Beauty Doesn't Reach Me at the Little Atoms Podcast

Neil Denny's Little Atoms podcast is one of the best places to check in on the latest intellectual currents in literature, science, art and politics. It is always terrific to see writers whom you know there: George Saunders discussing his new book, Vigil, or Laura Lippman talking about her recent novel, Murder Takes a Vacation.

But the real value for me are Denny's chats with writers whose new work I have found through his dogged and lively pursuit of his own curiosity: Francesca Wade, Brandy Schillace, or Sumit Paul-Choudhury. (You can peruse and sample a wide range of podcast episodes here.)

So it is an immense thrill for me to have been the guest on Denny's latest episode of Little Atoms, speaking about Beauty Doesn't Reach Me: my new book about the story behind antifascist playwright and activist Ernst Toller, Beauty Doesn't Reach Me.

We spoke about Toller's rise to public prominence and his precipitous fall in reputation after his suicide in New York City on May 22, 1939. We also talked about who made the object, and the long-hidden secrets that spilled out into public view as I dug deeper into the death mask's journey from the hands of a prominent sculptor in 1940's Manhattan to its final home in the collections of the Leo Baeck Institute.

Denny also asked me about my research method at the end of the show. I don't know if there is anything special in my own approach. Almost every experienced researcher acquires an increasingly-informed bloody-mindedness that spurs them onward.

But Denny's question did prompt me to offer one bit of hard-won knowledge: It is not simply enough to take in the information contained in someone's archive. It is important to immerse oneself in their process. How did they take notes? How did they signal something is important? What things do they keep – and what do they discard?

Knowing these things about psychologist Fredric Wertham allowed me to excavate a number of key pieces of evidence that he tried to keep hidden as I worked on Beauty Doesn't Reach Me.

Find the whole episode here. And my immense thanks to Neil Denny for the terrific conversation.

Check out my personal website and the We Heard You Like Books website for more information about Beauty Doesn’t Reach Me, including how you can buy a copy.

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