• THE LARB END-OF-YEAR EDITOR INTERVIEWS: Michael Marder

    Editor’s Note: This is the third interview of several we’ll be publishing this month, all with our section editors. Like the rest of the LARB ecosystem, their work depends on the generous support of everyday readers who keep LARB going;  we hope you’ll consider giving this month for our winter fund drive. 

    Meet Michael Marder, Founder of The Philosopher’s Plant.

    What do you do and why?

    Thinking, writing, sharing the results with others. I used to answer the question “Why?” with another question: “Why do you breathe?” It’s a calling.  

    What is your favorite place to write/edit outside of your home?

    I do not often have the luxury of choosing where to write: planes, trains, buses, bureaucratic line-ups have all been the backdrops for my writing. I like working in cafés occasionally, but they ought to have excellent views and as little background noise as possible.

    What is your favorite thing to drink while writing/editing?

    Green tea, preferably with jasmine.

    NASA asks you to select one piece of art/literature/music/film to send into space that will explain our civilization to aliens. What do you chose and why?

    A CD of Bernardo Sassetti Trio titled “Motion”. It speaks for itself, in the language of music.

    Share a cultural moment/experience you had in 2015 that you really enjoyed.

    Attending Iberian Suite: Global Arts Remix at the Kennedy Center in DC

    Share a cultural moment/experience you had in 2015 that you really didn’t enjoy.

    Watching “007: Spectre”, the new James Bond movie: not so much because of a flimsy plot but because of its utterly naive conception of power, which remains centralized and traceable to a single person or institution.

    What is the one question you always wish people would ask in interviews? Now answer it!

    Do you like being interviewed? Not that much…