Tom Sperlinger is the author of Romeo and Juliet in Palestine and he returns this week to discuss teaching Dangerous Literature. This is part one of a two part conversation. This week we focus on the question of polemics in fiction and modernism, and next week we'll take a close look at Kafka's unfinished novel The Trial.
Sperlinger recently taught a course on “Dangerous Books.” Here's an excerpt from the course description:
Can works of literature only reflect society, or might they be a catalyst for reform? If a book has an urgent political message, can it also become a lasting work of art? Why might a work of literature be considered dangerous? In what circumstances are books banned? And conversely, what does this tell us about the power of literature, including in consciousness-raising or as a form of protest or resistance?
In this episode you’ll hear the voice of Norman Mailer again, a reading of Philip K. Dick's letter warning the FBI about the conspiracy of Stanislaw L
