S9 Ep. 34 Ben Fountain on Rasputin and Trump’s Coming Third Term

Novelist Ben Fountain joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss his new book, Rasputin Swims the Potomac. Fountain's satire, set in the not-to-distant future, describes the furor, scandal, and hysterical “weeping sickness” that arrives in the wake of the fictional President’s decision to seek an unprecedented third term. Fountain talks about the technical choices he has made to fictionalize Trump, including the decision to redact his name. He also reflects on the roles of the other characters in the novel, including Clarence Thomas Jr., a Black reporter unrelated to the Supreme Court Judge; Faith Spack, the President’s loyal aide; and Rasputin, a professional wrestler who can cure the “weeping sickness” and begins to rival the President in popularity. Fountain explains how the political times of the original Rasputin increasingly mirror our own and reads from Rasputin Swims the Potomac.To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/This podcast is produced by Christian Barter and Whitney Terrell.Ben FountainRasputin Swims the PotomacDevil Makes ThreeBeautiful Country Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion, and RevolutionBilly Lynn's Long Halftime WalkBrief Encounters with Che Guevara: StoriesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.