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The TLS Podcast

A weekly podcast on books and culture brought to you by the writers and editors of the Times Literary Supplement.

To read more, welcome to the TLS.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episodes

Watch This Space

This week, Toby Lichtig talks to the new Booker Prize-winner Samantha Harvey about her voyage to the stars; and TLS contributors choose their books of the year. ‘Orbital’, by Samantha Harvey Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 15, 202444 min

Good at Games

This week, Norma Clarke explores the world of 18th-century chameleon Mary Robinson; and Devoney Looser on a soccer player's passion for Virginia Woolf. 'Mary Robinson: Actress, mistress, writer, radical', Chawton House, Chawton, Hampshire, until April 21, 2025 'The Striker and the Clock: On Being in the Game', by Georgia Cloepfil Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Nov 07, 202444 min

Letter from the Capitol

This week, Mary Beard reports on the American election from her billet on Pennysylvania Avenue; plus Regina Rini opens a can of temporal worms in a quest to cure worry. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 31, 202448 min

Double Vision

In a special interview, Lucy Dallas meets artist William Kentridge to explore his new set of films. 'Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot', by William Kentridge, available on Mubi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 28, 202433 min

Home Truths

This week, Oonagh Devitt Tremblay is intrigued by the multiple voices in Sarah Moss's new memoir; and Lucy Dallas speaks to artist William Kentridge. 'My Good Bright Wolf', by Sarah Moss 'Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot', by William Kentridge, streaming on Mubi Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 24, 202438 min

From Seoul to Stockholm

This week, Yoojin Grace Wuertz celebrates this year’s Nobel Laureate in literature, South Korea’s Han Kang; and David Morley reads his new poem, and discusses the link between birds, music and poetry. ‘The Vegetarian’, ‘Human Acts’ and ‘Greek Lessons’, by Han Kang ‘Beethoven’s Yellowhammer’, by David Morley Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 17, 202442 min

Cherchez La Femme

This week, Lisa Hilton on the truth behind life as a 'grand horizontale'; and Juliette Bretan explores why Virginia Woolf served up boeuf en daube in To the Lighthouse. 'Kingmaker: Pamela Churchill Harriman’s astonishing life of seduction, intrigue and power', by Sonia Purnell 'Europe in British Literature and Culture', edited by Petra Rau and William T Rossiter Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Oct 10, 202450 min

Taking flight

This week, Larry Wolff admires an opera propelled by drone warfare; and Edward Carey describes how a love of theatre inspired his new novel. 'Grounded', by Jeanine Tesori, libretto by George Brant, Metropolitan Opera, New York, until October 19 'Edith Holler', by Edward Carey Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 03, 202450 min

Tuning In

This week, we start with Donna Summer and finish with a Scotch Woodcock, as Milo Nesbitt goes in search of the future of music, and Roger Domeneghetti sings the praises of a little fish with a big flavour. 'Futuromania: Electronic dreams, desiring machines and tomorrow's music today', by Simon Reynolds 'A Twist in the Tail: How the humble anchovy flavoured western cuisine', by Christopher Beckman Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Sep 26, 202444 min

Autumn Leaves

This week, Toby Lichtig previews the season’s fictional highlights; and Ann Manov on Sally Rooney’s latest gambit. ‘Creation Lake’, by Rachel Kushner ‘Intermezzo’, by Sally Rooney Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 20, 202455 min

Typecast

This week, typographer Tom Cook on the fonts of all knowledge; and Graham Daseler explores Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler's firecracker relationship. 'Albertus: The Biography of a Typeface', by Simon Garfield 'Baskerville: The Biography of a Typeface', by Simon Garfield 'Comic Sans: The Biography of a Typeface', by Simon Garfield 'From the Moment They Met it was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir', by Alain Silver and James Ursini Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. S...

Sep 12, 202450 min

HAPPY DAYS

This week, Mary Beard joins us to explain why two recently discovered fragments of Euripides are big news; and an interview with director James Macdonald and actor Lucian Msamati on their new production of Waiting for Godot. 'Ino' and 'Polyidus', by Euripides 'Waiting for Godot', by Samuel Beckett, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, until December 14 2024 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Sep 05, 202452 min

Magic of the Minds

This week, medieval spells and modern cures, as we look back at some podcast highlights with Mary C Flannery and Charles Foster. 'Textual Magic: Charms and Written Amulets in Medieval England', by Katherine Storm Hindley 'Ten Trips: The new reality of psychedelics', by Andy Mitchell 'Psychedelics: The revolutionary drugs that could change your life – a guide from the expert', by David Nutt 'I feel love: MDMA and the quest for connection in a fractured world', by Rachel Nuwer 'Psychonauts: Drugs ...

