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Artwork for Private Life: A New York Review Podcast

Private Life: A New York Review Podcast

New York Review Podcasts
Elizabeth Hardwick
Joan Didion
Brontë Sisters
Joyce Carol Oates
Jonbenét Ramsey
Wuthering Heights
Jane Eyre
The New York Review
Godlike
Eve Babitz
True Crime
19th Century Literature
Memoir
The Central Park Five
James Merrill
Caravaggio
Victorian Society
Autobiography
Nadja
New York City

Private Life is a podcast from The New York Review, hosted by contributor Jarrett Earnest. Each episode offers intimate, in-depth conversations with distinguished voices from across the literary landscape—about their lives, their work, and the ideas that shape both. Along the way, they revisit pieces from the The New York Review of Books's robust sixty-year archive (some episodes of the podcast wi... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes24Founded6 months ago
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Artwork for Private Life: A New York Review Podcast

Latest Episodes

This episode is a reading of Daniel Mendelsohn’s essay,“A Little Iliad,” a review of the film Troy, an adaptation of the Iliad, from the Review’s June 24, 2004, issue. It is read by the countertenor and opera director Anthony Roth Costanzo. Among man... more

In this episode of Private Life, Daniel Mendelsohn joins Jarrett Earnest to discuss his 2025 translation of Homer’s Odyssey and Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming film adaptation, premiering this week. They discuss the debate surrounding the film’s cast... more

In this episode of Private Life, the poet and writer Eileen Myles reads Geoffrey O'Brien's essay on Frank O'Hara, ”The Mayakovsky of MacDougal Street,” from The New York Review of Books‘ December 2, 1993, issue. It is read by the poet and writer Eile... more

In this episode of Private Life, Robert Glück joins Jarrett Earnest for a conversation about his books, the characters that shaped his stories, and Geoffrey O’Brien’s essay “The Mayakovsky of MacDougal Street” (published in the Review’s December 2, 1... more

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Recent Guests

Daniel Mendelsohn
Literary critic and author who reads an archival essay on epic poetry
The New York Review of Books
Episode: ”A Little Iliad” by Daniel Mendelsohn
Eileen Myles
Poet reading the essay live
Poet
Episode: ”The Mayakovsky of MacDougal Street” by Geoffrey O’Brien
Robert Glück
Co-founder of the New Narrative Movement
New Narrative Movement
Episode: Robert Glück on His Books, Frank O'Hara, and Dreams
Langdon Hammer
Author of major biography of James Merrill, Life and Art
Langdon Hammer (biographer)
Episode: “Chronicles of Love and Loss“ by Helen Vendler
Gina Gershon
Actor reading Babitz's letters for the episode
Actor
Episode: Eve Babitz's Letters from “Too L.A.” Read By Gina Gershon
Matthew Aucoin
Composer, writer, and performer
Composer; author of The Impossible Art; Inside the Music contributor
Episode: Matthew Aucoin on Opera, Music Criticism, and Poetry
Lili Anolik
Biographer and author of Didion Babitz; authority on Eve Babitz
Author of Eve Babitz biographies; NYRB Classics editor
Episode: Lili Anolik on Eve Babitz, Her Legacy, and Unsent Letters
Ingrid D. Rowland
Author of Radiant, Angry Caravaggio
University/Writer (as discussed in essay)
Episode: “Radiant, Angry Caravaggio“ by Ingrid D. Rowland
Ingrid Rowland
Historian specializing in art history and the Renaissance
The New York Review of Books (contributor)
Episode: Ingrid D. Rowland on Art History, Raphael, and Disegno

Host

Jarrett Earnest
Host of intimate, informed literary conversations; long-standing contributor.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 45 ratings
  • New favorite podcast!

