"All Future Plunges to the Past" with José Vergara

With the end of the 2021-2022 academic year, we are taking a short reprieve before beginning our new season. In the meantime, we have the pleasure of bringing out a wonderful episode from our backlog recorded at the end of 2021 with guest José Vergara who speaks both about his passion for Russian literature and the unique methods he applies in the classroom to help students engage with novels by Dostoevsky, Nabokov, and others. Vergara also talks about his book which came out in October 2021 and focuses on the reception of James Joyce's works, particularly Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake, on Soviet-era writers through the various phases of the Cold War.

ABOUT THE GUEST

José Vergara is assistant professor of Russian at Bryn Mawr College. In addition to his work as a scholar and teacher, he enjoys collaborating with others to advance and support Slavic Studies and the Humanities. He has organized numerous guest lectures, a teach-in on the centennial of the October Revolution, and a symposium on the state of Russian Studies today. As advisor to the Swarthmore Project for East European Studies (SPEER), he has worked with students to develop conversations on campus about the region and its culture and politics. Visit his personal website for more on his teaching, research, events, and upcoming projects: https://josevergara.net/ To purchase his book, vIsit Cornell University Press here: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501759901/all-future-plunges-to-the-past/#bookTabs=0

PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded on December 11th, 2021 via Zoom, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 24, 2022.

If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email [e-mail] and we will be in touch!

CREDITS
Associate Producer/Host: Lera Toropin (@earlportion)
Assistant Producer: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy)
Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana)
Assistant Producer: Sergio Glajar
Assistant Producer: Zach Johnson
Assistant Producer: Taylor Ham
Recording, Editing, and Sound Design: Michelle Daniel

Music Producer: Charlie Harper (Connect: facebook.com/charlie.harper.1485 Instagram: @charlieharpermusic) www.charlieharpermusic.com

Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (Connect: facebook.com/mdanielgeraci Instagram: @michelledaniel86) www.msdaniel.com

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Special Guest: José Vergara.