Sam Austen's Blog

Apocalyptic Terror: Laszlo Krasznahorkai Takes the Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2025 has been awarded to the Hungarian author ⁠⁠László Krasznahorkai⁠⁠, “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art," the Swiss Academy announced in a press release this morning.To further reaffirm the power of art, we expound on the implications of Krasznahorkai's Nobel win in a language even more impenetrable than Hungarian.

Matthew McConaughey's Poems and Prayers, Read For Your Cat

A cat reads from Matthew McConaughey's new book, Poems and Prayers.

Meow: A Novel Arrives in Ryan Holiday's Painted Porch Bookshop

Ryan Holiday's Painted Porch Bookshop makes a perplexing acquisition

Philosopher Stephen Alexander Reviews The Meow Library's Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Or rather his it's his cat, Phoevos, shouldering the intellectual heft: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was "meow." Let me...

Schattenfroh: Max Lawton's Triumph of Translation

This podcast is a presentation of ⁠ The Meow Library ⁠ . A triumph. Max Lawton’s translation of Schattenfroh represents not merely a feat...

R.F. Kuang's Katabasis: The Betrayal of Archimedes

The sole feline presence in R.F. Kuang's Katabasis, accuses the author of having cut many of his scenes in response to "anti-feline sentiment" at the HarperCollins office.

Jordan Castro's Muscle Man: Embodied Literature

“Words are parasites of reality, which have become so engorged with reality’s blood so as to seem, to that ugly French nothing-master’—he grinned—‘like the only real thing, but they are nothing more than a mirage.”— Jordan Castro, Muscle Man

David Duchovny's Poems from About Time Read For Your Cat

A cat beholds David Duchovny's new poetry collection. "Poetry is not useful.” — David Duchovny, Poet In today’s podcast, ⁠The Meow...

Performative Male Readers: A Modest Proposal

The performative male reader caught in a dangerous trap. According to a recent   ⁠ Independent article⁠  by Lydia Spencer-Elliott, the...

Tao Lin's Nini: Feline Autism, Ensoulment, and Self-Healing

In a new ⁠ Harper's piece⁠ , Tao Lin traces his recent interests in autism, spirituality, and self-healing to his 4-year relationship...