Czech novelist Karel Čapek (1890-1938) might be best known as the pioneering science fiction writer who first coined the term "robot." But readers have long appreciated the transcendent humanity of his works. "There was no writer like him," Arthur Miller once said, "prophetic assurance mixed with surrealistic humor and hard-edged social satire: a unique combination...a joy to read." In this episode, Jacke talks to podcast producer Ian Coss about the life of Karel Čapek, his contributions to literature, and how Čapek's celebrated novel War with the Newts inspired Ian's audio fiction series Newts, a farcical, yet deadly serious tale about an alternate history of the 1930s, in which the Western world discovers, exploits, educates, arms, and is ultimately overthrown by a species of highly intelligent, three-foot tall salamanders. SPECIAL BONUS CONTENT: We conclude the episode with a trailer for Newts. Additional listening suggestions: 160 Ray Bradbury (with Carolyn Cohagan) Margaret Atwood 282 Science Fiction Subscribe to Newts at the following links: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/newts/id1621525265 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4K7X2gY9MwYFWuXEdpyFC7 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/newts Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcHJveHkuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS9uZXd0c3BvZGNhc3Q Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/5kerq5l8 Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/newts/PC:80522 RSS: https://feeds.feedburner.com/newtspodcast Help support the History of Literature Podcast at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices