The Avram Davidson Universe
This is a podcast dedicated to the life work and impact of award-winning author, Avram Davidson. In each episode, we perform a reading and discussion of his works with a special guest. Join the fan club at www.avramdavidson.com. Avram Davidson (1923–1993) was a writer of fantasy, science fiction, and crime fiction. Davidson was born in Yonkers, NY and and served in the Navy during World War II. His life work includes 19 novels and over 200 short stories, all of which have been widely recognized for their wit and originality. Davidson’s works have won awards in three genres: an Edgar Award for mystery, a Hugo Award for science fiction, and three World Fantasy Awards.
Episodes
91 episodes
Beer! Beer! Beer! Chapters 17-20 “When the Pressure Finally Pops”
Chapters 17–20 bring everything to a rolling boil, as power changes hands, jobs vanish, pressure mounts, and the town’s many moving parts drift toward the same crowded moment. Avram Davidson balances tragedy, farce, and dark humor with astonish...
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47:11
Walking Atlantis: Virgil & Bob Talk “The King’s Shadow Has No Limits”
In this episode, Virgil and Bob discuss “The King’s Shadow Has No Limits,” unpacking Davidson’s portrayal of empire in decline and the quiet, unsettling ways power manifests among the poor, the faithful, and the forgotten. They explore...
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37:41
Beer! Beer! Beer! Chapters 12-16 “Maps, Meetings, and Missing Answers”
Chapters 12–16 widen the lens, moving from the streets and sewers of Yokums into offices, courtrooms, newsrooms, and living rooms where everyone has an opinion and nobody has a clear answer. The mystery grows more elaborate, but Avram Davidson ...
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1:11:11
Dr. Eszterhazy and the Weight of Empire: “The King’s Shadow Has No Limits”
In this episode, we listen to “The King’s Shadow Has No Limits” by Avram Davidson, originally published in Whispers #8 (December 1975).Set in a fading, multi-ethnic empire straining under age, tradition, and unrest, the story follows Dr...
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32:42
Beer! Beer! Beer! Chapters 9-11 “Consequences, Served Neat”
Chapters 9–11 deal with the morning after—when consequences arrive wearing sensible shoes and asking pointed questions. The town of Yokums sobers up just enough for authority, ambition, and self-preservation to reassert themselves, though not a...
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1:29:01
Beer! Beer! Beer! Chapters 6-8 “Law, Order, and Questionable Plumbing"
Chapters 6–8 kick the door open on pure, gleeful chaos as Yokums stumbles into an impossible discovery that turns an ordinary workday into a civic fairy tale. The town reacts exactly as you’d expect during hard times: with wonder, hustle, disbe...
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2:00:54
Beer! Beer! Beer! Chapters 3-5 “Saints, Sinners, and Suds”
Chapters 3–5 plunge us deeper into Yokums, where politics, ethnicity, morality, and money collide with the steady thrum of everyday life. We meet larger-than-life civic figures, reformers who truly believe they’re saving souls, and working stif...
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1:40:26
Beer! Beer! Beer! Chapters 1-2 “Go Home, Elmer Welcome to Yokums”
The opening chapters of BEER! BEER! BEER! drop us into a Depression-era New Jersey town that feels loud, crowded, funny, and just a little bruised, seen mostly through the wandering eyes of a sharp, restless kid. Chapter One is a stree...
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1:01:04
A Very Eszterhazy Holiday: Gifting Avram Davidson to the People We Love
In this special holiday episode of the Avram Davidson Universe, Virgil & Bob turn the season of giving into a season of reading by hand-picking the perfect Avram Davidson books for friends, creators, family, and fellow weird-fiction travele...
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15:57
Milord Sir Smiht and the Odyllic Snuff-Up: Virgil & Bob Investigate
Virgil & Bob revisit the hilarious “Milord Sir Smiht, the English Wizard,” as collected in The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy (1975). In this episode of The Avram Davidson Universe Podcast, they return to Bella’s Court of ...
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38:31
Virgil & Bob vs. The Church of Saint Satan: Advantage… Davidson
In this episode of The Avram Davidson Universe Podcast, Virgil & Bob try to figure out what the HELL is going on in “The Church of Saint Satan and Pandaemons,” originally published in Fantastic (December 1975) and l...
