind us of fiction's...
Dystopian Novel Series Part II – Paris in the Twentieth Century by Jules Verne | Episode 035
August 07, 2016 19:14 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBSpecial guest Matt Bird joins the panel as Infinite Gestation continues its Dystopian Novel Series with Paris in the Twentieth Century - the "lost novel" by Jules Verne. Though completed in 1863, the work remained unpublished until 1994, subsequent to its rediscovery in a safe belonging to the author's heirs. Though predating everything within the cannon of dystopian literature (thereby technically hailing as the genre's first entry), the work's belated publication negates any claim to such a...
Dystopian Novel Series Part I – We by Yevgeny Zamyatin | Episode 034
July 20, 2016 22:28 - 49 minutes - 45.5 MBBeginning with praise, transitioning to criticism and ultimately reaching a state of forgiveness, the panel embarks upon its ongoing Dystopian Novel Series with the granddaddy of the dystopian novel, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. (Coincidentally recorded on the podcast's one year anniversary). Completed in 1921 and published in 1924 (with an English translation), Zamyatin's forging of the genre predates pretty much anything you might mistakenly argue came first. Harbor's Metropolis or the the Frit...
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan | Episode 033
July 06, 2016 14:00 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBInfinite Gestation gets A Visit from the Goon Squad on this episode covering Jennifer Egan's 2010 Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name. The book stands more as a study on the emotional effects of time and memory (and life) on a group of loosely associated characters and less as a straight forward narrative in the traditional sense. With a realistic portrayal straying from cliched tropes of the record industry (including that of a Brady Bunch episode), the novel certainly completes it...
11.22.63 By Stephen King – Novel + Miniseries | Episode 032
June 07, 2016 02:00 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MBPatrick and Grant take on Stephen King's 11/22/63 as well as the Hulu miniseries of the same name. Best described as literary fiction with elements of science fiction and the supernatural (as only Stephen King can render them) 11/22/63 serves more as a love letter to a bygone era of post war America with all the prosperity associated with the Eisenhower era and less an investigation into the mechanics and milieu of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (a la Dan Delillo's Libra). Hu...
If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler … Three Guys Discuss a Novel – Italo Calvino | Episode 031
May 17, 2016 05:02 - 53 minutes - 49.5 MBItalo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler is in a class of its own. This postmodern exploration of the novel contains substantial sections written in the second person (yes, SECOND person), so that the reader themself becomes a character in a quest to find (initially) the remainder of the novel begun in the first chapter. A literary adventure thus ensues, carrying on throughout the subsequent first chapters of ten different novels, stringing said reader along a series of plot lines, d...
Pat on Steinbeck – In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck | Episode 030
April 14, 2016 03:06 - 48 minutes - 44.9 MBJohn Steinbeck's fifth novel, In Dubious Battle, marks a radical shift in the author's work while serving as an interesting precursor to The Grapes of Wrath. Essentially concerned with the labor struggles of exploited fruit pickers, the novel illustrates the emergence of Steinbeck's social consciousness and further exemplifies some of the core themes he would later become remembered for. Special thanks to Patrick for the selection! Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation...
Riffraff! – The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington | Episode 029
March 15, 2016 21:17 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MBIn celebration of Indiana's Bicentennial, Infinite Gestation discusses The Magnificent Ambersons, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Booth Tarkington. Georgie Minafer (third generation Amberson), with his desire to become a yachtsman, personifies the height of smug aristocracy by his refusal to embark upon a career or make a life for himself. The arrogant assumption that he might live upon his family's wealth and status indefinitely is sorely mistaken, for it is the end of a gilded age for...
Kubrick vs. Clarke – 2001: A Space Odyssey – Novel to Film Comparison | Episode 028
March 01, 2016 03:35 - 56 minutes - 52.3 MBMaking no apologies for worshipping at the "Altar of Kubrick", Infinite Gestation compares Arthur C. Clarke's novel to the 1968 film. While Kubrick's masterpiece to this day remains the benchmark for the realistic portrayal of science fiction on film, the medium itself leaves some narrative gaps that are not immediately apparent. Through written concurrently and under the best circumstances, the screenplay and novel (in some respects) travel in very different orbits. Follow @Infin8Gestation ...
