Arts
After a bit of business banter about publishing mergers and the future of books, Chad and Brian break down the final two parts of Ada, or Ardor, debating the purpose of the book as a whole, whether the ending "works," the unreliable unreliableness of Van Veen, and much more. On next week's episode, they'll talk about three essays on Ada: "Nabokov's Ada and the Texture of Time" by Dwight A. Yates, "Nabokov's Ada as Science Fiction" by Roy Arthur Swanson, and the "Heaven and Hell" chapter from Azar Nafisi's That Other World. This week's music is "Spring by Summer Fall" by Blonde Redhead. If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch episode 12 live on Wednesday, December 2nd at 3pm where you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments, or correct inaccurate statements. And be sure to get in touch if you'd like to be a guest on Season 14 featuring J R by William Gaddis. Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions. You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.