Sept. 14, 2026
Episode 828: Confucius with Mark Csikszentmihalyi
What do we know about the Chinese philosopher and teacher Confucius? Although people have written biographies of Confucius for over 2,000 years, a recent discovery of a Chinese tomb containing the oldest written account of his life gives us a chance to look at Confucius afresh.
In Episode 828 on the History of Literature Podcast, after some reflections on his experiences as a young teacher in Taiwan, Jacke talks to Confucian scholar Mark Csikszentmihalyi about his book Confucius: A New Tradition.
For more reflections about Jacke's time in Taiwan, take a listen to Episode 500.
Reading Great Detective! An Adventure for Two People
Ready to embark on a literary adventure for two?! Visit press.historyofliterature.com to order your copy of Great Detective! by Jacke Wilson, host of the History of Literature Podcast. Or if you're in the DC area, stop by Wonderland Books to take a…
Episode 827: American Literature's War on Crime with Theodore Martin
The second half of the twentieth century was marked by an extreme increase in America's prison population, from roughly 250,000 inmates in 1940 to well over two million by 2008. At the same time, American readers were devouring mysteries, thrillers,…
