Joseph O'Neill, author of "Netherland" and "The Dog"
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Description
Joseph O’Neill published a beautiful novel “Netherland” in 2008 which was rapidly applauded for capturing the zeitgeist of a post-9/11 world, not in a figurative or literal way, but, as its title suggests, in an ethereal, otherworldly way. It is an excellent novel which, if you haven’t read yet, I strongly suggest adding to your reading list.  In 2014, Joseph O’Neill followed up with an equally absorbing, if somewhat funnier novel, called “The Dog” about a lawyer who accepts an almost comically servile job as an “advisor?” to an ultra-wealthy Lebanese family based in Dubai. To me, that novel is a pioneer of the genre of story-telling around issues of great wealth and social inequality. This is the book that launched a thousand movies & shows like “Succession”, “Triangle of Sadness” or “Parasite”.  Joseph O’Neill shared so much with me in this episode about his background, his process, his inspirations and overall we had a really great chat. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I did. Books mentioned in the episode: Favourite book I’ve never heard of: U & I by Nicholson Baker Favourite book of the last 12 months: Radius, by Yasmine El-Riffae The book that he would take to a desert island: The Complete Works of Shakespeare with scholarly annotations The book that changed his mind: Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson Follow me ⁠⁠@litwithcharles⁠⁠ for more book reviews and recommendations!
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So this episode is a bit unusual for a variety of reasons. First of all, it’s with a good friend of mine – novelist Arthur Larrue. As you might have guessed from his name, though, Arthur Larrue is French and this entire interview is conducted in French. So unless you speak French, or are trying...
Published 11/04/24
Published 11/04/24