The Lonely Voice: 'Panteón de Dolores' and 'Emergency Room Notebook, 1977' by Lucia Berlin

About this episode

Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss two stories by Lucia Berlin that explore family dysfunction and tragedy in different cultural settings.

Peter Orner and Yvette Benavides discuss two stories by Lucia Berlin— "Panteón de Dolores" and "Emergency Room Notebook, 1977." In these stories we find family dysfunction and tragedy set against the backdrop of another country and its culture and rituals — or in a hospital, another place with its protocols and routines. Except within all that is expected in these settings there is something totally new to make us pay attention to situations and people to whom we might never have given a second thought.

People in this episode

Hosts: Peter Orner, Yvette Benavides

Topics covered

• family dysfunction
• tragedy
• cultural rituals
• hospital protocols
• storytelling

Keywords

• Lucia Berlin
• Panteón de Dolores
• Emergency Room Notebook
• family dysfunction
• cultural rituals
• hospital protocols

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Panteón de Dolores, Emergency Room Notebook, 1977

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