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Elif Batuman

American writer Elif Batuman discusses her novel The Idiot with readers around the world.

In this month’s edition of ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Book Club bestselling American writer Elif Batuman discusses her acclaimed debut novel. β€˜The Idiot’ follows Selin, a Turkish-American fresher at Harvard in the mid-1990s, delving into her experiences as she navigates the challenges of university life, grappling with identity, language, and the complexities of relationships, romantic and otherwise. Selin becomes infatuated with Ivan, an older Hungarian mathematics student, and their relationship unfolds primarily through a series of cryptic emails, highlighting the difficulties of virtual communication across cultures. As Selin travels to Europe for a summer teaching job, she continues to struggle with her sense of self, her obsession with Ivan, and the meaning of her experiences. The novel captures the disorienting, often absurd nature of early adulthood, where intellectual exploration meets the messiness of real life and its chaotic emotions. Infused with dry humour and philosophical musings, The Idiot is at heart a playful meditation on the limitation of language, and the gap between theoretical knowledge and lived experience.

Available now

50 minutes

Last on

Wed 9 Oct 2024 23:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 5 Oct 2024 11:06GMT
  • Sun 6 Oct 2024 02:06GMT
  • Sun 6 Oct 2024 13:06GMT
  • Sun 6 Oct 2024 16:06GMT
  • Wed 9 Oct 2024 09:06GMT
  • Wed 9 Oct 2024 23:06GMT

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