The Covert Episode – Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene | Episode 027
February 09, 2016 04:23 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBOur Man in Havana may have been compromised during the making of this episode. Partially inspired by his time in MI6 and set in late 1950's (pre-revolution) Cuba, Graham Greene's classic novel follows the daily maneuverings of vacuum salesman/secret agent Wormold, shortly after his unwitting recruitment in the men's room of the Wonder Bar. He initially invents his sources (taking names from a country club roster) as well as the information they provide to satisfy his superiors in London. But...
Limited Gestation – Minisode 002 | Is Game of Thrones a Runaway Train?
February 02, 2016 01:44 - 22 minutes - 20.5 MBIn a recent blog post, George R.R. Martin has perhaps confirmed our worst fears: The Winds of Winter will not be published in time for the airing of Game of Thrones Season Six on HBO. But does it really matter? The two formats have already parted ways in terms of story and with the show poised to saunter out ahead of the books this spring, it simply begs the question: which is canon, the novels or the HBO series? Limited Gestation “Minisodes” bring you Infinite Gestation, generously portione...
Beatnik vs. Revolutionary – On the Road by Jack Kerouac + Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara | Episode 026
January 23, 2016 20:15 - 50 minutes - 46.8 MBInfinite Gestation breaks form to discuss Jack Kerouac's On the Road alongside Che Guevara's Motorcycle Diaries in a single episode. Motorcycle Diaries serves more as a memoir than a serious attempt at fiction, yet shares many notable commonalities with Kerouac's classic novel On the Road. Set on two very different continents, both narratives chronicle travels taken roughly around the same years by two (college educated) young men in their mid twenties. Kerouac had the benefit of many drafts ...
Tolstoy at the Movies – The Last Station (2009 Film) | Episode 025
January 16, 2016 20:58 - 39 minutes - 36.8 MBThe Last Station is essentially concerned with the sunset chapter of Leo Tolstoy's life (with far less drinking than witnessed in "Last Call" – a film about Fitzgerald's final years). Decades after writing his masterworks, Tolstoy struggles with the prospect of leaving the copyright of his work to the Tolstoyan Movement at the insistence of its leader, Vladimir Chertkov, though to the absolute dismay of his wife, Sofya Tolstoy. Meanwhile, Valentin Fedorovich Bulgakov writes in his diary. The ...
Fitzgerald’s Lost & Found – “Temperature” by F. Scott Fitzgerald | Episode 024
January 09, 2016 20:20 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MB"Temperature" is the recent "lost & found" short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald which appears in the summer 2015 issue of Strand Magazine. The piece showcases the author's notable capabilities in the short story form, though it doesn't quite reveal itself to be something like a recovered masterpiece. The work dates from 1939 and contains some elements and themes that seem lifted directly from the last years of Fitzgerald's life (without too much embellishment). For more on this, check out our "...
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse | Episode 023
January 01, 2016 15:00 - 41 minutes - 38.7 MBBy listener request, Infinite Gestation covers Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. More of a parable on spirituality than an actual novel, the book concerns a philosophical quest toward enlightenment, rendered in simple, straight-forward prose that may have lost some of its power through translation from the author's native German. The panel offers further reading recommendations for those that despise, enjoy or love this book. Some works by Timothy Leary come highly recommended. Also, Sam makes fun...
Limited Gestation – Minisode 001 | Murakami’s Stolen Reading List
December 16, 2015 15:00 - 15 minutes - 14.7 MBThe recent "ethically questionable" publication of Haruki Murakami's reading list during his teenage years, as revealed by library records leaked to the press poses the question of the importance of knowing an author's influences. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Limited Gestation "Minisodes" bring you Infinite Gestation, generously portioned into a single serving. Much like the coffee creamer, concord grape jelly and sugar packets supplied by your local 24 h...