Aug 29, 202452 min

Making Change

This week, Lucy and Alex are joined by Amber Massie-Blomfield, who discusses her new book about the connections between art and protest. 'Acts of Resistance: The Power of Art to Create a Better World', by Amber Massie-Blomfield Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 22, 202443 min

Fixtures and Funerals

This week, Lucy and Alex are joined by the novelist David Peace, who explains what drew him to writing about the 1958 Munich Air Disaster. 'Munichs', by David Peace Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 15, 202445 min

The History Boys

This week, we take a look back at Fintan O'Toole's pre-election assessment of Keir Starmer; and revisit a conversation with William Boyd. 'Keir Starmer: The Biography', by Tom Baldwin 'November 1942: An Intimate History of the Turning Point of World War II’, by Peter Englund', translated by Peter Graves Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 08, 202453 min

The Mind Bind

This week, Philip Ball assesses the anxiety about AI - and provides some reassurance; and Jane Robinson on Emily Davies, the woman who founded Girton College, Cambridge. 'Moral AI: And how we get there', by Jana Schaich Borg, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Vincent Conitzer 'The AI Mirror: How to reclaim our humanity in an age of machine thinking', by Shannon Vallor 'Robots and the People Who Love Them: Holding on to our humanity in an age of social robots', by Eve Herold 'The Atomic Human: Underst...

Aug 01, 202445 min

After the Deluge

This week, Isaac Nowell takes us out in all weathers, Sean O'Brien reads a new poem, and Norma Clarke on a fascinating story of exile and doomed love. 'In All Weathers: A Journey Through Rain, Fog, Wind, Ice and Everything in Between', by Matt Gaw 'Fingerpost', by Sean O'Brien 'In Pursuit of Love: The Search for Victor Hugo's Daughter', by Mark Bostridge Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Jul 25, 202444 min

Sitting Pretty

This week, Anna Katharina Schaffner on a top-to-tail exploration of deportment; and Toby Lichtig in conversation with novelist Hari Kunzru at the Hay Festival. 'Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America', by Beth Linker 'Blue Ruin', by Hari Kunzru Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 18, 202451 min

Testaments of Youth

This week, Lily Herd on a child's-eye view of rockstar royalty; and Toby Lichtig talks to novelist Chigozie Obioma at the Hay Festival. 'My Family and Other Rock Stars', by Tiffany Murray 'The Road to the Country', by Chigozie Obioma Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 11, 202451 min

Private Eyes and Private Lives

This week, Heather O'Donoghue puzzles over the locked rooms and red herrings of the crime genre; and Josh Raymond on an animated attempt to understand teenage turmoil. 'The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators', by Martin Edwards 'Inside Out 2' Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 04, 202447 min

Marginal Gains

This week, we accompany Stephen Sawyer on a speeded-up saunter through the arrondissements; and Toby Lichtig in conversation with Rory Stewart at the Hay Festival. 'Impossible City: Paris in the Twenty-First Century', by Simon Kuper 'The Zone: An Alternative History of Paris', by Justinien Tribillon 'Politics on the Edge', by Rory Stewart Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Jun 27, 202453 min

Here Comes the Sun

This week, TLS editors and writers guide you through a summer of reading; and Sarah Watling explores the extraordinary story of an artistic double act. 'Dorothy Hepworth and Patricia Preece: An Untold Story', Charleston, Lewes, Sussex 'The Secret Art of Dorothy Hepworth, aka Patricia Preece', by Denys J. Wilcox Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 20, 202442 min

Metamorphosis and Myth

This week, Ben Hutchinson on the making of Franz Kafka, a century after the writer's death; and an interview with Roz Dineen about her vision of climate catastrophe and societal collapse. 'Kafka: Making of an icon', Weston Library, Bodleian, Oxford, until October 27 Accompanying book edited by Ritchie Robertson 'Briefly Very Beautiful', by Roz Dineen Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Jun 13, 202452 min

The TLS on Tour

Join us for at the Hay Festival for a conversation encompassing portals to other worlds, rock bands, improbable giraffes and the travails of the M4. 'Impossible Creatures', by Katherine Rundell 'One Ukrainian Summer: A Memoir About Falling in Love and Coming of Age in the Former USSR', by Viv Groskop Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 06, 20241 hr 1 min

Found in Translation

This week, we hear from two international prize-winning authors, Jenny Erpenbeck and Mircea Cărtărescu. 'Kairos' by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann 'Solenoid' by Mircea Cărtărescu, translated by Sean Cotter Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 30, 202453 min

Let the Games Begin!

This week, writers including Andrew O'Hagan, Rose Tremain, Ayobami Adebayo and Marian Keyes select their most memorable sporting moments; and we drop in on the European Writers' Festival at the British Library. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 23, 202447 min

Regeneration Games

This week, we look at the busy afterlives of two canonical characters: Nathalie Olah on Tom Ripley and Emelyne Godfrey on Sherlock Holmes. 'Ripley', on Netflix 'The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes: The inspiration behind the world’s greatest detective', by Andrew Lycett Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 16, 202447 min

How to Dress for Bouillabaisse

This week, Susan Owens explores the surreal and vivid life of the artist Eileen Agar; and Rosie Goldsmith, curator of the European Writers' Festival, joins us to explain what's on the bill. 'A Look at My Life', by Eileen Agar The European Writers' Festival, the British Library, London, 18-19 May 2024 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 09, 202446 min

Better to Travel Hopefully

This week, Oxford Professor of Poetry AE Stallings explores the elliptical brilliance of Anne Carson; and an interview with writer, filmmaker and artist Miranda July about her forthcoming novel. 'Anne Carson: The Glass Essayist', by Elizabeth Sarah Coles 'Wrong Norma', by Anne Carson 'All Fours', by Miranda July Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

May 02, 202451 min
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