The Norton Library Podcast

Welcome to the Norton Library Podcast, where we explore influential works of literature and philosophy with the leading scholars and teachers behind Norton’s newest series of classics. In each episode, with a Norton Library editor or translator as our guide, we'll learn something new and surprising about these classic works—why they endure, and what it means to read them today. Hosted by Mark Cirino and produced by Michael Von Cannon, the co-creators of the Hemingway Society's popular show One True Podcast.

The Norton Library Podcast is a arts podcast hosted by The Norton Library, with 79 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

The Norton Library hosts The Norton Library Podcast, a arts show with 79 episodes published.

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  Episode #1

  A Complicated Man (The Odyssey, Part 1)

  Aug 2, 202634 minS5

  In Part 1 of our discussion on Homer's Odyssey , we welcome translator Emily Wilson to discuss Odysseus as a complicated character, the roles of women and divine beings in the poem, and the centuries-old stories within stories that pose questions of hospitality, power, fatherhood, and time still relevant today. Part 2, coming tomorrow (8/4), will center Wilson's reaction to Christopher Nolan's recent film. Emily Wilson is a professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She has been named a fellow of the American Academy in Rome, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a MacArthur Fellow. In addition to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey , she has also published translations of Sophocles, Euripides, and Seneca. She lives in Philadelphia. To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of The Odyssey , go to https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393417937 . Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library . Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter at @TNL_WWN and Bluesky at @nortonlibrary.bsky.social .

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  Episode #21

  Written in Gold (The Golden Ass, Part 2)

  Jul 12, 202628 minS4

  In Part 2 of our discussion on Apuleius's The Golden Ass , translator Ellen Finkelpearl returns to discuss the striking cover of the Norton Library edition, her favorite line from the text and the paradox of the title, and the ways Apuleius thinks of and comments on human and animal rights in the ancient world. Ellen Finkelpearl is the Helen Chandler Garland Professor of Ancient Studies at Scripps College, and a scholar of Apuleius. To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of The Golden Ass , go to https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393428919 . Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library . Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter at @TNL_WWN and Bluesky at @nortonlibrary.bsky.social .

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  Episode #20

  Doesn't Everybody Want to Be a Bird? (The Golden Ass, Part 1)

  Jun 28, 202627 minS4

  In Part 1 of our discussion on Apuleius's The Golden Ass , we welcome translator Ellen Finkelpearl to discuss the author's surviving and lost works, the process of translating such an ancient text, and the challenge of preserving Apuleius's rhythmic and exuberant writing style. Ellen Finkelpearl is the Helen Chandler Garland Professor of Ancient Studies at Scripps College, and a scholar of Apuleius. To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of The Golden Ass , go to https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393428919 . Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library . Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter at @TNL_WWN and Bluesky at @nortonlibrary.bsky.social .

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  Episode #19

  Who's Sorry Now? (Crime and Punishment, Part 2)

  Jun 14, 202630 minS4

  In Part 2 of our discussion on Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment , translator Michael Katz returns to discuss the symbolic colors of the cover of the Norton Library edition, his first encounter with Dostoevsky's work and other Russian literature, and his favorite line from the novel. Michael R. Katz is the C. V. Starr Professor Emeritus of Russian and East European Studies at Middlebury College. He has translated over twenty Russian novels, including The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, Fathers and Children , and Notes from Underground . To learn more or purchase a copy of the Norton Library edition of Crime and Punishment , go to https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393427950 . Learn more about the Norton Library series at https://wwnorton.com/norton-library . Have questions or suggestions for the podcast? Email us at nortonlibrary@wwnorton.com or find us on Twitter at @TNL_WWN and Bluesky at @nortonlibrary.bsky.social .

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  Episode #18

  The Quintessential Russian Novel (Crime and Punishment, Part 1)

  May 31, 202632 minS4

  <p>In Part 1 of our discussion on Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, we welcome translator Michael Katz to discuss the effects of Dostoevsky's personal and family life on his writing, the "big questions of life" and morality woven into Dostoevsky's works, and the challenge of translating Dostoevsky's repetitive writing style. </p><p>Michael R. Katz is the C. V. Starr Professor Emeritus of Russian and East European Studies at Middlebury College. He has translated over twenty Russian novels, including The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, Fathers and Children, and Notes from Underground.</p><p>To learn more or purchase a c...

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