Northwestern University professor of Slavic languages and literature Irwin Weil discusses his trip to China to attend an international meeting of teachers in Russian and Russian literature. He also briefly discusses notable Russian writers. Weil sings several unnamed Russian and Chinese folk songs throughout and reads “I Loved You” - Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin.

Writer Gore Vidal discusses his book, the Eastern philosophy behind it, and its themes on media sensationalism.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations