{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Reading Around the Margins","title":" \"A habit of mind with Mark Haber\"","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1431,"description":"Naomi is joined by writer Mark Haber for a conversation about the habit of mind cultivated through reading. We discuss the kind of writer who opens a door for other writers, tracing a thread through Haber’s early encounter with Kurt Vonengut to a later encounter and friendship with the Argentinian writer Rodrigo Fresán. We talk about voice-driven novels over plot-driven novels, books in conversation with each other, and books that don’t shy away from their influences, along with the American obsession with the myth of originality, of what’s never been done before. Our conversation is framed by Haber’s reading of Rodrigo Fresán’s book The Invented Part, translated from the Spanish by Will Vanderhyden.Reading ListThe Invented Part, Rodrigo FresánBreakfast of Champions, Kurt VonnegutLesser Ruins, Mark HaberReinhardt’s Garden, Mark HaberSaint Sebastian’s Abyss, Mark HaberPre-order Haber’s new novel ADA, out July 14, 2026 with Coffee House Press here.Other Selected writing by Mark HaberHow to Read KafkaCésar Aira Makes the Impossible PossibleThe Writer You’ve Never Heard of that Made My Book Possible, on the life and writing of Mila Menendez KrauseMark Haber was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Florida. His debut novel, Reinhardt’s Garden (2019), was longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award. His second novel, Saint Sebastian’s Abyss (2022), and third, Lesser Ruins (2024) were both named as a best book of the year by the New York Public Library. His fourth novel, Ada, will be published this July. Mark's fiction has appeared in Guernica, Southwest Review, and LitHub, among others. Mark lives in Minneapolis.Find a copy of Marginalia: an autobiography from Autofocus Books, New York University Press, or your local independent bookstore. Subscribe to Process Notes for further reflections on reading, subjectivity, and psychoanalysis.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/CMWOxfMO4TyaRBkUrGXQsDnq3obNOcElwczZqWxt4IA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kY2I1/OTNkOTQzYTc2NDEx/ZjRlY2Q3ZjJlZWNj/MjdmYi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}