Skip to content
Barney Rosset Never Backed Down episode artwork

Feb 2, 2022 13 min

Barney Rosset Never Backed Down

from On the Media Hosted by WNYC Studios

In 1951, Grove Press was a tiny, almost-defunct independent publisher, with just three titles in its catalog, including Herman Melville’s The Confidence Man. But then Barney Rosset took over and, with a few choice books, helped push America past its Puritanical roots and into the sexual revolution. He died in 2012 and we are re-airing this interview I did with him many years back, to set up this week’s show in which we’ll be trying to unpack the latest round of book banning in America. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

The publishing of Tropic of Cancer and Lady Chatterley's Lover was challenged in the courts. Barney Rosset fought for them and won.

Ready to play

Barney Rosset Never Backed Down

0:00 13:09

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of On the Media?

This episode is 13 minutes long.

When was this On the Media episode published?

This episode was published on February 2, 2022.

Can I download this On the Media episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.