S7 Ep. 27: David Baron on What Literature Tells Us About the 2024 Eclipse

fiction/non/fiction

In anticipation of the total solar eclipse forecast for April 8, author and journalist David Baron joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his award-winning book, American Eclipse, which chronicles the remarkable solar eclipse of 1878. Baron, a self-proclaimed umbraphile, or eclipse chaser, explains why he chose to write about the Wild West-era event, which darkened skies from Montana to Texas. He also talks about what has driven him to see eight total solar eclipses across the globe. As the upcoming eclipse is forecast to affect a sizable swath of the U.S.—the last time this will happen until 2045—he reflects on why these rare occurrences captivate humanity and discusses how their lore has influenced famous writers, including Mark Twain and Emily Dickinson. He reads from American Eclipse.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf and Amanda Trout.

David Baron

• American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World
• Beast In The Garden: The True Story Of A Predator’s Deadly Return To Suburban America
• TED Talk: "You owe it to yourself to experience a solar eclipse"

Others:

• "It Sounded as if the Streets Were Running" by Emily Dickinson
• King Lear by William Shakespeare
• The Eclipse by James Fenimore Cooper
• "Battle of the Eclipse in the Lydian and Median War of Ancient Greece" | GreekBoston.com
• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
• Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters by Annie Dillard
• Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
• Log Your Eclipse | Eclipse-Chasers.com
• “Eclipse Literature” by Lara Dodds | Northwestern University
• The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and the Moon

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