A weekly podcast on books and culture brought to you by the writers and editors of the Times Literary Supplement.
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Laura Thompson on the much-married daughter of Barbara Cartland who became Lady Diana’s stepmother https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/three-times-a-countess-tina-gaudoin-book-review-laura-thompson/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Toby Lichtig interviews the new Booker laureate, Shehan Karunatilaka, and discovers why he killed off his protagonist; and we explore the latest developments in a Chaucerian controversy. ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ by Shehan Karunatilaka Mary C Flannery on Chaucer Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Michele Pridmore-Brown considers our quest for godlike immortality https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/hybrid-humans-harry-parker-the-price-of-immortality-peter-ward-book-review-michele-pridmore-brown/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Richard Dunn joins Alex and Lucy to discuss how humanity began to measure the world around it; and Lauren Elkin illuminates the immense artistic contribution of Annie Ernaux, this winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature. ‘Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement’ by James Vincent The work of Annie Ernaux, Nobel Prize laureate 2022 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Bill McKibben considers the future of farming in a rapidly warming world https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/rooted-sarah-langford-sixty-harvests-left-philip-lymbery-regenesis-george-monbiot-review-bill-mckibben/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sofia Chelyak joins us to preview this weekend’s Lviv International Book Forum, in which guests including Margaret Atwood and Henry Marsh will join Ukrainian writers and thinkers in an online extravaganza; plus highlights of our live podcast on narrative arcs in fiction, history and politics and how to support a literary fundraiser for those affected by floods in Pakistan. Lviv International BookForum, 7-9 October 2022 https://airauctioneer.com/books-for-pakistan Produced by Charlotte Pardy Host...
Charles Foster considers the extraordinary variety of animals’ sensory worlds https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/an-immense-world-ed-yong-book-review-charles-foster/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Dennis Zhou joins us to illuminate the activism, anarchism and agility of the poet Gary Snyder; and Hannah Skoda reports from the Globe on a bold reinterpretation of the life of Joan of Arc. 'Collected Poems' by Gary Snyder, edited by Jack Shoemaker and Anthony Hunt 'I, Joan' by Charlie Josephine Produced by Charlotte Pardy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, we talk to Jonathan Spector about the European premiere of his play at the Old Vic; and Dimitra Fimi unpacks what's behind the new tv series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Eureka Day, The Old Vic, London, until October 31 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Amazon Prime Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jane Ridley looks back at the Queen’s eight-decade reign Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Miranda France explores a suite of books about motherhood; and we survey the pick of this autumn’s fiction with Toby Lichtig. ‘Don’t Forget to Scream: Unspoken Truths About Motherhood’ by Marianne Levy ‘Motherhood: Feminism’s Unfinished Business’ by Eliane Glaser ‘Motherload: Modern Motherhood and How to Survive It’ by Ingrid Wassenaar The Baby on the Fire Escape: Creativity, Motherhood, and the Mind-Baby Problem’ by Julie Phillips ’Still Born’ by Guadelupe Nettel, translated by Rosal...
Emily Wilson considers how we address our final days Book reviewed: The Mortal Coil: A history of death by Andrew Doig The Inevitable: Dispatches on the right to die by Katie Engelhart All the Living and the Dead: A personal investigation into the death trade by Hayley Campbell https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/mortal-coil-andrew-doig-the-inevitable-katie-engelhart-all-the-living-and-the-dead-hayley-campbell-book-review-emily-wilsoniew-emily-wilson/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...
This week, Thea Lenarduzzi joins us to explain how she captured the stories of her Italian grandmother; and Edmund Gordon admires how Ian McEwan’s new novel juxtaposes an individual life with memorable social and political events. ‘Dandelions’ by Thea Lenarduzzi ‘Lessons’ by Ian McEwan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nat Segnit explores the strange world of the modern rich Book reviewed: Serious Money: Walking plutocratic London by Caroline Knowles A Class of Their Own: Adventures in tutoring the super-rich by Matt Knott https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/serious-money-caroline-knowles-class-of-their-own-matt-knott-book-review-nat-segnit/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Alex Clark and Lucy Dallas are joined by Rohan Maitzen to discuss the new novel by Maggie O’Farrell, an ingenious and daring Browning version; and Sarah Hill charts musician Vashti Bunyan’s epic walk from London to Scotland in search of freedom. ‘The Marriage Portrait’ by Maggie O’Farrell ‘Wayward: Just Another Life to Live’ by Vashti Bunyan ‘Stories I Might Regret Telling You: A Memoir’ by Martha Wainwright ‘This Woman’s Work: Essays on Music’ edited by Sinéad Gleeson and Kim Gordon Produced by...
