785 Literature in an Age of Anti-Immigration Sentiment (with Daniel Olivas) | My Last Book with Janet Todd

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Arts, Books

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2026

⏱️ 78 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Daniel A. Olivas, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, is a fiction writer, poet, playwright, book critic, and attorney. In this episode, Jacke talks to Daniel about his lifelong devotion to literature and its ability to humanize the targets of anti-immigration sentiment. In the interview, Daniel recounts how his interest in literature led to his novel inspired by Mary Shelley, Chicano Frankenstein, and his play inspired by Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godínez: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts. PLUS Jane Austen expert Janet Todd (Living with Jane Austen) stops by to discuss her choice for the last book she will ever read. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. 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	The weight is over. Last One Laughing is back and it's even more brutal than last time.
0:15.1	Share your biggest regrets. I don't regret this hair coat. What did you ask for? The Shaggy Slim Shady.
0:19.7	Joining us this series, we have. Romish Wrenka Nathan, Diane Morgan, David Mitchell, Mel Gedroach, Amy Gledhill, Alan Carr, Bemi Sola, Ikemelo, Sam Campbell, Maisie Adam, and Bob Mortimer. Anyone want a song? No. Last One Laughing, new series, watch now. Only on Prime Video.
0:39.3	McDonald's cards are here.
0:41.5	24 cards to find and free food in every pack.
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0:56.0	Ends 27th of April app may be required.
0:57.9	C.mokD Rules.com.ukukukuk.U.K.
0:59.6	Hello, Daniel Olivas has been fighting racial discrimination and anti-immigration sentiment
1:04.5	since he was a law school student in the 1980s.
1:08.2	In addition to his work as an attorney, he has a second vocation, literature.
1:13.5	He'll tell us about his career in the creative arts and his work adapting authors like
1:18.1	Mary Shelley and Samuel Beckett today on the history of literature.
1:45.9	Music Okay, here we go. Welcome to the podcast. I'm glad you're here. I've been saving this article for months. It's one of those coincidences that still make me shake my head.
1:53.0	Denver Museum, known for dinosaur displays, finds fossil under its parking lot.
2:03.1	That's the headline in the newspaper, The Guardian. A museum, a dinosaur museum found a fossil under its parking.
2:04.5	Maybe somebody dropped it.
2:06.6	Is that your first thought?
2:17.4	Oh, some guy, some museum, some paleontologist, probably, or some worker, probably crammed a few bones in his pocket. He went out for lunch,
	...

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