The Man in The High Castle by Philip K. Dick – Novel + Series | Episode 022
December 11, 2015 21:00 - 1 hour - 62.5 MBComplete with its very own public service announcement, Infinite Gestation dedicates an episode to The Man in the High Castle, covering the 1962 novel by Philip K. Dick, in addition to the series currently streaming on Amazon. Among the first of a multitude of works by various authors to cover an alternate history in which the United States has lost World War II, Dick's atmospheric novel comes in at 253 pages (a fabulous Sunday read) – compared to the ten episode series. During this episode, ...
Group Portrait with Böll – Group Portrait with Lady by Heinrich Böll | Episode 021
December 04, 2015 20:09 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MBBased on Patrick's recommendation, Infinite Gestation covers Group Portrait with Lady by Heinrich Böll, with a (mostly) civil discussion. The work showcases Böll at the height of his craft (the novel was cited when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1972) and may even lead one to conclude that Böll is indeed post war Germany's "literary therapist." Many times deemed experimental, the plot consists of the life of Leni Pfeiffer (the woman) written with journalistic flair by a fictional author us...
The End of the Tour – Thoughts on David Foster Wallace | Episode 020
November 27, 2015 20:23 - 38 minutes - 35.3 MBThings get a bit dicey amongst the panel during a discussion of The End of the Tour. The 2015 film stars Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg as David Foster Wallace and David Lipspy respectively and concerns the final days of the Infinite Jest book tour (1996), during which Lipspy (writing for Rolling Stone Magazine) records interviews with Wallace for a piece that never materialized. The tapes later served as a basis for Lipspy's 2010 book Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, from wh...
National Novel Writing Month – #NaNoWriMo | Episode 019
November 20, 2015 20:36 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBNovember is National Novel Writing Month. While the goal of completing a rough draft of a novel in a thirty day period is certainly a noble one, the entire scope of such a task should come with some caveats – which Infinite Gestation is more than happy to provide. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links NaNoWriMo.org Kurt Vonnegut Martin Amis Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Philip K. Dick Isaac Asimov Outliers: The Story of Success ...
The Talk on Listening to Audiobooks | Episode 018
November 12, 2015 15:00 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBResting somewhere between the format of film and the printed word, audiobooks offer a method of literature consumption that though similar to the physical act of reading, is in many ways quite different. Each format has its pros and cons: sacrifices of convenience, pace of the narrative, the ability to multitask, different levels of immersion and so on. The purists will argue tirelessly in favor of the virtues of reading the printed word while the busy-bodies champion the audiobook as a prefe...
Atwood’s Dystopia – The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood | Episode 017
November 05, 2015 20:40 - 52 minutes - 47.9 MBThe Handmaid's Tale is some serious business. Margret Atwood's classic dystopian novel remains notably fresh and relevant since its publication in 1985, and has become essential to the genre, among the company of George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Infinite Gestation consumed the novel via audio book (an experiment for a later episode) in preparation for this discussion. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links The Handmaid...
Love/Hate H.P. Lovecraft – Halloween Special | Episode 016
October 31, 2015 12:46 - 1 hour - 82.7 MBIt's the Halloween Special! Matt Bird sits in with Infinite Gestation for a spooky discussion regarding three handpicked short stories (and an essay) by H. P. Lovecraft: "The Shadow Out of Time", "The Call of Cthulhu", "The Dunwich Horror" & "Supernatural Horror in Literature". These stories serve as an essential taste of the strange universe that is H. P. Lovecraft. Though many criticisms persist (including a few of our own), Lovecraft's influence on modern horror is inescapable. His work ca...
Fitzgerald at the Movies – Last Call (2002 Film) | Episode 015
October 22, 2015 19:47 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MBDiffering opinions, arguments and some notable complaints emerge (including the Showtime production budget and the limitations it may have placed on the film) during Infinite Gestation's discussion of Last Call, a made-for-cable biopic from 2002 concerning the final years of F. Scott Fitzgerald. This is not the "old sport" you know and love. Far from the Jazz Age, a weather-worn and alcoholic Fitzgerald (a fine performance by Jeremy Irons) resides on the fringes of Hollywood, writing The Last...
