

#9377
Mentioned in 3 episodes
Ravelstein
Book • 2000
Published in 2000, 'Ravelstein' is a biographical roman à clef that tells the story of a friendship between a university professor, Abe Ravelstein, and a writer.
The novel is set against the backdrop of Ravelstein's impending death from AIDS and explores his intellectual and erotic attachments.
The narrator, Chick, reflects on Ravelstein's life and their shared experiences, delving into themes of Jewish identity, intellectual culture, and the significance of Ravelstein's death as the end of an era.
The novel also follows Chick's own near-death experience and his eventual decision to write Ravelstein's memoir.
The novel is set against the backdrop of Ravelstein's impending death from AIDS and explores his intellectual and erotic attachments.
The narrator, Chick, reflects on Ravelstein's life and their shared experiences, delving into themes of Jewish identity, intellectual culture, and the significance of Ravelstein's death as the end of an era.
The novel also follows Chick's own near-death experience and his eventual decision to write Ravelstein's memoir.
Mentioned by
Mentioned in 3 episodes
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

in relation to Saul Bellow.

Steven Smith

49 snips
Straussian Summer School
Mentioned by 

, quoting a line from the book about governing a country requiring entertainment.


Sam Adler-Bell

43 snips
Women vs. The System (w/ Dorothy Fortenberry)
Mentioned by ![undefined]()

and 

in the context of autobiographical novels and the integration of ideas into fiction.

Vinson Cunningham


Sam Adler-Bell

16 snips
Political Fictions (w/ Vinson Cunningham)