Book Club: Let's Talk About 'Transcription,' by Ben Lerner

About this episode

MJ Franklin discusses Ben Lerner's novel 'Transcription' with fellow Book Review editors Gregory Cowles and Alexandra Jacobs.

Ben Lerner’s slender new novel, “Transcription,” is just 130 pages long, yet it cracks open some of our most colossal and enduring philosophical questions. On this episode, MJ Franklin discusses “Transcription” with fellow Book Review editors Gregory Cowles and Alexandra Jacobs.

People in this episode

Host: MJ Franklin

Guests: Gregory Cowles, Alexandra Jacobs

Topics covered

• philosophy
• literature
• book discussion
• novels
• Ben Lerner

Keywords

• Transcription
• Ben Lerner
• philosophical questions
• book club
• literary discussion

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New York Times

Books & works: Transcription

More episodes of The Book Review

• The Best Books of the 21st Century: Ryan Holiday on ‘The Road’ · June 12, 2026 · 37 min
• A Summer Book Recommendation Bonanza · June 5, 2026 · 44 min
• The Ezra Klein Show: Michael Pollan’s Journey to the Borderlands of Consciousness · May 22, 2026 · 1h 29m
• Matt Haig on ‘The Midnight Library,’ Mental Illness and Winnie-the-Pooh · May 15, 2026 · 42 min
• Patricia Cornwell on Her Dark Childhood and Best-Selling Novels · May 8, 2026 · 60 min
• ‘The Book Review’ Podcast Turns 20 · May 1, 2026 · 1h 5m