Exploring Open-Endedness in Literature

When is giving up not failure, but a way of succeeding at something else? In his new book, which began as a piece for the LRB, the psychoanalyst and critic Adam Phillips explores the ways in which knowing our limitations can be an act of heroism. This episode was recorded at the London Review Bookshop, where Phillips was joined by the biographer and critic Hermione Lee in a conversation about giving up and On Giving Up, his approach to writing and the purpose of psychoanalysis.

Find Phillips’s 2022 piece On Giving Up and further reading on the episode page: lrb.me/ongivingup

Find future events at the Bookshop: lrb.me/eventspod

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Discover the LRB's subscription podcast, Close Readings, and audiobooks: https://lrb.me/audiopod

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