In the last of our August highlights programmes, Alex Clark and Lucy Dallas talk self-improvement with Kathryn Hughes and step into the mire of Westminster with Edward Docx. And we revisit a magical Hay Festival moment courtesy of correspondents Lyse Doucet and Sana Safi. Produced by Charlotte Pardy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Alex Clark and Lucy Dallas look back at a riveting and prescient conversation with climate writer David Wallace-Wells; plus Margaret Drabble on the allure of roses, and Jeremy Mynott on our affinity with birds. Produced by Charlotte Pardy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week’s look at the highlights of the last year, Mary Norris explores Margaret Atwood’s dystopian fantasies, and we hear about James Joyce from Booker long-listed novelist Audrey Magee and poet Paul Muldoon. Produced by Charlotte Pardy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Alex and Lucy look back over some recent highlights, including Mary Beard’s survey of the Romans at play, and the best summer reads. Plus: we hear from a cat called Vincent Price. Produced by Charlotte Pardy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Roy Foster introduces us to a Devonshire debutante turned IRA terrorist, and Emile Chabal explains how Marine Le Pen created the phenomenon of ‘cat-washing'. 'Heiress, Rebel, Vigilante, Bomber: The Extraordinary Life of Rose Dugdale' by Sean O’Driscoll 'Qu’est-ce que L’actualité Politique?: Événements et Opinions au XXIe Siècle' by Luc Boltanksi and Arnaud Esquerre 'Marginal Men and Micks on the Make' by Roy Foster Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...
This week, we go in search of the woman who created William Brown, beloved outlaw of the suburbs; and take a look at the sporting scene in the Middle East ahead of this winter’s men’s Fifa World Cup. ‘Richmal Crompton, author of Just William: A Literary Life’ by Jane McVeigh 'Routledge Handbook of Sport in the Middle East', edited by Danyel Reiche and Paul Michael Brannagan 'The Business of the Fifa World Cup', edited by Simon Chadwick, Paul Widdop, Christos Anagnostopoulos and Daniel Parnell Th...
This week, Jonathan Bate leads us a merry dance in search of fresh woods and pastures new; and Philip Ball explains the importance of the mysterious Higgs Boson. ‘A History of Arcadia in Art and Literature: Volume 1: Earlier Renaissance; Volume 2: Later Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassicism’ by Paul Holberton ‘Elusive: How Peter Higgs solved the mystery of mass’ by Frank Close. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Alex Clark and Toby Lichtig are joined by Devoney Looser, who scrutinises the naval career of Charles Austen, Jane’s youngest brother, in the dying days of the slave trade; and Jeremy Allen talks us through the art of waiting tables in Paris. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Alex Clark and Michael Caines discuss the turbulent history of the Tour de France and wander through London’s richest enclaves ‘Le Fric: Family, Power and Money: The Business of the Tour de France’ by Alex Duff ‘Serious Money: Walking Plutocratic London’ by Caroline Knowles ‘A Class of Their Own: Adventures in Tutoring the Super-Rich’ by Matt Knott Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
This week, Lucy and Alex are joined by fiction and politics editor Toby Lichtig to reveal what’s hot in summer reading, with recommendations from TLS contributors; and Henry Hitchings takes a stroll through the complex world of cryptocurrency and one of its most charismatic characters. ‘The Missing Cryptoqueen’ by Jamie Bartlett. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Alex Clark and Lucy Dallas are joined by Paul Muldoon to celebrate Bloomsday with a close reading of the very first few words of Ulysses; there’s news from the world of Ukrainian literature; and Toby Lichtig catches up with Tessa Hadley at the Hay Festival. ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce ‘The Orphanage’ by Sergiy Zhadan ‘Free Love’ by Tessa Hadley Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Join Alex Clark, Lucy Dallas and Toby Lichtig as they chat to the BBC correspondents Lyse Doucet and Sana Safi, and to the legendary documentarian Norma Percy, in a special conversation recorded live at the Hay Festival. ‘My Pen is the Wing of a Bird: New Fiction by Afghan Women’, compiled by Lucy Hannah, with an introduction by Lyse Doucet ‘Afghanistan and Me: A Female Perspective’, an audio documentary by Sana Safi Produced by Sophia Franklin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...
This week, Lucy Dallas and Alex Clark are joined by Lucy Hughes-Hallett to discuss two books about Mussolini’s Italy, and train buff extraordinaire Andrew Martin gets on board with a history of British Rail. ‘Blood and Power: The Rise and Fall of Italian Fascism’ by John Foot ’Mussolini Also Did a Lot of Good: The Spread of Historical Amnesia’ by Francesco Filippi ‘British Rail: A New History’ by Christian Wolmar Produced by Sophia Franklin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...
This week, Lucy Dallas and Alex Clark are joined by Tom Seymour Evans to head for the beaches of Fire Island, and the TLS’s French editor Russell Williams surveys the country’s philosophical and political landscape, past and present. ‘Fire Island: Love, loss and liberation in an American paradise’ by Jack Parlett ’The French Mind: 400 years of romance, revolution and renewal’ by Peter Watson ‘France: An adventure history’ by Graham Robb Produced by Sophia Franklin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...
This week, Lucy Dallas and Alex Clark are joined by TLS classics editor Mary Beard to find out what the Romans brought back from their holidays, and novelist Edward Docx is roused to righteous fury over the parlous state of the House of Commons. ‘Destinations in Mind: Portraying Places on the Roman empire’s souvenirs’ by Kimberly Cassibry ’Souvenirs and the Experience of Empire in Ancient Rome’ by Maggie L. Popkin ‘Held in Contempt: What’s wrong with the House of Commons?’ by Hannah White Produc...
