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PODCAST

The Back of the Book

In The Back of the Book, host Christopher J. Scalia interviews writers, scholars, and other expert guests about culture and the arts.Listen to The Back of the Book, along with more than 40 other original podcasts, at Ricochet.com. No paid subscription required.

arts books

All Episodes

55:09

Mind, Muscle, and Mimesis

The Back of the Book ·

2025/12/11

Chris is joined by Jordan Castro, a novelist, essayist, and the deputy director of the Cluny Institute. They discuss Jordan’s new novel, Muscle Man, as well as the discontents of academia, Jordan’s literary influences, the place of fiction in contemporary America, and their favorite campus novels.Show notes: Jordan’s new novel, Muscle ManJordan’s essay on weightlifting for Harper’sJordan’s previous novel, The NovelistThe Cluny InstituteTime stamps: 1:52 – Portraying the embodied life9:58 – Violence

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60:46

Solly’s Special: Thanksgiving and Its Jewish Roots

The Back of the Book ·

2025/11/26

For this special Thanksgiving episode, Chris is joined by Meir Soloveichik, the Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel (the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States) and the director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University. They discuss the Jewish origins of the Thanksgiving holiday, the history of Jews in America, and the current plight of antisemitism in American politics. Show notes:For Solly’s writing about Thanksgiving, see here and here.Solly’s recent

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62:53

A Spark of Literary Genius

The Back of the Book ·

2025/11/13

The critic and literary biographer Frances Wilson drops by to discuss her exceptional new book, Electric Spark: The Enigma of Dame Muriel. She and Chris talk about the fascinating life and early career of Muriel Spark, including her development as a novelist, tumultuous family life, and journey to religious belief. This is an especially fun conversation about one of the 20th century’s greatest—and slipperiest—novelists.Show notes:Frances’s book, Electric Spark: The Enigma of Dame MurielChris’s

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56:42

Who Was Oskar Stoessel?

The Back of the Book ·

2025/10/30

Chris is joined by Bryan A. Garner: grammarian, lexicographer, and author of The Etcher: The Life and Art of Oskar Stoessel. They discuss Stoessel’s life and work, how he managed to etch portraits of FDR and eight Supreme Court justices, and what compelled Bryan to write about him. They also talk about Bryan’s recent defense of originalism against a strange new critique, his career as a grammarian, and the origins of his collaboration with Justice Scalia. Show notes: Bryan’s new book, The Etcher:

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64:48

Welcome to the Machine: The Story of the 1975...

The Back of the Book ·

2025/10/16

Chris is joined by prolific sportswriter Joe Posnanski to discuss his 2009 book, The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-Stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Reds’ legendary victory, they discuss the personalities, politics, and drama that culminated in what is considered by some to be the greatest World Series of all time. Joe also gives a sneak preview of his next book, tells the story of his career in sports

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62:31

Panic on the Podcast!

The Back of the Book ·

2025/10/02

Chris is joined by Michael Clune, a professor at the Ohio State University’s Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society, and the author of the excellent new novel, Pan. They discuss some of the themes and ideas underlying Pan, as well as Michael’s vision of literary scholarship and its place in the modern university. Show notes: Michael’s new novel, PanMichael’s previous book, A Defense of Judgement“We Asked for It,” Michael’s 2024 essay in The Chronicle of Higher EducationAEI’s

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62:14

Pre-mendous!

The Back of the Book ·

2025/09/19

Chris is joined by Brendan O’Meara, the founder and host of the Creative Nonfiction Podcast and author of a great new biography, The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine. They discuss the life of American distance running legend Steve Prefontaine (a.k.a. “Pre”), including his childhood, the highs and lows of his running career, his untimely death, and his legacy. Show notes:· Brendan’s new book, The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine· The 1972 Olympic 5000m final·

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59:31

Creative Catholics: Literature & Theology in the 20th...

The Back of the Book ·

2025/09/04

Chris is joined by Cassandra Nelson, an affiliate fellow in literature at the Lumen Center in Madison, Wisconsin, an associate fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, and the author of A Theology of Fiction (Wiseblood Books, 2025). They discuss the life and thought of Sr. Mariella Gable, a Benedictine nun who had an under-appreciated influence on Catholic literary fiction during the 20th century. They also talk about the relationship between theology and

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61:00

Summertime Blues: 2020 in Hindsight

The Back of the Book ·

2025/08/21

Chris is joined by his AEI colleague Thomas Chatterton Williams, whose latest book Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse was published earlier this month. The two discuss Thomas’s analysis of the events and ideas that led to the protests, riots, and all-around madness of the summer of 2020; cancel culture and the importance of free expression; the concept of race and its relation to cultural heritage; and more. Show notes:Thomas’s new book, Summer of Our

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52:49

Joining the Frey: The Battle for the Liberal Arts

The Back of the Book ·

2025/08/07

Chris is joined by Jennifer Frey, professor of philosophy in the department of philosophy & religion at The University of Tulsa, and former Dean of the Honors College at TU. They discuss the university’s recent decision to eliminate her position as dean and restructure the Honors College, the power dynamics at play within university governance, and the value of liberal education more broadly. · Jennifer’s X thread announcing her departure as Dean· Jennifer’s New York Times essay

