Episode 11: Brad Phillips, Patricia Highsmith, and Clifford Irving
Brad Phillips is a Canadian author and fine artist whose recent collection of “Essays and Fictions” (available here) courts with – and immediately undermines – an autobiographical reading, alluding repeatedly to the author’s propensity for half-truths, misdirection, and straight-up grift. While formally reminiscent of Clifford Irving’s Autobiography of Howard Hughes and its “confessional” follow-up, The Hoax, it finds – and pays deeper tribute to – another literary forbear, Patricia Highsmith, whose work is frequently referenced in Phillips’, and whose penchant for con and confabulation refracts brilliantly through his wry postmodern lens.
In the spirit of Phillips’ loose relationship with the truth, and in accordance with Irving’s methods, we present here – with the kind permission of Highsmith’s estate - a recording of a newly uncovered Highsmith story, written for her cat in 1973, followed by a roundtable discussion of the three authors’ works.
Painting by Brad Phillips MEOW is the first and only literary podcast for your cat, conceived and presented in its native language.
This podcast is sustained by sales of our debut book, Meow: A Novel (For Cats).
Support Brad Phillips' work here.
Praise for Meow: A Novel "Breathtaking... a revelation." - Stubbs, Unaltered Domestic Shorthair "Meow meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow. Meow? Meow." - Joan Didion
Follow us on Instagram: @meowliterature and Facebook: facebook.com/themeowlibrary
Comments