Graphic Novels as Literature – Part 2 | Episode 014
October 15, 2015 14:00 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBDuring part 2 of Infinite Gestation’s two part series entitled “Graphic Novels as Literature”, special guest Matt Bird delves into the Big Three (The Dark Night Returns by Frank Miller, Maus by Art Spiegelman & Watchmen by Alan Moore). Across the decades, comic books have evolved into a form to be reckoned with and deserve a closer look. In tandem, a selection of authors and illustrators have pushed the medium to its limits (and beyond), often presenting themes, social issues and the hard qu...
Graphic Novels as Literature – Part 1 | Episode 013
October 13, 2015 22:58 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MBDuring part 1 of Infinite Gestation's two part series entitled "Graphic Novels as Literature", special guest Matt Bird shares a brief history of comic books. Across the decades, comic books have evolved into a form to be reckoned with and deserve a closer look. In tandem, a selection of authors and illustrators have pushed the medium to its limits (and beyond), often presenting themes, social issues and the hard questions — without the legitimacy that prose fiction has enjoyed for many years...
Guns Don’t Kill People – The Catcher in the Rye Kills People | Episode 010
September 24, 2015 14:00 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBWhile its status as an American classic remains undisputed, The Catcher in the Rye has also earned a shadowy legacy by way of its connections to celebrity murders along with an attempted presidential assassination, all through no fault of its own. What is it about this novel that connected with several desperate loners on their separate and misguided journeys to infamy within a single decade? In the most salacious episode to date, Infinite Gestation investigates the Salinger classic, touching...
Nabokov Was Not a Pedophile – Separating Characters from Their Authors | Episode 009
September 17, 2015 14:00 - 56 minutes - 52.4 MBInfinite Gestation attempts to separate people from personalities in this episode discussing the place and significance of autobiographical elements within the work of a variety of authors. Questions arise regarding personal experience as an unnecessary qualification in fiction, the over-dependence of the modern age on crowd sourcing for a work's merit or validation and unfounded worries that this episode might contain a bad case of the Kirk. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit Infini...
Die Blechtrommel – The Tin Drum by Günter Grass | Episode 008
September 10, 2015 14:00 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBBased on Sam's recommendation, Infinite Gestation takes on The Tin Drum by the late and great Günter Grass. This first book of what later became known as "The Danzig Trilogy" is unquestionably a masterpiece, with a proud standing as the German author's debut novel. With its mystical elements and a storyline that twists its way from the turn of the century to just beyond the years following World War II, this novel brushes up against the Nazis and the horrors of the war without allowing these ...
Murakami’s First Novels – Hear the Wind Sing / Pinball 1973 by Haruki Murakami | Episode 007
September 03, 2015 14:00 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBNow is the perfect time to start reading Murakami (if you haven't already). August 4th, 2015 marks the first US release of Murakami's first two works, Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball 1973. Join us for a discussion (fanboy celebration) of what makes Murakami great, including a list of works to check out, Murakami's fine use of music references and an unforgivable Wild Sheep Chase spoiler by Grant. Follow @Infin8Gestation on Twitter • Visit InfiniteGestation.com Show Notes & Links Murakami ...
Sam on Bulgakov – The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov | Episode 006
August 27, 2015 17:00 - 51 minutes - 47.7 MBSam fields questions regarding one of his favorite novels, The Master and Margarita, a concurrent odyssey into 1930's Soviet Russia and the city of Jerusalem as witnessed in the gospels. The host of memorable characters includes Satan, Jesus Christ and Pontius Pilate. Mikhail Bulgakov's brilliant narrative, with its elements of black magic, a bipedal talking cat named Behemoth and a Soviet brand of paranoia characteristic of the time certainly proves that dark satire doesn't get much better t...
Grant Defends Kurt Vonnegut | Episode 005
August 21, 2015 06:02 - 44 minutes - 41.4 MBIn a rather harrowing episode, Grant defends the work of Kurt Vonnegut (one of his favorite authors) against an onslaught of criticism from the remainder of the panel. In the face of some difficult questions regarding genre, complaints of commonly employed narrative conventions, and the suggestion that perhaps Slaughterhouse-Five has earned the Vonnegut canon more notoriety than it possibly deserves, Grant remains steadfast and unwavering. No one was injured (physically) during the recording ...