Listening: Benjamin Moser with Tyler Cowen

CWT has been my favorite podcast for years. There are runs where each conversation is transcendent—for example when Tyler interviewed both  Karl Ove Knausgaard and Margaret Atwood in back-to-back episodes. There are other times where I’m almost completely unable to connect with the guest or the subject matter.

The podcast has been on a bit of a tear lately, with recent episodes including Coleman Hughes (who knew he is a professional jazz musician?), Peter Thiel, Jonathan Haidt, and Marilynne Robinson.

I thought the recent conversation with Benjamin Moser could be one of the latter—I know nothing about Dutch art. The episode was anything but boring! Moser and Cowen covered art in depth, as expected, but also Dutch culture as it relates to other world cultures, religion, Brazil, writing, Sontag, and Naipaul. Recommended.

My excellent Conversation with Benjamin Moser - Marginal REVOLUTION

Here is the audio, video, and transcript. Here is the episode summary: Benjamin Moser is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer celebrated for his in-depth studies of literary and cultural figures such as Susan Sontag and Clarice Lispector. His latest book, which details a twenty-year love affair with the Dutch masters, is one of Tyler’s favorite books […]

Marginal REVOLUTIONTyler Cowen