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.
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This week, what TLS contributors are reading this summer; and Catherine Taylor on a trio of novels highlighting the growing pains of adolescence. 'Back in the Day', by Oliver Lovrenski, translated by Nichola Smalley 'Fun and Games', by John Patrick McHugh 'Girl, 1983', by Linn Ullmann, translated by Martin Aitken Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Sara Lodge counts the ways that mathematics influenced writers from Byron to Trollope; and Russell Williams on the transformative power of rites and rituals. 'The Number Sense of Nineteenth-Century British Literature', by Stefanie Markovits 'The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic', by Alan Moore and Steve Moore Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, a special podcast from the Hay Festival ranges from the ancient world to the 16th-century, taking in the art of criticism, the centrality of religion and eco-catastrophe. With Stephanie Merritt, Edith Hall, Toby Lichtig and a guest appearance from TLS crossword compiler Praxiteles. 'Traitor's Legacy', by SJ Parris 'Epic of the Earth: Reading Homer's "Iliad" in the Fight for a Dying World', by Edith Hall Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...
This week, Magna Carta experts David Carpenter and Nicholas Vincent tell us how they discovered a rare original of the document; and Michael Caines on a spritely new staging of a Shaw play starring mother and daughter Imelda Staunton and Bessie Carter. 'Mrs Warren's Profession', by George Bernard Shaw, Garrick Theatre, London, until August 16 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
This week, Eimear McBride is captivated by the life and work of Joyce's biographer; and Mark Nayler is hot on the trail of the wolf who walked alone. 'Ellmann's Joyce: the biography of a masterpiece and its maker', by Zachary Leader 'Lone wolf: walking the faultlines of Europe', by Adam Weymouth Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Vanessa Curtis celebrates a century of Mrs Dalloway; and Claire Lowdon on the capacious diaries of Helen Garner. 'Mrs Dalloway', by Virginia Woolf 'Monkey grip', 'The children's Bach', 'This house of grief', 'How to end a story: collected diaries', by Helen Garner Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Nicola Shulman salutes the memoirs of an old-school editor and socialite; and Rebecca Fraser on an unexpectedly peaceful transition of power in 17th-century America. 'When the going was good: an editor’s adventures during the last golden age of magazines', by Graydon Carter 'Taking Manhattan: the extraordinary events that created New York and shaped America', by Russell Shorto Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
This week, Toby Lichtig travels to Oslo to interview Nobel laureate Jon Fosse; meanwhile, Natasha Lehrer heads to Zurich for a compelling new play by Deborah Levy. Jon Fosse is published in English by Fitzcarraldo Editions '50 Minutes', by Deborah Levy, Neumarkt Theatre, Zurich, until May 7 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, David Gallagher remembers Peruvian Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa; and Laurent Binet whisks us to 16th-century Florence to explore the world of his novel Perspectives. 'Perspectives', by Laurent Binet, translated by Sam Taylor Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Peter Holland treads the boards in Elizabethan London in search of Shakespeare before the Globe; and Muriel Zagha on a captivating tale of cheese-making in the Jura. 'The dream factory: London’s first playhouse and the making of William Shakespeare', by Daniel Swift 'Holy Cow', a film by Louise Courvoisier Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Margaret Drabble explores how Dickens drew on his love of the macabre and grotesque to create literary magic; and Norma Clarke takes a tour around the British coast. 'Dickens the enchanter: Inside the explosive imagination of the great storyteller', by Peter Conrad 'The restless coast: A journey around the edge of Britain', by Roger Morgan-Grenville 'Seascape: Notes from a changing coastline', by Matthew Yeomans 'The Shetland Way: Community and climate crisis on my father’s islands', ...
Caroline Moorehead salutes the energetic brilliance of singer Josephine Baker; and Aaron Peck on the past, present and future of the avant-garde. 'Fearless and free: A memoir', by Josephine Baker, translated by Anam Zafar and Sophie Lewis 'Josephine Baker's secret war: The African American star who fought for France and freedom', by Hanna Diamond 'What art does: An unfinished theory', by Brian Eno and Bette A. 'How to be avant-garde: Modern artists and the quest to end art', by Morgan Falconer '...
