Marlon and Jake Read Dead People

Conversations about dead authors, their books, and candid literary opinions AI summary

Penguin Random House Visit website › Arts · EN · 45 episodes · latest 2026-09-08 · explicit

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What it is about

Marlon and Jake Read Dead People is a podcast hosted by the Booker Prize-winning and internationally bestselling author Marlon James and his editor, Jake Morrissey, Executive Editor at Riverhead Books. In each episode, Marlon and Jake talk about authors—specifically dead authors. Authors they like. Authors they hate. Great books, terrible books, and books they love that you’d never expect them to. As a writer and an editor, Marlon and Jake have read thousands of books between them, and they’re not shy in expressing their opinions about them. Sometimes they’ll agree, sometimes they won’t, but in every episode, they’ll tell you what they think— uncensored and with no holds barred. (That’s why the authors have to be dead.) So, listen along to hear about the spectacularly good, the hilariously bad, and the brutally honest.

Publisher’s own description, taken unchanged from the podcast feed.
(c) 2020 Riverhead Books

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Latest episodes

The Literary Hall of Shame E

2026-09-08 · 36 min · Episode 41

In our last episode of the season, Marlon and Jake take on the worst books by the best authors—or at least, authors they usually love. They discuss why a journalist’s instincts can be both a gift and a curse when…
English Teachers, Look Away E

2026-09-01 · 44 min · Episode 40

Marlon and Jake discuss the books they’d banish from school reading lists—not ban but give a well-earned time out. They consider why the Bible shouldn’t make the cut, why mythology deserves to expand beyond the Greeks…
In Defense of Gratuitous Violence E

2026-08-25 · 39 min · Episode 39

Marlon and Jake take on violence in fiction: what makes it effective, what makes it gratuitous, and whether “gratuitous violence” is even a useful distinction. Tune in as they discuss the difference between violence on…
The Most Important Character Isn’t a Character E

2026-08-18 · 48 min · Episode 38

Marlon and Jake explore the power of setting in novels—and why the best stories feel like they couldn’t have happened anywhere else. They discuss settings that become characters in their own right, fictional worlds…
This Got More Personal Than We Expected E

2026-08-11 · 37 min · Episode 37

Marlon and Jake explore the books that have helped define who they are, choosing four that capture different parts of their personalities and lives. They unpack how reading can shape our understanding of identity,…
Why Does Great Literature Have Such Bad Sex? E

2026-08-04 · 36 min · Episode 36

Marlon and Jake dive into one of literature's trickiest subjects: sex. Why do some writers capture intimacy with honesty while others veer into the unintentionally hilarious? Along the way, they discuss why writing…
Writers We'll Never Read Again (Sorry, Faulkner) E

2026-07-28 · 40 min · Episode 35

Marlon and Jake tackle the writers they have no interest in revisiting, asking when it's worth giving a beloved (or notorious) author another chance and when it's perfectly fine to walk away for good. Tune in as they…
Is Jane Eyre Okay? E

2026-07-21 · 36 min · Episode 34

Marlon and Jake explore why we're so eager to revisit the worlds of our favorite stories, asking whether great characters are better left where their authors left them—or if there's value in imagining what came before…
Calling Bullshit on Dystopias E

2026-07-14 · 43 min · Episode 33

Marlon and Jake dive into the world of dystopian fiction, unpacking what truly makes a dystopia—and whether some of the genre’s biggest ideas hold up under closer scrutiny. Along the way, they discuss why some dystopias…
Clearing the Cobwebs E

2026-07-07 · 38 min · Episode 32

Welcome back for a new season! Marlon and Jake catch up on what they’ve been reading, writing, and working on, including Marlon’s new novel, and explore the books they return to when it’s time to create. They discuss…

Episode details from the publisher’s feed. Playback happens at the publisher.

Publisher details

Oldest episode in feed: 12/2019 · over 6 years
Typical length: 38 min
Format: Episodic Newest first, episodes stand alone
Keywords: books, book recommendations, book club, reading, classic books, good reads, author, authors

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