Virtual Memories Show 642:
David Denby
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“What if Jews had freedom they never had before, and they had it in the United States?”
With his fantastic new book, EMINENT JEWS (Holt), writer and critic David Denby explores the impact on American culture of Jews Unbound through profiles of Leonard Bernstein, Mel Brooks, Betty Friedan, and Norman Mailer. We talk about how he selected his four subjects, how each of them came of age in an environment that Jews hadn’t experienced in millennia, the ways each handled the responsibilities of family against their careers, the difference between “Jew” and “Jewish,” and which one unfolded the most to him over the course of writing the book. We get into why Bernstein’s greatest role may have been as a teacher, how Mailer’s magnetism persisted way beyond its expiration date, how Friedan changed the world but was always challenged by her midwest upbringing, and whether Brooks was being disingenuous when he made musical numbers of our the Inquisition and Hitler. We also discuss judgements David made over the course of his career as a movie critic, what he did when he finally gave up reviewing and how he eased back into the cinema, why he revisited the Lit Hum course at Columbia a few years ago, after previously revisiting it 30+ years ago for Great Books, his take on my my lightning round of classic lit questions, his non-Le Carré experience in East Berlin, his reaction to my parents taking me to History of the World: Part 1 when I was 9, and more. Give it a listen! And go read EMINENT JEWS: Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer!
“The centrality of the family in America is the greatest institution for American Jews, moreso than the synagogue.”
“After I stopped reviewing, I eased back into movies by watching ones that were perfect.”
“What would it be like to experience the sense that you belonged?”
Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!
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About our Guest
David Denby is the New York Times bestselling author of Great Books. His other books include American Sucker and Lit Up. He was a film critic for New York magazine and The New Yorker, where he is now a staff writer. His essays have appeared in The New Republic and The Atlantic. He lives in New York City with his wife, novelist Susan Rieger. His new book is EMINENT JEWS: Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer,
Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded at David’s home on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 microphones feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4 digital recorder & interface. I recorded the intro and outro on a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4. All processing and editing done in Adobe Audition CC. Photo of David by someone else. It’s on my instagram.