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The Big Book Project

Lori Feathers

23 episodes

1 day ago

In this final discussion of Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner, Lori is joined once again by Dr. Larry Allums to close out one of the most haunting and inexhaustible novels in American literature. Together, they trace Faulkner’s labyrinth of narration—Quentin and Shreve’s imaginative reconstruction of the Sutpen story—and explore what it reveals about truth, storytelling, and the South’s enduring obsession with its past. Lori and Larry discuss themes of fatalism, love, terror, and the mor...

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In this final discussion of Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner, Lori is joined once again by Dr. Larry Allums to close out one of the most haunting and inexhaustible novels in American literature. Together, they trace Faulkner’s labyrinth of narration—Quentin and Shreve’s imaginative reconstruction of the Sutpen story—and explore what it reveals about truth, storytelling, and the South’s enduring obsession with its past. Lori and Larry discuss themes of fatalism, love, terror, and the mor...

Show more...

Episodes (20/23)

The Big Book Project

Absalom, Absalom! Final Thoughts with Dr. Larry Allums

In this final discussion of Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner, Lori is joined once again by Dr. Larry Allums to close out one of the most haunting and inexhaustible novels in American literature. Together, they trace Faulkner’s labyrinth of narration—Quentin and Shreve’s imaginative reconstruction of the Sutpen story—and explore what it reveals about truth, storytelling, and the South’s enduring obsession with its past. Lori and Larry discuss themes of fatalism, love, terror, and the mor...

1 day ago

1 hour 4 minutes

The Big Book Project

Innocence, Design, and the American Adam: Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! Video #4 Dr. Larry Allums

https://substack.com/@thebigbookproject In this episode of The Big Book Project, Lori Feathers and Dr. Larry Allums delve into Chapter 7 of William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom!—one of the novel’s most intricate and revealing sections. They trace Thomas Sutpen’s backstory from his rugged Appalachian boyhood to the life-altering moment that shapes his “design.” What begins as a story of social humiliation—being told to “use the back door”—unfolds into a meditation on innocence, ambition, race, ...

3 days ago

1 hour 5 minutes

The Big Book Project

The Southern Labyrinth: Faulkner’s Layers of Storytelling in Chapter 6 of Absalom, Absalom! Video 3 With Larry Allums

In this episode of The Big Book Project, host Lori Feathers and literary scholar Dr. Larry Allums continue their deep exploration of William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom!—turning to the enigmatic and multi-layered Chapter 6. This chapter introduces a new voice into Faulkner’s intricate web of narrators: Shreve McCannon, Quentin Compson’s Canadian roommate at Harvard. Lori and Larry discuss how Faulkner weaves Shreve into the novel’s chorus of storytellers and how this outsider’s perspective bo...

1 week ago

59 minutes

The Big Book Project

Absalom, Absalom! Chapters 4–5: Rosa Coldfield’s Humiliation and Sutpen’s Obsession | The Big Book Project (Video 2 with Dr. Larry Allums)

Welcome back to The Big Book Project, hosted by Lori Feathers. In Video 2, Lori continues her discussion of William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! with returning guest Dr. Larry Allums. Together, they unpack the intense drama of Chapters 4 and 5, where Rosa Coldfield’s narration reveals her humiliation at the hands of Thomas Sutpen — and Faulkner deepens his exploration of race, obsession, and the tragic design at the heart of Sutpen’s Hundred. In this episode, Lori and Larry discuss: Rosa’s fa...

2 weeks ago

58 minutes

The Big Book Project

Understanding Absalom, Absalom!: Faulkner’s Biblical Roots, Mythic Imagination, and the Southern Psyche

In this episode of The Big Book Project, Lori Feathers is joined by Dr. Larry Allums to launch our collective read of William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! — one of the most complex and unforgettable novels in American literature. They unpack the biblical and mythological dimensions of the novel, explore its shifting narrators, and discuss how Faulkner used the story of Thomas Sutpen to expose the South’s tangled history of ambition, race, and memory. Whether you’re a first-time reader or a li...

