The Point Podcast

In this engaging discussion, novelist and cultural critic Joanne McNeil shares her expertise on J.G. Ballard, focusing on his compelling novel, Concrete Island. She explores themes of isolation and societal critique through the harrowing journey of Robert Maitland, an architect grappling with desperation. The conversation delves into Ballard's transformative experiences, such as his childhood internment and personal grief, illustrating how these shaped his unique narrative style and intersection of class struggles in literature.

On the fourth episode of Selected Novels, Jess and Zach talk to the novelist and short story writer (and Point contributor) Jessi Jezewska Stevens about Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain.Want more from The Point? Subscribe here at 50% off the normal rate.

On the third episode of Selected Novels, Jess and Zach talk to the novelist Adam Ehrlich Sachs about Flaubert’s final, unfinished novel, Bouvard and Pécuchet.Want more from The Point? Subscribe here at 50% off the normal rate.

On the second episode of Selected Novels, Jess and Zach talk to Clare Sestanovich, writer and managing editor of the Drift, about Marilynne Robinson’s first novel, Housekeeping. Want more from The Point? Subscribe here at 50% off the normal rate.

On this episode of The Point podcast, Zach Fine takes a break from Selected Essays and Selected Novels to discuss another important, if less literary, topic: American football. Zach is joined by Leif Weatherby, the author of an essay just published this week in The Point about the career of Aaron Rodgers against the backdrop of U.S. empire in decline, as well as Point editors James Duesterberg and Julia Aizuss, to discuss this year’s Super Bowl, why Aaron Rodgers (and all quarterbacks) are so weird, and what drives a man into the realm of violence and conspiracy. Relevant reading:“Permanent Decline: The long, slow end of Aaron Rodgers, the American man, and U.S. empire,” by Leif Weatherby (The Point)“Steroids, Baseball, America,” by Jon Baskin (The Point)“Biggest Losers,” by Jon Baskin (The Point, Forms of Life)

On this episode—our very first!—of Selected Novels, Jess and Zach talk to novelist (and writer of our 2024 advice column, Higher Gossip) Lillian Fishman about Edith Wharton’s novel Age of Innocence. Want more from The Point? Subscribe here at 50% off the normal rate.

On this bonus episode of Selected Essays, Jess and Zach talk to Dayna Tortorici and Mark Krotov about their new anthology of the best of n+1’s second decade, The Intellectual Situation.Craving more essays? Subscribe to The Point here at 50% off the normal rate.

On this episode of Selected Essays, Jess and Zach talk to George Scialabba about Michael Walzer’s "In Defense of Equality," first published in Dissent in 1973.Craving more essays? Subscribe to The Point here at 50% off the normal rate.

On this episode of Selected Essays, Jess and Zach talk to writer and literary critic Emily Ogden about Elizabeth Hardwick’s "Living in Italy: Reflections on Bernard Berenson," first published in Partisan Review in 1960.Craving more essays? Subscribe to The Point here at 50% off the normal rate.

On this episode of Selected Essays, Jess and Zach talk to Julian Lucas about his essay “Welcome to Armageddon,” published in Cabinet in 2017, and Jorge Luis Borges’s “The Enigma of Edward FitzGerald,” which was written in 1951.Craving more essays? Subscribe to The Point here at 50% off the normal rate.