He’s been described as a comedic dark genius.

But beneath Anthony Jeselnik’s acerbic wit lies a mind shaped by the power of literature.

Fiction, to be precise.

In fact, Jeselnik’s appreciation for the written word is so great that he’s even started a book club.

Called ‘The Anthony Jeselnik Book Club’ - the only prerequisite for membership is … well, nothing really. And, to be honest, that’s the real genius of the club - it’s open to anyone and everyone who wants to read.

There’s no deal in it for him, no movie tie-ins or kickbacks, making it probably one of the more PURE things in the world right now.

In this chat, we talk about Jeselnik’s education at Turlane, why he walked away from his first job writing jokes for Jimmy Fallon, and why nothing hits the human spirit like fiction.

Novels mentioned in the podcast below:

Glama Rama - Brett Easton Ellis
American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis
No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy
The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton
Departure(s) - Julian Barnes
Lost Lambs - Madeline Cash
Crux - Gabriel Tallent
Discipline - Larissa Fa
Heap Earth Upon It - Chloe Michelle Howorth
White River Crossing - Ian McGuire
The Violet Hour: A Novel - James Cahill
Among Friends - Hal Ebbott
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Stoner - John Williams
Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The Glass Hotel - Emily St. John Mandel
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Faithless - Alice Nelson