The Mookse and the Gripes Podcast

Episode 1: Anita Brookner’s Start in Life

I’m thrilled to announced the relaunch of The Mookse and Gripes Podcast! The first episode is dedicated to the first four books (of fiction) — A Start in Life, Providence, Look at Me, and Hotel du Lac — by Anita Brookner, the trailblazing art historian who, in her 50s, started writing beautiful, lonely fiction.

More shows are in the works, most dedicated to a particular time in an author’s career. It should be fun. I hope you’ll check it out!

You should be able to find the show on iTunes and Stitcher and, hopefully, the podcatcher of your choice (I use Overcast and can confirm it is there now). I know some people can see it but not yet hear it on iTunes (I think the rollout is a bit slow while the show finalizes approval). I also have it embedded in this post right here, so you can just click the bar below and give it a go!

Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! I want to particularly thank Peg Star, William Check, Paul Fulcher, Dan Friedman, Michele McCarthy, Aaron West, Alan Teder, Laura Brown, and Paul Wilson, who donated their hard-earned money to show support and to help make this podcast happen. If you’d like to donate as well, please visit my Patreon page.

Sources and other items of interest:

• A Start in Life, by Anita Brookner


• Providence, by Anita Brookner


• Look at Me, by Anita Brookner


• Hotel du Lac, by Anita Brookner


• Understanding Anita Brookner, by Cheryl Alexander Malcolm


• The Fictions of Anita Brookner: Illusions of Romance, by John Skinner


• Anita Brookner, by Lynn Veach Sadler


• Review of A Start in Life in Kirkus Review


• Obituary in The Independent


• Obituary in The Guardian


• Interview in The Telegraph


• The Paris Review: The Art of Fiction No. 98 (Fall 1987)


• Jewish Women’s Archive


• “The Five Best Anita Brookner Novels,” by Tessa Hadley


• Backlisted Pod on Look at Me