The chapter delves into the guest's background, childhood memories, and the significance of names, sparking a discussion on the overwhelming volume and intensity of memories. They then explore deep existential and philosophical concepts such as free will, existential crisis, and the relationship between memory and writing. The chapter closes with a reflection on the interviewee's struggles with toggling between different states as a writer, meeting deadlines, and the underlying self-protective psychosis affecting their behavior.
John Jeremiah Sullivan is a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine and has written for Harper's, The New Yorker, and GQ. He is the author of Pulphead and the forthcoming The Prime Minister of Paradise: The True Story of a Lost American History.
“I love making pieces of writing and trying to find the right language to say what I mean. It's such a wonderful way of being alive in the world. I mean, your material is all around you. ... I'm lucky that it has stayed interesting for me. It hasn't faded. The challenges of writing, they still glow.”
Show notes:
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