We’re talking about how Joyce killed the novel, why all Victorian writers (including Dostoyevsky) sound like Dickens, reading books aloud in serial form, patience vs binge-consumption culture, why I love Everyman and Loeb books, and my footnote reading challenge. What Books Are You Reading This Month? Here are links to the books I’m reading this […]
The Marilyn Monroe Reading List: How to Read Like A Movie Star
Marilyn Monroe was a troubled soul. Her life was a tragic tale. If we put aside the childhood neglect, media hounding, and addiction issues, one of the greatest tragedies was the world’s inability to see her humanness. Lauded as iconic pin-up and cultivated image, few realised how intelligent, how fiercely well-read, how committed to intellectual […]
An Intellectually Ambitious 5-Year Reading Program for You
My aim with Hardcore Literature is to take you through our vast literary history. Reading and living the great books together. Not with a view to change the world, but to change ourselves for the better. I’m working on long-form lectures and interactive guides to help you become more well-read and develop a more robust […]
The 10 Commandments of Reading
Here are the 10 commandments of reading: I. Thou shalt not judge a book before understanding it. i. One understands a book by continuously asking these two questions: What is being said? How is it being said? II. Thou shalt converse with the author, argue, and dialogue, in ink upon the page. i. […]
How To Retain Your Reading (Video)
What’s the point of reading all these great books if you don’t retain anything? This is a problem I struggled with for years. I read and read and read, but never remembered what I was reading. But the last couple of years, I’ve become a powerhouse of retention. And here’s how you can too. How […]
How to Read Deeply (Podcast)
We’re talking about book reading challenges, how to choose your books, making time for reading, rereading, reading synoptically connecting it to everything else you’ve read), and more. Show Timestamps: 3:55 – quantity shouldn’t be the measure of success 5:40 – on reading diversely 7:00 – against the gatekeepers of the literary world 12:00 – are […]
How to Talk to Your Shadow: Practical Tips from Jungian Psychology (Podcast)
Today’s episode of Hardcore Literature is all about how to talk to and befriend your shadow. We all have a dark side lurking within. But how do you access it? And how do you access you inner king, warrior, lover, magician, or trickster? How do you analyse your dreams and improve your life? These questions, […]
Let’s Deep Read Chekhov’s Short Stories Together (‘Volodya’ Analysis & Appreciation)
Let’s deep read Anton Chekhov’s short stories together, starting with my personal favourite: ‘Volodya’. If you want to read along in real time, there are two ways to do that: You can watch/listen to the video reading and analysis. You can listen to the podcast version of the reading and analysis. If you want the […]
Should You Learn a Language to Read its Literature?
The greatest literary traditions in the world are, in no particular order (except English which is first): English Ancient Greek Latin Russian French Irish American German Indian Japanese Chinese English is the most expressive language. With twice as many words as the next largest language, Russian, and most words containing multiple shades of ambiguity and […]
How to Read and Appreciate Short Stories (Podcast)
I love all the Hardcore Literature podcasts I’ve done thus far. But this 30-minute podcast on how to read and appreciate short stories was, hands down, my favourite. Geeking out and deep diving into the art and craft of short stories, talking about how to become a connoisseur of this wonderful literary form. You’ve got […]
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