3 weeks ago

53 minutes

The Big Book Project

A Fortunate Man: Henrik Pontoppidan’s Masterwork with Nick During (NYRB)

This week on The Big Book Project I’m joined by Nick During, publicist at New York Review Books, for a deep dive into Henrik Pontoppidan’s monumental novel A Fortunate Man translated by Paul Larkin. Pontoppidan, who won the 1917 Nobel Prize in Literature, gives us one of the great portraits of ambition, love, and disillusionment at the turn of the 20th century. His protagonist, Per, dreams of modernizing Denmark through a grand engineering project, but struggles with depression, family estran...

1 month ago

1 hour 4 minutes

The Big Book Project

Exploring Antonio Lobo Antunes: Memory, Trauma, and Portuguese Literature with Chad W. Post

Join host Lori Feathers and guest Chad W. Post (Dalkey Archive Press & Open Letter Books) as they dive into the world of Portuguese writer António Lobo Antunes, one of the most significant literary voices of the last 50 years. They discuss Antunes’s groundbreaking style—shifting voices, fragmented memory, and narrative consciousness—as well as the political and historical backdrops of his fiction, including Angola and post-revolutionary Portugal. Lori and Chad share insights on which Ant...

1 month ago

46 minutes

The Big Book Project

The Kindly Ones: That Ending!

In this final conversation on The Kindly Ones, I’m joined again by Tom Flynn to explore the last chaotic stretch of Jonathan Littell’s massive and deeply unsettling novel. We talk about the feverish pacing, the bizarre turns, and the chilling final scenes—from Max biting Hitler’s nose to the feral children in the woods. Does the book fall apart, or is it mirroring the collapse of the world it depicts? Is Thomas even real? Why does it end in a zoo? This book is hard to read, hard to recommend—...

3 months ago

1 hour 7 minutes

The Big Book Project

What Makes Big Books Work? Abundance, Complexity, and the Joy of Long Novels with James Elkins

Why do some readers gravitate toward sprawling, ambitious novels that take weeks—or even months—to read? What is it about long books that makes them so immersive, so risky, and so rewarding? In this episode of The Big Book Project, Lori Feathers is joined once again by writer and professor James Elkins for an in-depth conversation about the magic and challenges of big books. They explore their personal criteria for what makes a long novel worth reading, comparing Lori’s idea of “abundance nov...

3 months ago

1 hour 5 minutes

The Big Book Project

Confronting Atrocity: The Kindly Ones, Moral Complicity, and the Ethics of Reading Difficult Books (with Brad Costa)

https://substack.com/@thebigbookproject In this episode of The Big Book Project, Lori sits down with Brad Costa, sales representative for W.W. Norton and an extraordinary reader, to discuss Jonathan Littell’s The Kindly Ones. Brad brings a unique perspective as someone who worked in library archives with Holocaust materials, offering profound insights into the novel’s detailed depiction of bureaucratic evil, moral ambiguity, and the unsettling psychology of its narrator, Max. Together, Lor...

4 months ago

49 minutes

The Big Book Project

The Kindly Ones: Holocaust Literature, Bureaucratic Evil, and the Banality of Horror

In this episode of The Big Book Project, Lori Feathers is joined by Professor Dorian Stuber for a deep dive into Jonathan Littell’s The Kindly Ones. They explore the book’s place within Holocaust literature, its historical accuracy, and the challenges it poses to readers and educators alike. From the banality of evil to the controversial portrayal of sexual deviancy, Lori and Dorian unpack the themes, narrative choices, and lasting impact of this monumental novel. Whether you’re reading along...

4 months ago

56 minutes

The Big Book Project

Five Strange Languages: James Elkins on Long Novels, Memory, and the Art of Digression

In this episode of The Big Book Project, Lori Feathers sits down with art historian, theorist, and novelist James Elkins to discuss his new book A Short Introduction to Anneliese published by Unnamed Press—the second novel in his five-volume literary experiment, Five Strange Languages. James shares the 20-year journey behind this sprawling, genre-defying project, its dizzying structure, overlapping timelines, and why his fictional characters come with charts, graphs, footnotes, and even music...

4 months ago

53 minutes

The Big Book Project

The Kindly Ones: Stalingrad, The Harpies, and the Horror of History (with Tom Flynn)

Tom Flynn returns to The Big Book Project to continue our group read of Jonathan Littell’s The Kindly Ones—this time tackling pages 333–427, a harrowing descent into the frozen siege of Stalingrad. Lori and Tom unpack the disturbing realism and psychological depth of the novel, exploring themes of unreliable narration, classical tragedy, and the machinery of fascist ideology. They ask hard questions: Is Littell's depiction of atrocity exploitative or essential? Is Max Aue a symbol of somethin...

