In February 1910, the future Virginia Woolf played the most famous practical joke in British military history. Blackening her face and masquerading as an Abyssinian prince, the young writer and her friends conned their way onto HMS Dreadnought, the Empire’s most powerful battleship. 'The Girl Prince' is a tantalisingly fresh take on the iconic writer and her deeply problematic stunt, as well as her ideas on race and empire. In this episode, listen to award-winning author and scholar Danell Jones...
Dec 04, 2024•28 min•Ep. 34
Born in Kolkata shortly before Indian independence, Mihir Bose still feels enormous gratitude towards Mr Crombie of the UK’s Home Office, who confirmed his permanent resident’s rights in 1975. In this episode, join Mihir, the BBC’s first sports editor and first non-white editor, and Sarah Sands, author and Deputy Chair of the British Council, in conversation about his book ‘Thank You Mr Crombie’. You'll hear Mihir take us back to life in 1960s Britain, a time when Indian food was shunned, not ad...
Nov 27, 2024•27 min•Ep. 33
In an increasingly dystopian world, 'Negotiating with the Devil' by Pierre Hazan takes readers inside the world of armed conflict mediation, offering insight into the political and ethical ‘red lines’ that shape talks with armed interlocutors, be they states or insurgents. In this episode, listen to Pierre and Victor Mallet in conversation about the high-stakes process of conflict mediation, the role of a peace negotiator, Pierre’s own thoughts about what makes a good mediator, and the grey area...
Nov 20, 2024•27 min•Ep. 32
'The Great Indian Food Trip' is an entertaining, erudite adventure of eating, drinking and travelling. This is how Swedish novelist, rock musician and author Zac O’Yeah has come to understand the Indian subcontinent, his home of thirty years. In this episode, listen to Zac in conversation with writer and journalist Samanth Subramanian about the book, Zac’s love of food, his most memorable meals during his travels across India, and unique insight into the country’s delicacies, their origins and l...
Nov 13, 2024•22 min•Ep. 31
We are in a new age of terror, with self-radicalising, hard-to-categorise individuals planning violence. Since the Westminster Bridge attack in 2017, more than 40 terror attacks have been foiled by the security services. 'Plotters' by journalist Lizzie Dearden is an eye-opening account of the British terror attacks you’ve never heard of—because the perpetrators were caught in time. In this episode, listen to Lizzie in conversation with fellow journalist and writer Tam Hussein to discuss the chan...
Nov 06, 2024•27 min•Ep. 30
As floods and fires rage across the planet, more people are embracing nonviolent action to achieve political change. Can it work? In ‘Sorry for the Inconvenience But This Is an Emergency’ doctor and aid worker Lynne Jones offers a compelling, ground-level account of the last five years of UK protests, exploring how and why ordinary citizens have adopted extraordinary methods to confront the climate and nature crises. In this episode, listen to Lynne in conversation with Fiona Godlee, doctor, and...
Oct 30, 2024•31 min•Ep. 29
Oct 25, 2024•2 min•Ep. 28
From Brazilian favelas and campgrounds in Nigeria to megachurches in Ukraine and South Korea, Pentecostal Christianity is taking over the world. ‘Beyond Belief’ by writer and journalist Elle Hardy exposes the Pentecostal agenda and its sway over politics and society around the world. In this episode listen to Elle in conversation with journalist and author Katherine Stewart about how Pentecostalism evolved into a multi-million megachurch industry, why it’s attracting so many people, and what the...
Nov 24, 2023•29 min•Ep. 27
You cannot understand the historic events of 2022 without understanding Volodymyr Zelensky. But the Zelensky effect is less about the man himself than about the civic nation he embodies: what makes Zelensky most extraordinary in war is his very ordinariness as a Ukrainian. ‘The Zelensky Effect’ by Olga Onuch and Henry E. Hale tells the story of Ukraine through the journey of the man who has come to symbolise his country. In this episode, listen to Henry in conversation with Shaun Walker, the Gua...
Nov 17, 2023•32 min•Ep. 26
Please note that this episode contains graphic depictions of violence, racism, and sexual assault, which listeners may find disturbing. Rohingya men, women and children have been fleeing their homes for forty years and are now almost entirely in exile. ‘I Feel No Peace’ by Guardian journalist Kaamil Ahmed is the first book-length exploration of Rohingya lives abroad, drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews and long-standing relationships within the diaspora. In this episode, listen to Kaamil ...
