Greil Marcus on the Literary History of America

Marcie Sillman
10/30/2009 at 9:00 a.m.

Greil Marcus discussed Herman Melville almost as much as Elvis Presley in his landmark book of music criticism, "Mystery Train." "It is impossible to understand music," he wrote, "without thinking of literature." Marcus' latest book assembles a series of essays about important cultural and artistic landmarks in American literature. Vladimir Nabokov and Toni Morrison share space with Hurricane Katrina and Bob Dylan. What criteria did Marcus use when deciding what to include in the book? How do Chuck Berry and Alfred Hitchcock relate to American literature? Greil Marcus is our guest on the next "Weekday."

Plus, the weekend weather forecast with Cliff Mass.

Guest(s)

Greil Marcus is an author, music journalist and cultural critic. His books include "Mystery Train," "Lipstick Traces," and "The Shape of Things to Come." Marcus writes about music and popular culture for Artforum, Interview, the New York Times, Esquire, Salon.com, and other publications.

Cliff Mass is a UW Atmospheric Scientist.