Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Conversation begins at 8:00
It's been a year since his last episode (chimeraobscura.com/vm/episode-606-dmitry-samarov), so what's artist Dmitry Samarov (https://dmitrysamarov.com) been up to? Plenty! We talk about his new project of redesigning and illustrating public domain books, why he started off with the White Whale itself (shop.maudlinhouse.net/#moby-dick), and why Babbitt (store.dmitrysamarov.com/product/babbitt-by-sinclair-lewis/) was next in line, what the common themes are among the six books he's illustrated since this project began, and how it all ties into his reaction to the 2024 election. We get into what it's like working with publishers after controlling his own books for years, how he discovered James Hogg's The Suicide's Grave (skyhorsepublishing.com/arcade-publishing/9781648211850/the-suicides-grave/) on SOME OTHER PODCAST (okay, it was Beyond The Zero ,instagram.com/beyondzeropod), how he's exploring visual interpretation and different tools with each book, and how this project has him reading and rereading differently than he used to. We also talk about how he looks back at his art in the wake of his self-monograph, how he got into a relationship with someone after a long time solo (after a showing of why Cronenberg's not-good The Shrouds), what other books he's considering illustrating, his new series of 'zines about bookselling, the joy of Moby Dick's tangents, and more. Follow Dmitry at his site and through his weekly newsletter, and buy some books from his Ebay shop • More info at chimeraobscura.com/vm/episode-652-dmitry-samarov • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Stripe (buy.stripe.com/dR603B83MbhS4XS3ce), Patreon (patreon.com/vmspod), or Paypal (paypal.me/vmspod), and subscribe to our e-newsletter, https://buttondown.email/vmspod
Conversation begins at 8:00
It's been a year since his last episode (chimeraobscura.com/vm/episode-606-dmitry-samarov), so what's artist Dmitry Samarov (https://dmitrysamarov.com) been up to? Plenty! We talk about his new project of redesigning and illustrating public domain books, why he started off with the White Whale itself (shop.maudlinhouse.net/#moby-dick), and why Babbitt (store.dmitrysamarov.com/product/babbitt-by-sinclair-lewis/) was next in line, what the common themes are among the six books he's illustrated since this project began, and how it all ties into his reaction to the 2024 election. We get into what it's like working with publishers after controlling his own books for years, how he discovered James Hogg's The Suicide's Grave (skyhorsepublishing.com/arcade-publishing/9781648211850/the-suicides-grave/) on SOME OTHER PODCAST (okay, it was Beyond The Zero ,instagram.com/beyondzeropod), how he's exploring visual interpretation and different tools with each book, and how this project has him reading and rereading differently than he used to. We also talk about how he looks back at his art in the wake of his self-monograph, how he got into a relationship with someone after a long time solo (after a showing of why Cronenberg's not-good The Shrouds), what other books he's considering illustrating, his new series of 'zines about bookselling, the joy of Moby Dick's tangents, and more. Follow Dmitry at his site and through his weekly newsletter, and buy some books from his Ebay shop • More info at chimeraobscura.com/vm/episode-652-dmitry-samarov • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Stripe (buy.stripe.com/dR603B83MbhS4XS3ce), Patreon (patreon.com/vmspod), or Paypal (paypal.me/vmspod), and subscribe to our e-newsletter, https://buttondown.email/vmspod
