Why I Left Academia (And Why Modern Literature Is So Bad)
April 28, 2026
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12:12Now PlayingWhy I Left Academia (And Why Modern Literature Is So Bad)
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as posted by the channelWhy did I leave academia—and what does that have to do with why modern literature feels so… bad?
In today’s video, I’m sharing my story—from studying literature at Columbia University to walking away from academia entirely, building a company, and ultimately finding my way back to writing.
Along the way, I also started to notice something troubling. The problem wasn't in universities, but in publishing as a whole.
Modern literature has drifted away from timeless questions about beauty, truth, and what it means to be human… and toward something much narrower.
Today, I discuss:
- Why I left academia
- What’s actually happening inside the publishing industry
- The moment I realized there was an audience for these ideas
- Why I believe literature needs to return to humanistic inquiry
- And why so much contemporary fiction just isn’t working
If you care about classic literature, culture, and the future of storytelling, you’re in the right place.
Do you think modern literature has lost its way?
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