Uploaded February 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In 1984, Anthony Burgess published Ninety-Nine Novels, a selection of his favourite novels in English since 1939. The list is typically idiosyncratic, and shows the breadth of Burgess's interest in fiction. This podcast, by the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, explores the novels on Burgess's list with the help of writers, critics and other special guests.
In this episode, Will Carr of the Burgess Foundation talks to writer and academic Alison Arant about Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor.
Published in 1952, Wise Blood is Flannery O’Connor’s first novel and shows many of the themes that would come to characterise her short but extraordinary career. Set in the American South, and dealing with a cast of grotesques, it is a novel of complex religious themes and has come to be known as a classic of twentieth century literature.
Alison Arant is Associate Professor and Chair of the English Department at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. Her research focusses on the American South, African American literature and women’s literature. Her most recent publication is Reconsidering Flannery O’Connor, which she edited with Jordan Colfer. This collection examines new theoretical approaches to O’Connor’s work and interrogates established views of her fiction and legacy. It is available now from the University Press of Mississippi.
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BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
By Flannery O'Connor:
Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose (1957)
Everything That Rises Must Converge (1965)
'A Good Man is Hard to Find' in The Complete Short Stories (1971)
By others:
Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess (1980)
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (1970)
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LINKS:
Reconsidering Flannery O'Connor at University Press of Mississippi: bit.ly/ReconsideringFlanneryOConnor
The Andalusia Institute Website: http://www.gcsu.edu/andalusiainstitute
International Anthony Burgess Foundation: anthonyburgess.org
The theme music is Anthony Burgess's Concerto for Flute, Strings and Piano in D Minor. It is performed by No Dice Collective, who can be found here: nodicecollective.com
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You can join the conversation and tell us which 100th book you would add to Burgess's list by using the hashtag #99Novels on Twitter.
If you have enjoyed this episode, why not leave us a review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
In 1984, Anthony Burgess published Ninety-Nine Novels, a selection of his favourite novels in English since 1939. The list is typically idiosyncratic, and shows the breadth of Burgess's interest in fiction. This podcast, by the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, explores the novels on Burgess's list with the help of writers, critics and other special guests.
In this episode, Will Carr of the Burgess Foundation talks to writer and academic Alison Arant about Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor.
Published in 1952, Wise Blood is Flannery O’Connor’s first novel and shows many of the themes that would come to characterise her short but extraordinary career. Set in the American South, and dealing with a cast of grotesques, it is a novel of complex religious themes and has come to be known as a classic of twentieth century literature.
Alison Arant is Associate Professor and Chair of the English Department at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. Her research focusses on the American South, African American literature and women’s literature. Her most recent publication is Reconsidering Flannery O’Connor, which she edited with Jordan Colfer. This collection examines new theoretical approaches to O’Connor’s work and interrogates established views of her fiction and legacy. It is available now from the University Press of Mississippi.
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BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
By Flannery O'Connor:
Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose (1957)
Everything That Rises Must Converge (1965)
'A Good Man is Hard to Find' in The Complete Short Stories (1971)
By others:
Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess (1980)
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (1970)
-------
LINKS:
Reconsidering Flannery O'Connor at University Press of Mississippi: bit.ly/ReconsideringFlanneryOConnor
The Andalusia Institute Website: http://www.gcsu.edu/andalusiainstitute
International Anthony Burgess Foundation: anthonyburgess.org
The theme music is Anthony Burgess's Concerto for Flute, Strings and Piano in D Minor. It is performed by No Dice Collective, who can be found here: nodicecollective.com
-------
You can join the conversation and tell us which 100th book you would add to Burgess's list by using the hashtag #99Novels on Twitter.
If you have enjoyed this episode, why not leave us a review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
