Elif Batuman joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Truth and Fiction,” by Sylvia Townsend Warner, which was published in The New Yorker in 1961. Batuman is the author of one book of nonfiction, “The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them,” and two novels, “The Idiot” and “Either/Or,” which was published earlier this year. She has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 2010. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week Lilah speaks with author Elif Batuman about rethinking Russian literature given Russia’s war in Ukraine. Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, cultural institutions have grappled with what to do about Russian artists and works of art. Should they be banned if we want to support Ukraine? Elif talks us through the literary dimension of the debate. And she says go ahead, read the Russian classics. But learn about the history and culture of the time as you’re doing it. Then, FT music critic Arwa Haider comes on to talk Lilah through recent trends in music: from the resurgence of pop punk to the loss of the superstar.--------------Want to say hi? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap. --------------Links and mentions from the episode: –Elif Batuman’s essay on reading Russian literature in the shadow of the war in Ukraine: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/01/30/rereading-russian-classics-in-the-shadow-of-the-ukraine-war–Elif wrote the bestselling novels The Idiot and Either/Or. Here’s our first conversation with her, about Either/Or: https://www.ft.com/content/703dcdbf-cf67-4c40-bd46-a97903a8d6c3–Mary Elise Sarotte on Putin’s misuse of history: https://on.ft.com/3kVkfmd –An essay Elif recommends by Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhko’s on the same topic: https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/russian-literature-bucha-massacre-essay-oksana-zabuzhko–You can find Arwa Haider’s FT music reviews here: https://www.ft.com/stream/d52c64d7-bc56-3cae-bfb9-65bb15f69b9d –Arwa is on Twitter at @ArwaHaider—-------------Special offers for Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial are here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast.--------------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco. Copyright for additional music this week: Geffen-Interscope Records; Warner Music Group; Saddle Creek Records; Sony Music Entertainment; Rimas EntertainmentRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we talk to the author Elif Batuman about her new novel ‘Either / Or’. The book is set in the 1990s, and follows Elif’s fictionalised alter ego, Selin, as she navigates life as a Harvard student. Elif reflects on looking back at the ’90s from a contemporary perspective and talks about what we’ve learnt since. Then, we hear about feedback from deputy FT Magazine editor Esther Bintliff. We live in a culture obsessed with feedback. But what kind of feedback is actually effective? --------------Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.--------------Links and mentions from the episode: – Either/Or by Elif Batuman is available in all good bookstores. – Esther’s piece on feedback, https://www.ft.com/content/a681ac3c-73b8-459b-843c-0d796f15020e – Bradley Whitford describing the three-step reaction on WTF with Marc Maron http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-909-bradley-whitford– If you want to hear Kim Scott talking about Radical Candour at Inbound Bold Talks, 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj9GLeNCgm4 – Elif Batuman is on Twitter @BananaKarenina. Esther is on Twitter @estherbintliff. —-------------Special offers for FT Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial can be found here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcastWant to join us at the FT Weekend festival in London on September 3rd? Buy a ticket at ft.com/ftwf. And here’s a special £20 off promo code, specifically for FT Weekend listeners: FTWFxPodcast22--------------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.Silicon Valley clip courtesy of HBO. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.