#4526

Mentioned in 11 episodes

The swerve

Book • 2011

Stephen Greenblatt

In 'The Swerve', Stephen Greenblatt explores the impact of Poggio Bracciolini's discovery of Lucretius' 'De Rerum Natura' in 1417.

This ancient Roman poem, which posits a universe governed by natural laws rather than divine intervention, had a profound influence on the Renaissance and beyond, shaping the thought of figures like Galileo, Darwin, and Einstein.

Greenblatt's book is both a biography of Bracciolini and an intellectual history of how this text helped shape modernity.

Mentioned by

Andrew Sullivan

Francis Ford Coppola

Mentioned in 11 episodes

Mentioned by

Nick Kokonas

as a book about a monk who found and saved Lucretius's book for history.

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Mentioned by

Ada Palmer

when referencing prior work (Greenblatt) about the rediscovery of Lucretius and its influence on modern thought.

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Mentioned by

Glenn Loury

in the context of discussing his thoughts on death and the book's exploration of Lucretius's ideas on mortality.

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Recommended by

Ryan Holiday

, mentioning that it won the Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award.

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Recommended by

Francis Ford Coppola

as an eye-opening book on Epicureanism.

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Mentioned by

Patrick Wyman

as a book he disliked despite its popularity, due to perceived scholarly shortcomings.

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Recommended by

Dana Stevens

as a page turner that explores the revival of Lucretius' poem and its impact on modern thought.

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Mentioned by Speaker 0 as a book that claims the rediscovery of Lucretius's book sparked the Renaissance.

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Mentioned by

Tom Hanks

as the author of 'The Swerve', a book about the Renaissance.

Mentioned by

Andrew Sullivan

as a book he intends to read, referencing its title.

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