Notes and Links to Ben Purkert’s Work
For Episode 239, Pete welcomes Ben Purkert, and the two discuss, among other topics, his awakening to wonderful literature and his early poetry and formation as a writer, Robin Williams’ indelible mark on Ben’s writerly development, Ben’s short but eventful time working at an ad agency, Mad Men, and profane poetry, as well salient themes in his book like mascul...
Notes and Links to Ben Purkert’s Work
For Episode 239, Pete welcomes Ben Purkert, and the two discuss, among other topics, his awakening to wonderful literature and his early poetry and formation as a writer, Robin Williams’ indelible mark on Ben’s writerly development, Ben’s short but eventful time working at an ad agency, Mad Men, and profane poetry, as well salient themes in his book like masculinity, religious and personal identities, one’s possibly-unreliable perspective, reinvention, and ideas of art versus commerce.
Ben Purkert’s debut novel, The Men Can’t Be Saved, was named one of Vanity Fair’s Top 20 Books of 2023. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Nation, Slate, The Wall Street Journal, Poetry, Kenyon Review, and he’s been featured by NPR, Esquire, and The Boston Globe. He is also the author of the poetry collection, For the Love of Endings. He holds degrees from Harvard and NYU, where he was a New York Times Fellow. He teaches in the Sarah Lawrence College MFA program.
Buy The Men Can't Be Saved
Washington Post Review of The Men Can't Be Saved
Review of The Men Can't Be Saved Review in Esquire
Ben's Webpage
At about 1:30, Ben recounts his story of meeting Martin Scorcese recently
At about 2:40, Congrats to n+1 mag!
At about 3:30, Ben talks about his early relationship with the written word
At about 5:30, Ben expresses his admiration for Robin Williams and how Williams was a “word guy” who led Ben to fiction
At about 8:00-Set Shot! Ben drops a poignant Louise Gluck quote and talks about writing and teaching inspiration from Dead Poets Society
At about 10:25, Ben talks about the writers/writing that “flipped the switch” for him, including Ben Lerner
At about 12:30, Ben cites Alexandra Kleeman and Andrés Barba (A Luminous Republic) as some of his favorite contemporary writers
At about 14:30, Pete and Ben discuss the book’s seeds in Ben’s work in advertising and the cultural phenomenon that was Mad Men, as well as the book as “grounded”/allegorical
At about 18:55, Pete asks Ben about the significance of his epigraphs
At about 21:15, The two discuss who might play the famous older man from the successful ad at the opening of The Men Can’t Be Saved
At about 22:10, Ben reads from the beginning of the book
At about 24:30, Ben talks about spending so much time on the book’s first page as he and Pete discuss a possible unreliable narrator in Seth
At about 26:40, The book’s exposition is recounted, including background of the ad agency
At about 28:10, Ben speaks to Pete’s supposition that Seth has some Patrick Bateman in him
At about 30:00, More plot is outlined, and characters like “Moon,” a pivotal character, is discussed
At about 31:30, Ben reflects on men’s health accounts and other accounts within advertising and how “branding”
At about 33:15, Seth’s Birthright trip and his work/life balance (or lack thereof) are examined
At about 36:45, Seth’s hearing about the city of Acre and ideas of fresh starts are discussed, especially with regard to a new job
At about 37:40, Ben talks about ideas of Seth reflecting on, or not, his sense of himself and his Jewish identity
At about 39:00, Ramzy and Seth and their routine and relationship is discussed
At about 42:20, The two discuss the character of Moon and ideas of masculinity and homophobia and homoeroticism within and without the book
At about 45:20, Ben talks about why he enjoyed writing a pivotal fight scene and the mechanics of same
At about 47:00, Ben tells an interesting story that gives background on the hilarious, X-rated poem written by Moon in the book-shout out Jessie Stephens and Uncle Fred!
At about 48:30, The two discuss sexual harassment and toxic masculinity in the book and within the ad agency
At about 49:30, The two discuss Seth’s faith journey and Jewish identity as epitomized through two quotes and Jewishness as seen through a connection at the Chabad House-Ben references an essay he wrote about the comfort/community offered
At about 53:45, Pete notes the skill with which Ben’s work does not deal in absolutes
At about 55:20, Ben talks about exciting future projects
You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I’m @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I’m @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you’re checking out this episode.
I am very excited about having one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review-I’m looking forward to the partnership! Look out for my interview with Ghassan Zeineddine soon.
Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl
Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!
This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I’d love for your help in promoting what I’m convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.
The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
Please tune in for Episode 240 with Marcela Fuentes. Marcela is a Pushcart Prize-winning fiction writer and essayist; her debut novel MALAS was published on June 4 and has been named June’s Good Morning America Book Club Pick.
The episode will go live on June 27.
Lastly, please go to https://ceasefiretoday.com/, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.
