In this episode Danny Anderson talks with novelist Stuart Ross about his recent book The Hotel Egypt, published by Spuyten Duyvil.
Ty, our protagonist, burns his love affair with Jenny to ashes when he checks into the Trump Hotel (The Hotel Egypt) as a provocative act of defiance. Then he meets Ellory, parking lot heiress, and a series of existential crises begin. This terrific novel is a satirical love story framed as a surrealistic travelogue across Donald Trump’s America.
In this conversation Stuart Ross discusses the influence of the great Jewish American writers of the Twentieth Century (Bellow, Roth, Stanley Elkin…), and how he brought that literary approach to our contemporary moment.
In addition, Danny and Stuart discuss how art can engage with contemporary political crises and still attempt to transcend the immediate moment.
The Hotel Egypt is a highly recommended novel about the moral cost of transgression and finding hope in commitment. Speaking personally, I hope many people discover this wonderful new book.
As always, if you are an author who would like to discuss your work (or if you know one), please feel free to reach out to me via the UnTaking Substack, or by emailing me directly at danny.p.anderson@gmail.com
Links:
Stuart Ross’s author site, with more info about the novel, and its predecessor, Jenny in Corona.
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