Entitled Opinions (about Life and Literature) An Offering for the Winter Solstice with Abby Walthausen
Dec 24, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Abby Walthausen, host of A Lovely Wallpaper, invites Robert Harrison, a literary scholar and radio host, to explore the winter solstice's significance. They delve into how darkness serves as a transformative space, where life gestates and renews. Robert shares fascinating insights on cyanobacteria’s role in Earth's atmosphere and reflects on the eerie feeling of live radio. The conversation culminates with personal reflections on memorizing poignant poetry, including works by Rilke and Donne, linking themes of exile, grief, and beauty.
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Darkness As Generator Of Being
- Robert Harrison links darkness to originary generation, arguing life and the universe gestate in dark matrices.
- He frames the winter solstice as a symbolic moment that evokes emergence from that creative darkness.
Microbes Made The Thin Blue Line
- Harrison emphasizes microbes' role in creating Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere through photosynthesis.
- He calls the atmosphere a "thin blue line" that enables the biosphere and appearance of life.
Radio As Womb And Catacomb
- Harrison describes the radio studio as a womb-like heterotopia that fosters intense thinking and conversation.
- He compares radio's disembodied voice to katabasis, enabling dialogue with the dead and imaginative depth.