Shows
The City Between UsDon’t Let Them Take Your BootsAuthor’s Note: Originally published last year, “Don’t Let Them Take Your Boots” was Top in Fiction’s featured Short Story the week of December 13th, 2024, and is presented here with new voice-over accompaniment. Influenced by Italo Calvino and Nikolai Gogol, the story of Giacomo Mazzone—an Italian immigrant navigating the brutal churn of early 20th-century America in New York City—is a folkloric meditation on identity, loss, and the quiet violence of bureaucratic indifference.In many ways, all my writing circles back to the folktales I absorbed and reimagined in childhood. Their structures were straightf...2025-07-2016 min
Classic Streams: Old Time Retro RadioABC Mystery Time: The Overcoat (1957)This story delves into Gogol's classic tale 'Sardony', focusing on the character of Akaky Akakievich Basmachkin, exploring themes of compassion, humanity, and the significance of tailoring in shaping identity and social status.TakeawaysGogol's 'Sardony' is a profound exploration of human compassion.Akaky Akakievich Basmachkin represents the struggles of the modest individual.The narrative highlights the importance of social status in society.Tailoring serves as a metaphor for identity and self-worth.Compassion is a central theme in Gogol's work.The character's journey reflects the human...2025-06-0523 min
ABC Mystery TimeThe OvercoatIn this episode of Mystery Time, host Don Dowd takes listeners on a journey through a classic tale of mystery and human compassion with Nikolai Gogol's "The Overcoat." The story is brought to life by the renowned actor Michael Redgrave, who skillfully portrays Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin, a modest government clerk whose life revolves around his work. As the narrative unfolds, listeners are drawn into Akaky's world, where his simple desire for a new overcoat leads to unexpected and tragic consequences.Through vivid storytelling and dramatic performances, this episode explores themes of social status, human dignity, and the...2025-04-0423 min