This episode is one I've been trying to get set-up for a while, and it finally happened! I'm joined for this edition of Chatting Lit by Phillip Freedenberg and Jeff Walton, who are the author and illustrator of America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic, a fantastic maximalist novel set in a dystopian America in the which the written word has been banned. We discuss the unique genesis of the book, the ability of literature to unite us, and how playing math rock is useful training for writing a novel with a complex structure!
If you're interested in buying the book, it can be purchased here: https://coronasamizdat.com/index.php?id_product=34&rewrite=america-and-the-cult-of-the-cactus-boots-a-diagnostic-by-phillip-freedenberg-illustrated-by-jeff-walton&controller=product
Shout-outs for this episode:
Noah Clemons (@everyone_who_reads)
Rick Harsh of Corona /Samizdat Press (@coronasamizdatbook) and https://coronasamizdat.com/index.php
Books mentioned in this episode:
The Melancholy of Resistance by Lászláó Krasznhorkai, translated by George SzirtesGrey Bees by Andrey Kurkov, translated by Boris Dralyuk
Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov, translated by George Bird
Penguin Lost by Andrey Kurkov, translated by George Bird
Houses by Borislav Pekić, translated by Bernard Johnson
Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle
The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy
America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic by Phillip Freedenberg, illustrated by Jeff Walton
The Manifold Destiny of Eddie Vegas by Rick Harsch
Last Orgy of the Divine Hermit by Mark Leyner
Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle
The Voynich Manuscript
The Philosophy of Creativity by David Miller
Music by Tom Caruana: https://tomcaruana-teasea.bandcamp.com/
Chatting Lit logo and artwork by Emma Morris (@emmamorrisdesign)