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World Books Podcast: Beautiful Genius

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Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector (1920-1977) looked like a movie star and wrote like James Joyce. Lispector’s face is on postage stamps in Latin America, but her fiction is not as well known around the world. Benjamin Moser wants to change that with his new biography of Lispector, “Why This World.” He argues that Lispector’s Jewishness, along with her concern with the inner world of her characters rather than their politics, has stood in the way of her international reputation. World Books editor Bill Marx talks to Moser about how Lispector’s life influenced her writing, whether she was a magic realist, and why she should be read today. Information about books discussed.

Books by Clarice Lispector discussed in this interview:

Neart to the Wild Heart (New Directions), her still amazing first novel, written when she was 23.

Soulstorm (New Directions) and Family Ties (Texas Pan American Series), collections of short stories that would be the best place to start for those reading Lispector for the first time.

The Passion According to G. H. (University of Minnesota Press), a Kafkaesque tale of woman versus cockroach that would be best savored by those who have a number of Lispector volumes under their belt.

The Apple in the Dark (Haus Publishing), a reprint of a fine English translation by the much-respected Gregory Rabassa with a new introduction by Benjamin Moser.

The Hour of the Star (New Directions), Lispector’s last novel is her most political.