Episode

Surviving Middle Age w/ Ben Markovits

Podcast
Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger
Published
Feb 12, 2026
Duration seconds
2879
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://words.paulollinger.com/p/surviving-middle-age-w-ben-markovits-286
Audio
https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/191299833/6b5e185219b9ff7a79662278fd515300.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/reasonably-happy-with-paul-ollinger-635912/episodes/surviving-middle-age-w-ben-markovits
Markdown
/podcast/reasonably-happy-with-paul-ollinger-635912/surviving-middle-age-w-ben-markovits.md

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Summary

Ben Markovits is the author of several acclaimed novels, including his most recent release The Rest of Our Lives, which explores marriage, infidelity, empty nesting, and mortality. The book, which was short-listed for the Booker Prize, focuses on a 55-year-old law professor’s midlife crisis and transformative road trip after his children leave home. You might say it examines the sources of happiness in our lives as we age. Ben’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Guardian. He spoke with me from his home in England. Please ⁠rate and review⁠ ⁠⁠Reasonably Happy⁠⁠ (DO IT!) Read ⁠Paul’s ⁠⁠Substack newsletter⁠⁠⁠ Read Ben's book ⁠NYT essay Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe