674 Nabokov vs Freud (with Joshua Ferris) [Ad-Free Re-Release]

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Books, Arts

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 30 January 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“I admire Freud greatly,” the novelist Vladimir Nabokov once said, “as a comic writer.” For Nabokov, Sigmund Freud was “the Viennese witch-doctor,” objectionable for “the vulgar, shabby, fundamentally medieval world” of his ideas. Author Joshua Ferris (The Dinner Party, Then We Came to the End) joins Jacke for a discussion of the author of Lolita and his special hatred for “the Austrian crank with a shabby umbrella.” [This episode was originally released on September 30, 2017. It is presented here without commercial interruptions.] Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/donate. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the Podglomerate Network and Lit Hub Radio.
0:09.1	Hey, folks, this is Jack in 2025. We are presenting for you at listener request, an episode from way back in 2017, in which I talked to novelist Joshua Ferris about Vladimir Nabokov
0:24.2	and the case he made against Sigmund Freud.
0:27.0	Nabokov hated Freud.
0:29.3	Hated him.
0:30.7	Called him a witch doctor.
0:32.7	We unpack all of that here without commercial interruption.
0:42.5	I hope you enjoy. Hello, I'm Jack Wilson We've got a great episode today. Joshua Ferris is here.
1:08.6	I hope you're all familiar with Joshua Ferris. Author, his books are great.
1:15.1	The dinner party is his collection of short stories. That's the most recent one. But his novels are
1:19.5	excellent too. He's a smart guy, a very, very perceptive observer, and a beautiful writer. Highly
1:26.9	recommended. So on today's show, Joshua
1:29.9	Ferris stops by to discuss Vladimir Nabokov and Sigmund Freud, two titans of the 20th century,
1:37.7	and their relationship, if that's the right word, their connection, their spiritual connection.
1:43.8	Nabokov had a particular animosity towards Egmund Freud, which he returned to again and again.
1:50.7	He can't quit Freud.
1:52.7	He discusses his hatred for Freud in the prefaces to many of his novels.
1:57.5	The novels themselves are often suffused with Freudian characters and thoughts
2:01.6	and commentary, told in a satirical or venomous way. He cites Freud, he borrows from Freud,
2:10.0	he mocks him, he satirizes him, and he can hardly give an interview without bringing him up.
2:15.8	Here's an example.
2:19.4	Or you know what, let's save the example.
	...

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