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60:12

The Macho Mensches of Manhattan

The Back of the Book ·

2025/07/21

Chris talks to Ronnie A. Grinberg, associate professor of history at the University of Oklahoma, about the anti-communist Jewish intellectuals who helped shape post-war American culture and politics. How did this remarkable group of writers—which included such prominent figures as Lionel Trilling, Diana Trilling, Irving Howe, Midge Decter, and Norman Podhoretz—take shape? What were their various opinions about topics like communism, feminism, and masculinity? How do their ideas continue to inform

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55:21

Not Just a Juggalo

The Back of the Book ·

2025/06/26

Ross Benes, author of 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times, joins Chris to explain how professional wrestling, video games, a face-painted hip-hop duo, and other low culture from 26 years ago can help us understand where we are today. Show Notes:· Ross’s website: https://www.rossbenes.com/· Ross on X: https://x.com/rossbenes?lang=en· Chris’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Novels-Conservatives-Will-Probably-Havent/dp/1510782397

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75:52

Conservatives and Culture with Dana Gioia

The Back of the Book ·

2025/06/09

In this special episode, the poet and critic Dana Gioia delivers a talk titled “Conservatives and Culture: A Failure of Imagination.” Recorded as a part of AEI’s American Dream Lecture Series, Gioia’s talk is an important assessment of why the right abdicated the arts, the disastrous consequences of that withdrawal—and how conservatives can reclaim the relevance they once had in American culture. “Conservatives need to have the skill and courage to live by their own values,” Gioia says. “It’s time

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56:13

BOOK LAUNCH! 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but...

The Back of the Book ·

2025/05/21

Chris introduces his brand-new book, 13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (but Probably Haven’t Read). Why should conservatives—or anyone—bother reading fiction? How did Chris select the novels to write about? And which ones did he choose, anyway? The answers to these questions, and many others, are finally revealed! Show Notes:Chris in The Dispatch: “Why Conservatives—and Everyone Else—Should Read Novels”Chris in The Washington Examiner: “Zora Neale Hurston and the Fate of the Black Conservative”The

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65:29

These Are the Days of Miracle and Wonder

The Back of the Book ·

2025/05/01

Best-selling author Rod Dreher talks to Chris about his latest book, Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular Age. Rod explains why we’ve lost the ability to see the transcendent around us and how we can rediscover enchantment. What do UFO’s, demons, and beauty have to do with this? Listen and find out!Show Notes:Rod’s new book: Living in Wonder: Finding Mystery and Meaning in a Secular AgeRod’s Substack, Rod Dreher’s DiaryDocumentary version of Live Not By Lies on Angel.comChris’s

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61:48

My Brother the Priest

The Back of the Book ·

2025/04/18

Chris’s brother, Father Paul Scalia, joins the show to discuss the significance of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter, and how Catholics in particular celebrate this most important (and for priests, most exhausting) week in the liturgical calendar. Father Scalia also recounts his road to the priesthood, shares his favorite Christian apologists and novelists, and discusses the state of the Catholic Church in America.Show Notes:· Father Scalia’s books: That Nothing May be Lost: Reflections on

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63:11

The Politics of Public Art and a Plan for Cultural...

The Back of the Book ·

2025/04/03

Chris talks to Fisher Derderian, founder and executive director of the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation, about how politics and patronage shape American art. How did the CIA use abstract expressionism as a cultural weapon during the Cold War? How have culture-shaping institutions and public funds moved from supporting artistic greatness to enforcing political compliance? How can more supporters of cultural excellence reform existing institutions—and create their own? Plus, Fisher shares his thoughts

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47:31

Presidents and the Power of Popular Culture

The Back of the Book ·

2025/03/13

Tevi Troy, a senior fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute, talks to Chris about his books The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry (Regnery History, 2024) and What Jefferson Read, Ike Watched, Obama Tweeted: 200 Years of Popular Culture in the White House (Regnery History, 2013). Tevi explains how different titans of the entertainment industry—the Warner brothers, Lew Wasserman, and Oprah Winfrey—developed and used relationships with such

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73:34

Who Killed Beauty? The Demise of Art Deco and the...

The Back of the Book ·

2025/02/23

Megan Gafford joins Chris to discuss some of her recent writing about the fate of architecture in the 20th century. Art Deco was a beautiful, ornamental style that thrived in the United States in the 1920s and ‘30s. What happened to it—why did modernism displace it and what did we lose in the process? Plus, why do manifestos and fanaticism spoil art? Megan and Chris also discuss the architectural writings of Tom Wolfe, the new film The Brutalist, and why beauty matters in even the bleakest

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58:50

A Legion of Horribles; or Cormac McCarthy, The...

The Back of the Book ·

2025/02/06

Novelist Aaron Gwyn joins the show to discuss the fiction of Cormac McCarthy. Why is McCarthy’s Blood Meridian a great American novel? What does Gwyn make of recent revelations about McCarthy’s personal life? Plus, Gwyn reads from and discusses his compelling new novella, The Cannibal Owl. What is the history, and what are the Comanche traditions, behind the work? Gwyn, who teaches creative writing and contemporary literature at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, also discusses how

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