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photograph by Anna Wasilewska

Harry Mathews

from The Sienese Shredder #1, 2006

  1. The Battle (1:31): MP3
  2. Comatas (12:04): MP3
  3. The Firing Squad (1:45): MP3
  4. The Swimmer (4:47): MP3
  5. The Sad Birds (4:18): MP3
  6. Shrub Air (1:12): MP3
  7. Histoire (4:12): MP3
  8. Out of Bounds (18:03): MP3
  9. Condo Auction (15:52): MP3
  10. Husserl's Curse (14:55): MP3
  11. Romantic Poem (1:12): MP3
  12. The Pines at Son Beltran (2:12): MP3
  • note: these selections are from a CD of 15 poems that accompanied the first issue of The Sienese Shredder.

Reading as part of the Line Reading Series, November 12, 2002

  1. Intro (2:36): MP3
  2. One-Way Mirror (18:46): MP3
  3. The Broadcast (4:00): MP3
  4. Closing Comments (0:23): MP3

Reading (26:13): MP3

Reading at MIT, October 14, 1999

Sponsored jointly by the Literature faculty and the Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies.
  1. Opening Discussion of the Oulipo Group - overview (16:26): MP3
  2. Back to Basics (2:51): MP3
  3. Further Discussion of Oulipo Group - History & Purpose; Membership; The Oulipian Companion (13:12): MP3
  4. Q & A (4:08): MP3
  5. Lipograms (source text: "To be or not to be") (8:36): MP3
  6. N Plus 7 (article) (2:18): MP3
  7. Country of the Pointed Firs (opening paragraph) (1:39): MP3
  8. "The Imbeciles" (N Plus 7 version of Wordsworth's poem) (2:26): MP3
  9. Closing Comments (1:58): MP3

Complete Recording (53:49): MP3

Appearing on Bookworm, hosted by Michael Silverblatt, KCRW-FM, April 15, 1999

  • Complete Recording (33:17): MP3

Reading at The Friends of the Library, UPenn, February 26, 1997

  1. Introduction (1:32): MP3
  2. The Truthful Liar: The Case of the Persevering Maltese (Preamble) (4:31): MP3
  3. First Topic: A Problem in Translation (6:43): MP3
  4. Second Topic: Yes, But We're Different (3:40): MP3
  5. Third Topic: Translation and the Oulipo, One (5:27): MP3
  6. Fourth Topic: The Truthful Liar (4:03): MP3
  7. Interlude (3:35): MP3
  8. Fifth Topic: Keep Moving (3:43): MP3
  9. Sixth Topic: Translation and the Oulipo, Two (7:10): MP3
  10. Seventh Topic: Back Home at the Oulipo (6:54): MP3
  11. Epilogue: The Case of the Persevering Maltese (4:11): MP3
  12. Q&A (15:15): MP3

Complete Recording (1:06:46): MP3

PennSound's Harry Mathews page curated by Chris Funkhouser. Read Funkhouser's essay, "Bringing Harry Mathews to PennSound (and you)," in Jacket2 for background information on the collection.

These sound recordings are being made available for noncommercial and educational use only. All rights to this recorded material belong to the author. © 2011 Harry Mathews. Used with the permission of Harry Mathews. Distributed by PennSound.