Sherds Podcast

Sherds Podcast is a journey through the outskirts of literary history. Each episode, we take an in-depth look at a lesser-known literary text and attempt to give it the critical attention it deserves: books that are criminally overlooked, have struggled to reach an anglophone audience, or are just downright odd. Hosted by Sam Pulham and Rob Prouse Sam Pulham

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Episodes

#3 Red Grass by Boris Vian

In this episode, we look at Boris Vian's 'Red Grass' (1950), a surrealist science fiction novel in which the main character, Wolf, creates a machine that allows him to erase his own memories. Over the course of our discussion, we consider Vian's playful complexity, his parodies of psychoanalytical and existentialist thought, and the possible significance of 'Red Grass' in terms of French collective memory in the wake of the Second World War.

Nov 12, 2017•57 min•Ep. 3

#2 The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd

In this episode, we discuss Nan Shepherd's The Living Mountain (1977), a work of topographical and philosophical speculation centred on the Cairngorms in Scotland

Oct 25, 2017•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 2

#1 Flower Phantoms by Ronald Fraser

The hosts discuss Ronald Fraser's "Flower Phantoms," an unusual 1926 fantasy novella featuring Judy, a botanical student at Kew Gardens, who experiences a psychosexual communion with an orchid. The conversation explores the book's treatment of female sexuality, contrasting chaste adoration with violent desire, and its examination of epistemological questions through Judy's interactions with the plant world. They also analyze the author's metafictional struggle with language and representation, the role of observation, and the problematic duality of male/female principles culminating in an ambiguous ending.

Oct 04, 2017•1 hr 7 min

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