Episode 212: Mary (with Saul Fussiner)
Listen now
Description
This week on The Easy Chair: “Mary”, second of a two-part series by master storyteller Saul Fussiner. Like last week’s “Shane”, “Mary” is set largely in Ireland. A decade has passed, and Saul and his new wife have stopped in Fahan while on their honeymoon. (The Irish owner of the Connecticut estate /wedding venue was so moved by their ceremony that he invites the couple to visit his ancestral home and meet his family). Saul’s story lands at the four-way intersection of sacred, tribal, spiritual and the everyday sweetness of ordinary life. At this intersection, the line between friend and family softens and falls away. Saul and I also talk about roadside shrines, the sport of hurling, and what it really means to be a storyteller. It’s a great ride, from the passenger seat of a rental car to an afternoon of backyard football, through the cliffs and valleys of Fahan to the intimacy of shared history and heartbreak around the kitchen table, and stuff like that. Trust me. You will not want to miss a single word.
More Episodes
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s Family Mad Libs. From our vacation spot in The Hamptons, we play a spirited game of Mad Libs, World’s Greatest Word Game ™. The story we fill in the blanks on is “Let’s Dance”. Joining me is my entire fam- husband Sam, daughter Hannah, son Jake and his wife...
Published 12/31/19
This week on The Easy Chair, it’s a reprise of “The Gift of the Magi,” the classic short story by O. Henry. This small sweet gem of a tale is generally considered a Christmas story, as well as the iconic illustrative example of irony. I would challenge the limits of these descriptions. This story...
Published 12/24/19