My God, I just remembered that we die. But—but me too?!

Don’t forget that for now it's strawberry season.

Yes.

These lines bring to a close Clarice Lispector's novel The Hour of the Star, and in the following discussion, they open a fascinating conversation about the Brazilian author's transgressive and hugely influential life, as a public literary figure and as a private person. Her works have inspired an astonishing range of artists, from novelist Colm Tóibín to film director Pedro Almodóvar. Here we join two of Lispector’s translators, Idra Novey and Katrina Dodson, and acclaimed writers Micheline Aharonian Marcom and Hector Tobar for a lively, 80-minute exploration of the infamous life and dazzling work of one of the twentieth century’s great innovators.

We join the conversation with Idra Novey discussing her introduction to Lispector. Hector Tobar follows in front of Micheline Marcom and Katrina Dodson, before CJ Evans initiates the spirited discussion.

Audio courtesy of Two Lines Press, a program of the Center for the Art of Translation. Originally recorded October 15, 2013, at the Hotel Rex in San Francisco, CA. For more information about Two Lines Press, please visit their website.

Photo: Clarice Lispector in 1961 by Claudia Andujar