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31:02
The Church of Saint Satan and Pandaemons - A Doctor Eszterhazy Tale
In this episode of The Avram Davidson Universe Podcast, we present “The Church of Saint Satan and Pandaemons,” originally published in Fantastic (December 1975) and later collected in The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterh...
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1:07:44
Is It Legal to Live with a Bear? Bob & Virgil Ask Dr. Eszterhazy
Join Bob and Virgil for an in-depth conversation about Avram Davidson’s unique storytelling. They discuss “The Old Woman Who Lived with a Bear” (from The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy, 1975). They explore: The strange blend of folk...
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28:13
The Old Woman Who Lived with a Bear — An Avram Davidson Doctor Eszterhazy Tale
Step into the Triune Monarchy with Avram Davidson’s unforgettable story “The Old Woman Who Lived with a Bear” (from The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy, 1975). This professional narration brings to life the wit, mystery, and fo...
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1:17:24
Avram Maps the Sea of Dreams: Sinbad Between Myth and Memory
Avram Davidson (himself) warms up for a lecture and pulls you aboard a lateen-rigged dhow to ask the irresistible question: where, exactly, did Sinbad sail—Borneo, Sumatra, Serendib, even Madagascar—or only through our imaginations? ...
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58:42
Where Did Sinbad Sail? We’ve Got Answers!
Bob and Virgil unpack Avram’s clues—dhows, monsoons, Borneo and Sumatra, Sri Lanka’s dagobas, Madagascar’s giant eggs—and debate how far a fable can take you toward the truth. • Reading the text like a chart: Kabil/Kasil → Bor...
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22:20
Adventures in Unhistory: Where Did Sinbad Sail?
A polished, front-to-back performance by David Pickering of Avram Davidson’s masterwork on Sinbad: a lyrical, scholarly, and funny voyage that charts the blurred edge where sailors’ yarns become maps. • From Baghdad to B...
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1:05:30
Adventures in Unhistory: Myths, Mysteries, and Davidson’s Genius
Adventures in Unhistory is a literary journey into the strange, the mythical, and the half-forgotten—led by the genius of Avram Davidson and explored by Bob & Virgil. Each episode dives into Davidson’s witty and erudite examinations of myth...
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13:23
Occult Detective Month: Dr. Eszterhazy and “The Case of the Mother-in-Law of Pearl”
Bob & Virgil go deep on Avram Davidson’s Eszterhazy tale: lurlies vs. Lorelei, undines and baptismal souls, why “Mud” matters, how Davidson blends courtly satire with folklore, and where Eszterhazy fits in the occult-detective lineage...
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29:13
The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy — “The Case of the Mother-in-Law of Pearl”
Performed by David Pickering. @davidpickering8483 Set in Avram Davidson’s sly, Mitteleuropean corner of the map, this stand-alone performance brings Doctor E...
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1:06:29
The many genres of Avram Davidson!
In this episode, Bob & Virgil discuss the many genres of Avram Davidson.
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Season 5
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Episode 14
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16:16
The Avram Davidson Universe – Season 5, Episode 13 “El Vilvoy de las Islas" discussion.
In this episode, Bob & Virgil discuss El Vilvoy de las Islas, originally published in Asimov’s (August 1988) and later collected in The Other Nineteenth Century.
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Season 5
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Episode 13
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34:20
The Avram Davidson Universe – Season 5, Episode 12 “El Vilvoy de las Islas"
In this episode, we listen to El Vilvoy de las Islas, originally published in Asimov’s (August 1988) and later collected in The Other Nineteenth Century. A follow-up discussion will be led by Virgil and Bob in t...
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Season 5
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Episode 12
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1:21:37
The Avram Davidson Universe – Season 5, Episode 11 Virgil & “The Caravan to Illiel"
In this episode, Robert from The Wheel of Genre podcast sits down with Virgil from Literally Books for a deep dive into “The Caravan to Illiel,” originally published in Flashing Swords #3 : Warriors and Wizards, Ed. Lin Carter (Dell, 1976)<...
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Season 5
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Episode 11
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2:11:45