This episode features an interview I had recently with Amor Towles. His first book, Rules of Civility, was a novel layered in the opulence of society. The theme is repeated in his second novel--A Gentleman in Moscow--but this time it turns to Russia during its transition to the Stalinist Era. After the Russian Revolution, Count Alexander Rostov--the gentleman of the title--is placed under house arrest at the Hotel Metropol and for the next 3 decades must decide whether he will master his circumstances, or be mastered by them.
Here’s our conversation:
If you listened to the Marginalia commentary on-air, this is what you heard:
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles was published by Viking.
Marginalia was produced at KMUW - Wichita. Discover new episodes at kmuw.org or through iTunes or Google Play.
Editor: LuAnne Stephens
Engineer: Jon Cyphers
Producer: Beth Golay