    Devouring these conversations, so deeply satisfying. There’s nothing like this in the podcast space and we’re really hungry for it. Thank you thank you thank you!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Reb026
    United States2 months ago
  • Love this

    Earnest is excellent at bringing forth people and their worlds and their writing . This is a place that has all but died and it’s so extraordinary to have a guide to revisit

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    mrs. right
    United States3 months ago
  • Insightful and interesting

    This has become my most favorite of podcasts. I came for Richard Hell and stayed for Morrison and Hardwick. If you love books, you will love this podcast.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Claude Maude
    United States4 months ago
  • Alissa Bennett RULES

    I would listen to Bennett reading the ingredients off a cold medicine bottle.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jett K Crieger
    United States5 months ago
  • A treat

    It’s a joy to hear thoughtful, in depth interviews with such talented writers. I love that they couple the episodes with an audio version of the author’s relevant pieces.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Nycgirl1996
    United States5 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The show is valued for pairing archival material with contemporary context and readings.
Fans enjoy the literary and arts-focused discussions and the high-quality guest roster.
Listeners praise in-depth, thoughtful interviews with notable writers and critics.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#223
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#207
France/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#45
Ireland/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#118
Norway/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#121
Philippines/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#123
Israel/Arts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Daniel Mendelsohn on The Odyssey, Film Adaptations, and Translations
Q: How do you approach the balance between fidelity to the text and the vitality of a fresh interpretation in film adaptations of classics?
Aim for capturing the spirit and energy of the work rather than slavishly reproducing every detail; a good adaptation illuminates the core themes—heroism, disguise, recognition—while allowing for contemporary cinematic language to breathe new life into the material.
Daniel Mendelsohn on The Odyssey, Film Adaptations, and Translations
Q: What makes the Odyssey structurally so modern or ahead of its time from the translator's point of view?
Its nested, interlaced chronologies and the way it withholds the hero from the audience until crucial moments create an ongoing dramatic momentum; translating it deepens your sense of where you are in time within the text.
Daniel Mendelsohn on The Odyssey, Film Adaptations, and Translations
Q: Could you talk to me a little bit about the role of translation and how it relates to the oral origins of the Odyssey?
Translation is a monumental, conscious act that preserves markers of oral composition while adapting them for written form; it involves choices about whether to retain verbatim repetitions and how to render epithets so they carry the same affect and subjectivity as in the original.
Robert Glück on His Books, Frank O'Hara, and Dreams
Q: Why did O'Hara emerge as a guiding light for your work and for New Narrative?
O'Hara provided a model for combining intimacy with abstraction and a permission to pull in anything from life into poetry and prose, which Glück then used as a template for his own novels to blend memory, critique, and everyday detail.
Private Life x Dialogues: The David Zwirner Podcast
Q: What is the significance of Hannah Arendt in relation to the Theses and the drawing?
Arendt carried copies of the Theses during her escape, read parts of Benjamin's work to companions on the voyage to New York, and later helped preserve and publish the text, highlighting the close-knit intellectual circle that protected their legacy.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Private Life: A New York Review Podcast

What is Private Life: A New York Review Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A literary-arts interview series that pairs deep-dive conversations with prominent writers, critics, and scholars with explorations of archival essays and book-publishing projects. Episodes spotlight biographers, novelists, translators, and art historians, often tying classic NYRB pieces to contemporary culture and ongoing debates in literature, art, and criticism. Noteworthy is the blend of intimate personal storytelling with rigorous scholarly context—alongside occasional readings and archival material—that helps listeners understand how past ideas reverberate today. The show tends to attract listeners who value thoughtful criticism, reading culture, and cross-disciplinary conversations across literature, philosophy, and visual arts.

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Which podcasts are similar to Private Life: A New York Review Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Private Life: A New York Review Podcast:

1. Dialogues: The David Zwirner Podcast
2. London Review Bookshop Podcast
3. The LRB Podcast
4. The New Yorker Radio Hour
5. The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker

How many episodes of Private Life: A New York Review Podcast are there?

Private Life: A New York Review Podcast launched 6 months ago and published 24 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Private Life: A New York Review Podcast?

Recent guests on Private Life: A New York Review Podcast include:

1. Daniel Mendelsohn
2. Eileen Myles
3. Robert Glück
4. Langdon Hammer
5. Gina Gershon
6. Matthew Aucoin
7. Lili Anolik
8. Ingrid D. Rowland

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