Nov 10, 2023•26 min•Ep. 25
Has any war in history gone according to plan? Monarchs, dictators and elected leaders alike have a dismal record on military decision-making, from over-ambitious goals to disregarding intelligence, terrain, or enemy capabilities. ‘How to Fight a War’ by former army officer and author Mike Martin is a crisp indispensable guide to understanding modern warfare. In this episode, listen to Mike in conversation with The Times’ Diplomatic Editor and foreign affairs columnist Roger Boyes about the fund...
Nov 03, 2023•23 min•Ep. 24
Maharajah Ranjit Singh’s Sikh Empire stretched throughout north-western India into Afghanistan and Tibet. But how did one royal family come to achieve such pre-eminence over this entire region? Historian Priya Atwal’s dazzling book ‘Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire’ blasts through centuries of Orientalist and misogynist history to shed new light on the forgotten royals who aided the spectacular rise and eventual demise of this long-lost kingdom. In this episode listen to P...
Oct 27, 2023•32 min•Ep. 23
Over Britain’s first century of mass democracy, politics has lurched from crisis to crisis. A Times Book of the Year, ‘The Death of Consensus’ by writer and documentary-maker Phil Tinline brings to life those times, past and present, when the consensus—or the great compromise holding democracy together—has come apart, and the political class has been forced to make a choice of nightmares. In this episode, listen to Phil in conversation with historian Dominic Sandbrook about whether consensus has...
Oct 20, 2023•36 min•Ep. 22
AfterWords returns on 20th October 2023. In this series, listen to lively discussions between Hurst authors, journalists and leading experts as they interrogate the stories behind thought-provoking books. You’ll hear about how Pentecostal Christianity is taking over the world; the rise and fall of the Sikh empire; a hundred years of British political nightmares; whether any war in history has gone to plan; a vivid, powerful account of the Rohingya in exile; and how ordinary Ukrainians saved thei...
Oct 13, 2023•1 min•Ep. 21
From Notre-Dame cathedral to the Houses of Parliament, the buildings Europeans have come to love may not be so European after all. A Spectator ‘Book of the Year’, Stealing from the Saracens by Diana Darke is the fascinating tale of cultural exchange, shedding new light on some of Europe’s greatest landmarks. In today’s episode Diana and Quilt.Ai’s Angad Singh Chowdhry will be discussing the ‘borrowing’ of Islamic architecture, Europe’s reluctance to associate with the Muslim world, and the impor...
Aug 31, 2022•27 min•Ep. 20
We live in an era of big brands. Companies that wield incredible power and influence around the world. But as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility… Can companies do more than generate profits in the poorest and most fragile parts of the world? Should they move beyond simply ‘doing no harm’? In her book 'Corporate Peace', Mary Martin shows how big business is increasingly important in building a safer world. In this episode, Mary will be in conversation with Quilt.Ai’s Angad S...
Aug 24, 2022•29 min•Ep. 19
China’s millennials feel stuck. They are caught between the country’s authoritarian politics, hypermodern technology, and economic boom. In her raw and revealing memoir, Under Red Skies, Karoline Kan turns to the three generations of women in her family to understand the ever-changing China she grew up in. In this episode, listen to Karoline in conversation with Quilt.Ai’s Angad Singh Chowdhry about life in China beyond the headlines: the remarkable story of Karoline’s family, her own experience...
Aug 17, 2022•25 min•Ep. 18
Artificial Intelligence is going to war … but what happens to the ‘art of war’ as machines enter the battlefield? ‘I, Warbot’ by Kenneth Payne is an engrossing look at the new frontier in AI, and how it will change conflict forever. In this episode, listen to Kenneth in conversation with Angad Singh Chowdhry, co-founder of Quilt.AI, about how Artificial Intelligence and war have been shaped by one another, and explore what the battlefields of the near future might look like when they are dominat...
Aug 10, 2022•30 min•Ep. 17
When it comes to climate change, we’re not all in it together. From New Orleans to Bangladesh, women—especially poor women of colour— are suffering most from a crisis they have done nothing to cause. ‘How Women Can Save The Planet’ by Anne Karpf is a smart, bold and inclusive call to arms: we can fix the climate emergency by fighting for gender equality. In this episode, listen to Anne Karpf in conversation with Angad Singh Chowdhry, co-founder of Quilt.AI, about how our gendered perceptions of ...
