Tell Me What You’re Reading No. 34: Brian E. Denton: War and Peace
My guest for this episode is Brian E. Denton. Brian has been reading Tolstoy’s great novel War and Peace every year for the last ten years, one chapter a day, which results in a year long read of the 361 chapters. Brian has also produced an e-book titled “War and Peace and A Year of War and Peace”, which includes the full text of the novel as well as Brian’s reflective essays, his insightful commentary on each chapter. War and Peace was brought to my attention at the beginning of the pandemic when I learned of Princeton Professor Yiyun Li’s online “Tolstoy Together” book club, which contemplated reading 15-16 pages a day in order to complete the novel in 85 days. I didn’t jump on Professor Li’s bandwagon but I’m glad I learned of Brian and his work.
At the time I recorded our discussion, we were a little over one half way through this epic novel. Tales of aristocratic abundance and privilege in 1805 Moscow, and simultaneously, Russia’s war with Napoleon’s France. Peace and war. Tales told through the characters, including, most notably, Pierre, Andrey, Rostov, Natasha, Nikolay, Marya, Denisov, Dolokhov, Sonya, Helene, Alexander I of Russia and Napoleon, among many, many others. I can see why Brian and others are serial readers, just to know whose who.
What Brian is Reading
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy (every year for the last ten and every year hereafter)
Reviews The New York Times | The New Yorker Radio Hour | An 1886 Review of War and Peace | Tips for Reading War and Peace & Getting Started with Leo Tolstoy | What’s the best translation of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy?
Potluck, by Emile Zola
Reviews ANZ LIiLovers LitBlog | Old Books By Dead Guys
Germinal, by Emile Zola
Reviews The Guardian | The New York Times | Britannica
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, by Quentin Tarintino
Reviews The Guardian
First Principles, by Thomas Ricks
Reviews The New York Times | Kirkus Reviews | Lawfire (Duke)
What Howard is Reading
The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelit
Reviews The New York Times| The New York Times Book Review | NPR | The Washington Post | The Financial Times
Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter
Reviews The New York Times | The Washington Post | Kirkus Reviews | The Toronto Star | NPR | The Guardian | The Oregonian | The Seattle Times
The Art of Memoir, by Mary Karr
Reviews The Paris Review | The New York Times | NPR | The Washington Post | The Chicago Tribune | Mary Karr
The Premonition. By Michael Lewis
Reviews The New York Times | The Washington Post | NPR | The Guardian | The New Republic | Forbes | The Wall Street Journal | The Times | Time | Mother Jones
Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell (One of the best books I’ve ever read.)
Reviews The New York Times | The Guardian | The New York Times Book Review Podcast | NPR | The Washington Post | The Los Angeles Times | New Statesman | The Wall Street Journal | The Irish Times | The Times Literary Supplement | The Scotsman | The Post and Courier | Kirkus Reviews | Financial Times | Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
The New York Times Book Review
The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway (Reading one story every Monday morning.)
Reviews The Washington Times | Literary Hub | 7 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ERNEST HEMINGWAY | The New Yorker
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
Reviews The New York Times | The New Yorker Radio Hour | An 1886 Review of War and Peace | Tips for Reading War and Peace & Getting Started with Leo Tolstoy | What’s the best translation of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy?
Tolstoy Together: 85 Days of War and Peace with Yiyun Li, by Yiyun Li (To be released on September 14, 2021)
Brian’s Local Bookstore
