In this engaging discussion, guests Ben Metcalf, a former literary editor at Harper’s and author, Emily Allen-Hornblower, a historian from Rutgers, and Sandy Gotham Meehan, a seasoned producer and board member of the American Agora Foundation, pay tribute to the late Lewis H. Lapham. They delve into the vital connection between history and literature, share personal anecdotes about Lapham’s mentorship, and reflect on the absurdities of social etiquette during funerals. The episode also features literary readings that highlight the enduring power of words and art.
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Ben Metcalf’s Office Anecdotes
Ben Metcalf recalls humorous and unusual office moments with Lewis, like rigging a football pool and executing spontaneous editorial ideas.
Their collaboration showed Lewis's playful side despite his perfectionism and editorial rigor.
insights INSIGHT
History Grounds Understanding
Lewis saw history and classical literature as vital for understanding current events and human nature.
His belief that ignoring the past keeps one immature underscores his commitment to the humanities.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Lewis’s Kindness and Wisdom
Alec Baldwin describes Lewis as genuinely kind and intellectually generous, never talking down to him despite their very different worlds.
Their conversations left Baldwin eager for more, highlighting Lewis’s captivating personality.
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Thomas Bernhard's "The Loser" is a darkly comedic and pessimistic novel that follows the protagonist's obsessive contemplation of the pianist Glenn Gould. The narrative is characterized by its relentless stream of consciousness, exploring themes of envy, failure, and the limitations of human existence. Bernhard's prose is known for its cynical wit and unflinching portrayal of human flaws. The novel's structure is unconventional, mirroring the protagonist's fragmented and self-destructive mindset. Its impact lies in its unsettling exploration of human nature and the absurdity of life.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Friedrich Nietzsche
Thomas Common
The book details Zarathustra's descent from his mountain solitude to share his transformative ideas about humanity and existence. Nietzsche explores themes such as the rejection of traditional moral values, individualism, and the concept of the Overman. Zarathustra's interactions with various characters reveal his struggle to articulate his vision and confront prevailing societal values. The book also delves into the existential test of the eternal recurrence of the same and the importance of self-overcoming and personal transformation[2][4][5].
Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars
Suetonius
Sentimental Education
Gustave Flaubert
Sentimental Education is a novel that chronicles the life of Frédéric Moreau, a young man from the provinces who arrives in Paris with ambitions and romantic ideals. The novel spans three decades, including the revolution of 1848 and the subsequent social and political changes. It is a sweeping panorama of French society, critiquing the hypocrisy and mediocrity of the Second Empire. Flaubert's narrative intertwines the personal and intimate lives of his characters with the broader political and social context, highlighting the failures and disillusionments of his generation[2][3][5].
The funeral
Richard Steele
“Lewis was always engaging with some important piece of literature from the past,” says historian and classicist Emily Allen-Hornblower in this episode of The World in Time, edited from audio recorded at the memorial service held for Lewis H. Lapham in September 2024. “You can be chatting about the insanity of the current political landscape and quickly things would shift to how history repeats itself, how humanity simply does not learn. And Thucydides or Cicero would rear their heads. To quote Cicero, ‘To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?’ Lewis understood that without the past, we lose the ability to think productively or even understand the present. He made himself a warrior for the humanities, putting up a splendid fight on behalf of the arts and letters. ’Til the end.”
In this second of two episodes this week, we are joined once again by Lewis, first in the tributes and remembrances of his friends and colleagues and then in his own voice. Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis introduces the proceedings. Former Harper’s Magazine literary editor Ben Metcalf recalls Lapham the mentor. Emily Allen-Hornblower reads from Homer and Baudelaire. Actor Alec Baldwin reads Mark Twain’s essay “At the Funeral.” Actor Christopher Lloyd performs Prospero’s epilogue from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Producer and director Sandy Gotham Meehan shares a letter by Flaubert. In audio from our archives, Lewis Lapham reads from “’Round Midnight,” his preamble to Music, the Fall 2017 issue of Lapham’s Quarterly.
The World in Time / Lapham’s Quarterly 