Aug 03, 2022•33 min•Ep. 16
‘The People on the Beach’ by Rosie Whitehouse is a vivid history tracing the Holocaust survivors who risked everything for a new life in Palestine. Listen to Rosie in conversation with Angad Singh Chowdhry, co-founder of Quilt.AI, about who the people on the beach were, how they fled Europe—and why—and the way in which the Holocaust is remembered today. For more visit hurstpublishers.com
Jul 27, 2022•30 min•Ep. 15
Season 3 is hosted by Dr Angad Singh Chowdhry, anthropologist, entrepreneur, and the co-founder of Quilt.AI, a tech company that uses data and artificial intelligence to understand people better. In each episode, Angad will be in conversation with one of our authors as they explore human behaviour. Learn about the Holocaust survivors who risked everything for a new life in Palestine with Rosie Whitehouse, trace Europe’s cultural debt to the Muslim world with Diana Darke, and join Kenneth Payne a...
Jul 20, 2022•2 min•Ep. 14
Kim Jong Un and the Bomb by Ankit Panda is the extraordinary story of how a small, poor country became a nuclear power—and why we will have to live with it. Listen to Ankit in conversation with Tom Plant, director of proliferation and nuclear policy at RUSI, about the history of nuclear weapons in North Korea, why the programme is so important to Kim Jong Un, and what a nuclear armed North Korea means for the world.
Mar 03, 2021•28 min•Ep. 13
The Great Decoupling by Nigel Inkster explores the growing technological rivalry between China and the United States. Listen to Nigel in conversation with Kerry Brown, specialist in Chinese international relations, history and politics, about the contest between the two countries and how the outcome will shape twenty-first century geopolitics. For more visit hurstpublishers.com
Feb 24, 2021•32 min•Ep. 12
African Europeans by Olivette Otele is a dazzling history revealing old and diverse links between the two continents. In this episode, listen to Olivette and historian and broadcaster Kate Williams discuss a landmark account of a crucial thread in Europe’s complex history. For more visit hurstpublishers.com
Feb 17, 2021•29 min•Ep. 11
The Son King by Madawi Al-Rasheed is a blistering new book revealing the ruthless repression in MBS’ Saudi Arabia. In this episode, listen to Madawi in conversation with writer and historian Justin Marozzi about the dangerous contradictions at the heart of the Saudi regime.
Feb 10, 2021•34 min•Ep. 10
The Northumbrians by Dan Jackson is the bestselling book exploring North East England and its people. In this episode, listen to Dan in conversation with historian Tom Holland about the real story behind the region and what makes it so distinctive. A Sunday Times History Book of the Year (2019) & A New Statesman Book of the Year (2019). For more visit hurstpublishers.com
Feb 03, 2021•28 min•Ep. 9
Everybody Knows is a searching and unflinching exposé of corruption in America by L.A. Times Book Prize winner Sarah Chayes. In this episode, listen to Sarah in conversation with author and Guardian foreign correspondent Luke Harding about the impacts of America’s rigged system and how it can be challenged. For more visit hurstpublishers.com
Jan 27, 2021•29 min•Ep. 8
AfterWords returns on 27th January 2021. In this series, listen to Hurst authors and leading experts discuss the stories behind six recent, highly acclaimed books that are starting conversations everywhere. Investigate corruption in America with Sarah Chayes, discover North-East England and its people with Dan Jackson, and learn how North Korea became a nuclear power and why we’ll have to live with it from Ankit Panda. Hear the untold story of African Europeans by Olivette Otele, explore the gro...
Jan 20, 2021•2 min•Ep. 7
The Accidental Guerrilla by David Kilcullen was a Washington Post bestseller which transformed the theory and practice of counterinsurgency--and changed the way we think about war. Interviewed by The Economist’s Defence Editor Shashank Joshi, in this episode David shares his ground-breaking insights into the War on Terror. Order David's book today at: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/accidental-guerrilla/
Apr 14, 2020•32 min•Ep. 6
The death of UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld remains one of the biggest mysteries of the twentieth century. Journalist and author Michela Wrong talks to author Susan Williams about ‘Who Killed Hammarskjöld?’, Susan’s thrilling book which investigated this suspicious death and sparked an ongoing UN investigation. Order Susan's book today at: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/who-killed-hammarskjold-2/
Apr 07, 2020•29 min•Ep. 5