4 months ago

52 minutes

The Big Book Project

Memory, War, and Translation: David McKay on The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje

https://substack.com/@thebigbookproject In this episode of The Big Book Project, host Lori Feathers is joined by acclaimed translator David McKay to explore The Remembered Soldier, the haunting and deeply psychological novel by Anjet Daanje, newly released in English by New Vessel Press. This episode unpacks the long journey of bringing The Remembered Soldier from a small regional publisher in the Netherlands to international acclaim—and finally, to English-speaking readers. David shares wha...

5 months ago

40 minutes

The Big Book Project

Legacy, Silence, and Symbolism in Agaat: What the Maps and Diaries Really Mean

https://substack.com/@thebigbookproject In this solo episode of The Big Book Project, host Lori Feathers returns to reflect on the latest section of Agaat by Marlene van Niekerk—around page 300—and dives into the nuanced layers of communication, legacy, and emotional power that define this extraordinary novel. As Milla’s physical condition deteriorates due to ALS, her only form of communication is her eyes. Yet even in silence, she attempts to convey one last urgent desire: to see the maps of...

6 months ago

9 minutes

The Big Book Project

The Power of Agaat: Publishing, Politics, and Literary Brilliance with Tin House’s Nanci McCloskey

In this special episode of The Big Book Project, host Lori Feathers is joined by Nanci McCloskey—Associate Publisher and Director of Sales & Marketing at Tin House Books—to kick off our next group read: Agaat by Marlene van Niekerk. 📚 Agaat is a psychological epic set in apartheid-era South Africa, told through the complex relationship between two women—Milla and Agaat. Originally published in the UK under the title The Way of the Women, the novel eventually found its home in the U.S. tha...

7 months ago

24 minutes

The Big Book Project

Unraveling 2666: Literary Obsession, Violence, and the Mystery of Archimboldi with Tom Flynn

In this episode of The Big Book Project, Lori Feathers is joined by literary critic and bookseller Tom Flynn for an in-depth discussion of Roberto Bolaño’s 2666. As we near the end of our 11-week deep dive, we explore the novel’s most compelling themes—literary obsession, systemic violence, and the enigmatic figure of Archimboldi. 📖 Key Topics Discussed: ✔️ Tom Flynn’s experience reading 2666 and seeing its stage adaptation ✔️ How 2666 critiques literary academia and the obsession with author...

7 months ago

52 minutes

The Big Book Project

How to Lose Your Humanity: Systemic Violence and Society’s Indifference in 2666

In this episode of The Big Book Project, Lori Feathers unpacks one of the most haunting themes in Roberto Bolaño’s 2666: the slow erosion of humanity in the face of systemic violence. Through the lens of The Part About Archimboldi, we explore the chilling parallels between Nazi Germany and the fictional town of Santa Teresa—modeled after the real-life femicides of Ciudad Juárez. Key Themes Discussed: The link between the Holocaust and the Santa Teresa murdersHow mass violence is enabled by so...

8 months ago

13 minutes

The Big Book Project

The Collective Guilt in 2666: Society’s Role in the Crimes

https://substack.com/@thebigbookproject In this episode of The Big Book Project, Lori Feathers continues the deep dive into Roberto Bolaño’s 2666, focusing on the second section of The Part About the Crimes. As the narrative unfolds, we examine the harrowing depiction of systemic complicity in the Santa Teresa femicides. From the corruption of the police and prison guards to the media’s role in sensationalizing crime, we discuss how Bolaño presents a chilling portrait of societal rot. How doe...

8 months ago

17 minutes

The Big Book Project

Unmasking the Banality of Evil: The Harrowing Crimes in Roberto Bolaño’s 2666

In this gripping episode of The Big Book Project, host Lori Feathers dives into the most haunting and unrelenting section of Roberto Bolaño’s 2666—The Part About the Crimes. This chapter confronts readers with a relentless account of femicides in the border town of Santa Teresa. Lori explores why Bolaño meticulously details the murders of more than 200 women—examining how individualizing victims creates an emotional impact, the novel’s critique of societal apathy, and the shocking contrast be...

9 months ago

22 minutes