This week, we're joined by Harriet Baker, winner of the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award; and Helen Scales tunes into the sonic marvels beneath the surface of the sea. 'Rural Hours: The country lives of Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner and Rosamond Lehmann', by Harriet Baker 'Sing Like a Fish: How sound rules life under water', by Amorina Kingdon Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
This week, novelist Damon Galgut remembers the ground-breaking South African playwright Athol Fugard; and Michael Caines on two very different approaches to the Danish prince. 'Grand Theft Hamlet', on Mubi 'Hamlet', by William Shakespeare, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon- Avon, until March 29 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Larry Wolff immerses himself in a bold operatic vision of Melville's classic; and Travis Elborough on a boosterish attempt to rescue Croydon from its knockers. 'Moby-Dick', composed by Jake Heggie, Metropolitan Opera House, New York, until March 29 'Croydonopolis: A Journey to the Greatest City that Never Was', by Will Noble Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
This week, Toby Lichtig chats to Sam Leith about formative literature at Jewish Book Week; and David Horspool meets Sue Prideaux, winner of this year's Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize. 'The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading', by Sam Leith 'Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin', by Sue Prideaux Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Michael Caines interviews the men behind the Royal Shakespeare Company's thrilling new production of Christopher Marlowe's Edward II; and Nat Segnit finds Pico Iyer's journeys to a Californian monastery a welcome retreat from the world. 'Edward II', by Christopher Marlowe, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, until April 5 2025 'Learning from Silence: Lessons from More Than 100 Retreats', by Pico Iyer Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...
This week, Edith Hall finds herself mesmerised, entranced and perplexed by Sophocles; and Barnaby Phillips on a bizarre imperial incursion in 19th-century Africa. 'Oedipus', by Sophocles, Old Vic until March 29 'Electra', by Sophocles, Duke of York's Theatre until April 12 'A Training School for Elephants', by Sophy Roberts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, we're joined by Eimear McBride as she publishes a compelling new novel; and Anne Fuchs celebrates WG Sebald's illuminating and idiosyncratic essays. 'The City Changes Its Face', by Eimear McBride 'Silent Catastrophes: Essays in Austrian Literature', by WG Sebald, translated by Jo Catling Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Kevin Brazil on the revealing tour d'horizontal of a great writer; and Keith Miller goes down a rabbit-hole in search of Richard Ayoade. 'The Loves of My Life: A Sex Memoir', by Edmund White 'The Unfinished Harauld Hughes', 'Plays, Prose, Pieces, Poetry', 'The Models Trilogy', 'Four Films', by Harauld Hughes/Richard Ayoade Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
This week, Toby Lichtig assesses the latest recreation of Bob Dylan, man and myth; and David Gallagher on an academic and spy who inspired the work of Javier Marias. 'A Complete Unknown', a film by James Mangold 'Scholar-Spy: The Worlds of Professor Sir Peter Russell', by Bruce Taylor Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Boris Dralyuk on a compelling portrait of the Black Sea port of Odesa, past and present; and Russell Williams is put in mind of the rumpled TV detective Columbo by a pacy French novel. 'Undefeatable: Odesa in Love and War', by Julian Evans 'Bristol', by Jean Echenoz Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Vanessa Curtis is entranced by the candour of the Bloomsbury set's photograph albums; and Emma Greensmith on the mythical creatures that fascinated the ancient world. 'The Bloomsbury Photographs", by Maggie Humm 'Centaurs and Snake-Kings: Hybrids and the Greek Imagination', by Jeremy McInerney Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, JS Barnes trembles in his boots before the latest incarnation of a classic vampire tale; and Mary C Flannery on the practical magic of the medieval kitchen. 'Nosferatu', various cinemas 'Recipes and Book Culture in England, 1350-1600', Carrie Griffin and Hannah Ryley, editors Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Alex Clark and Lucy Dallas look forward to 2025's most tempting reading, plan a Jane Austen road trip and resolve to sit up straight. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Simone Gubler ponders the contents of a dog's mind; and Tristram Fane Saunders praises the poet Wendy Cope's strengths and subtleties. 'The Happiness of Dogs: Why the Unexamined Life is Most Worth Living', by Mark Rowlands 'Collared: How We Made the Modern Dog', by Chris Pearson 'Collected Poems', by Wendy Cope Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Catriona Seth goes in search of the mysterious last queen of France; and Maria Margaronis is entranced by the stage adaptation of a children's classic. 'Marie-Antoinette', by Charles-Éloi Vial 'Ballet Shoes', adapted by Kendall Feaver from Noel Streatfeild's novel, National Theatre, London, until February 22 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, novelist and playwright Caryl Phillips remembers his friendship with the magnificent James Baldwin; and Robert Potts on the ingenious return of George Smiley. The works of James Baldwin 'Karla's Choice', a John le Carré novel, by Nick Harkaway Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Mary Beard squares up to the gorefest of Gladiator II; and Alan Hollinghurst in conversation at the Cambridge Literary Festival. 'Gladiator II', various cinemas 'Our Evenings', by Alan Hollinghurst Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Lauren Elkin on a Nobel Prize-winner's obsession with images; and Judith Flanders assesses bold claims about the origins of contemporary English. 'The Use of Photography', by Annie Ernaux and Marc Marie, translated by Alison L. Strayer 'La Langue Anglaise N'existe Pas: C’est du français mal prononcé', by Bernard Cerquiglini Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
