Today I talked to Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey about The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Columbia UP, 2013)
A vibrant example of living literature, the Bhagavata Purana is a versatile Hindu sacred text written in Sanskrit verse. Finding its present form by the tenth century C.E., the work inspired several major north Indian devotional (b ... Show More
Nov 9
The Edges of Cinema: Essays on Twenty-First Century Film Culture with Erika Balsom (Columbia UP, 2026)
If you’re interested in experimental film, there’s a good chance that you’ve read the criticism of Erika Balsom. There’s also a good chance that you’re a fan of her work, since it offers an uncommonly sensitive and insightful account of how contemporary filmmakers are reimagining ... Show More
1h 20m
Nov 1
Make China Great Again: Online Alt-History Fiction and Popular Authoritarianism with Rongbin Han (Columbia UP, 2026)
Rongbin Han is a Professor of International Affairs at the University of Georgia, where he studies Chinese politics and the internet. Han’s latest book—and the topic of this New Books Network episode—is Make China Great Again: Online Alt-History Fiction and Popular Authoritariani ... Show More
53m 10s
Oct 27
Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public with Keegan Cook Finberg (Columbia UP, 2025)
What is the place of poetry in the modern world? In Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public (Columbia UP, 2025), Keegan Cook Finberg, an Associate Professor of English at University of Maryland, Baltimore County narrates the contemporary history of poetry as the emer ... Show More
46m 18s
Oct 2022
869: Dharmic Reversals / An Interview with Dr. Ravi M. Gupta
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Kaustubha discusses with Professor Ravi Gupta about the unique role of Srimad Bhagavatam in the broader yoga tradition, and how it presents "Dharmic Reversals" where common religious, social hierarchies (in terms of gender, age, caste and even species) are turned upside-down ... Show More
59m 53s
Aug 2023
Michael Baltutis, "The Festival of Indra: Innovation, Archaism, and Revival in a South Asian Performance" (SUNY Press, 2023)
Michael Baltutis' book The Festival of Indra: Innovation, Archaism, and Revival in a South Asian Performance (SUNY Press, 2023) details the textual and performative history of an important South Asian festival and its role in the development of classical Hinduism. Drawing on vari ... Show More
48m 23s
Jul 2023
Brenda E. F. Beck, "Hidden Paradigms: Comparing Epic Themes, Characters, and Plot Structures" (U Toronto Press, 2022)
Brenda Beck discusses her lifelong work on a Tamil folk legend, resulting in a graphic novel, an English translation and Hidden Paradigms: Comparing Epic Themes, Characters, and Plot Structures (U Toronto Press, 2022) which identifies important symbolic patterns connecting this t ... Show More
47m 4s
<p>Finally it is time to talk about the tantric tradition of non-dual Kashmir Shaivism, as well as some of its representatives like the great Abhinavagupta.</p><br><p>Music by:</p><p>Filip Holm</p><p>Banaras Baba & Kolkata Kid</p><p>Pawan Krishna</p><p>Palace on Wheels</p><br ... Show More
