Rachel Cusk

Rachel Cusk, award-winning author, reads and discusses Marguerite Duras' unique short stories. They explore Duras' writing style evolution, themes of loss, injustice, and power dynamics in her works. The conversation delves into religion, dreams, and the emotional depth of Duras' characters, showcasing the complexity and artistry of both authors.

Award-winning author Rachel Cusk joins literary director Adam Biles for a captivating discussion about her groundbreaking approach to fiction. They dive into her latest novel, Parade, and how it challenges traditional narratives surrounding identity and womanhood. Cusk reflects on the transformative journey of motherhood and its complexities in storytelling. The conversation also addresses the evolving voices in literature, especially in light of gender dynamics, and critiques the male-centric norms in the art world, driving home the importance of personal narratives in shaping artistic expression.

In this engaging discussion, critically acclaimed novelist Rachel Cusk, known for her innovative narrative styles, joins Adam Biles, Literary Director at Shakespeare and Company in Paris. They dive into the themes of Cusk's latest novel, Parade, exploring its unique feminist perspectives and her evolving identity as a writer. The conversation also highlights the intricate relationship between an artist's biography and their work, and the challenges women authors face in authentically expressing their experiences amidst societal expectations.

Rachel Cusk, a critically acclaimed novelist known for her innovative storytelling, joins Adam Biles, literary director of Shakespeare & Co in Paris. They discuss the profound themes of her new novel, 'Parade', examining how it challenges traditional narrative forms. Cusk explores motherhood and identity, revealing how trauma shapes our understanding of self. The conversation delves into the ethics of inaction in the face of societal issues and the complex relationship between violence and artistic expression. It's a thought-provoking dialogue on the nature of contemporary literature.

In an essay specially commissioned for the podcast, Aisha Sabatini Sloan describes rambling around Paris with her father, Lester Sloan, a longtime staff photographer for Newsweek, and a glamorous woman who befriends them. In an excerpt from The Art of Fiction no. 246, Rachel Cusk and Sheila Heti discuss how writing her first novel helped Cusk discover her “shape or identity or essence.” Next, Allan Gurganus’s reading of his story “It Had Wings,” about an arthritic woman who finds a fallen angel in her backyard, is interspersed with a version of the story rendered as a one-woman opera by the composer Bruce Saylor. The episode closes with “Dear Someone,” a poem by Deborah Landau. To check out Captioning the Archives, the book Aisha Sabatini Sloan created with her father, Lester Sloan, visit McSweeney’s. This episode was sound designed and mixed by John DeLore, and mastered by Justin Shturtz.