This week I’m pleased to converse with James Marcus about one of my favorite subjects—Ralph Waldo Emerson!
James is a writer, editor, and translator. A former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Magazine, his articles have also appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times Review of Books, The Nation, and many other publications. He wrote a memoir, “Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot-Com Juggernaut,” about his experiences as an early employee of Amazon.com. And he’s currently at work on a book about Ralph Waldo Emerson.
James talks about Emerson’s transition from minister to lecturer, how he became an anti-slavery activist, the tension between self-reliance and society, his complicated friendships with Margaret Fuller and Henry David Thoreau, an upcoming Emerson biopic, and more.
Our overarching theme is that Ralph Waldo Emerson is as relevant today as ever.
Follow James on Twitter: twitter.com/jamesamarcus
Read his essay, “Channelling Emerson”: theamericanscholar.org/channeling-emerson
Watch his lecture on Emerson & religion: vimeo.com/259007250
Read another interview with James: fivebooks.com/best-books/ralph-waldo-emerson-james-marcus
This ad-free podcast is supported by Sam’s Torode’s books, including “Living from the Soul: The 7 Spiritual Principles of Ralph Waldo Emerson,” available at samtorode.com.
