A weekly podcast on books and culture brought to you by the writers and editors of the Times Literary Supplement.
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This week we hear about the pursuit of the perfect library, and celebrate the brilliance of crime writer Josephine Tey. Irina Dumitrescu on the bibliophile’s life ‘The Franchise Affair’, ‘To Love and Be Wise’ and ‘The Daughter of Time’ by Josephine Tey Produced by Charlotte Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Peter Godfrey-Smith on two books about living like a deer and learning from the birds. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/deer-man-geoffroy-delorme-the-parrot-in-the-mirror-antone-martinho-truswell-book-review-peter-godfrey-smith/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
This week, we examine the highs and very many lows of the writing life. Tom Seymour Evans explores a disquieting biography of crime writer James Ellroy, and Stephen Marche shines a light into the abyss of literary failure in his new book. ‘Love Me Fierce in Danger: The Life of James Ellroy’ by Steven Powell ‘On Writing and Failure’ by Stephen Marche Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
In an extract from Lawcraft , published by TLS Books last month, Geoffrey Robertson explains how Russian oligarchs use British courts to close down investigative journalism. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/lawfare-geoffrey-robertson-extract-russia-free-speech/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
This week, Richard Norton-Taylor braves the terrifying world of cyberattacks and their brutal cost; and Lucasta Miller on an intriguing collection of 19th-century commonplace books. 'Pegasus: The Story of the World’s Most Dangerous Spyware’ by Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud ‘Striking Back: The End of Peace in Cyberspace - and How to Restore It’ by Lucas Kello The work of scholar and collector William St Clair Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...
N. J. Enfield considers how software engineers became social engineers in our democracies. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/freedom-to-think-susie-alegre-the-digital-republic-jamie-susskind-book-review-n-j-enfield/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
This week, Elizabeth Dearnley hunts for the hags, fairies and wandering women of the pagan past; and Ruth Scurr on a thrilling final book from the celebrated journalist Janet Malcolm. ‘Queens of the Wild: Pagan Goddesses In Christian Europe’ by Ronald Hutton ‘Still Pictures: On Photography and Memory’ by Janet Malcolm Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nessa Carey explores how recent scientific breakthroughs allow experimentation with the DNA of all living species. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/the-genetic-age-matthew-cobb-book-review-nessa-carey/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Richard Smyth remembers the equanimity and attentiveness of Ronald Blythe; and Mary Flannery on the enduring appeal of Alison, the Wife of Bath. ‘Next to Nature: A Lifetime in the English Countryside’ by Ronald Blythe ‘The Wife of Bath: A Biography’ by Marion Turner Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kirsty Gunn considers Katherine Mansfield’s place in the literary canon. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/all-sorts-of-lives-katherine-mansfield-claire-harman-book-review-kirsty-gunn/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Gabriel Roberts explores the past, present and - we very much hope - the future of bioabundance in animal species; and novelist Gwendoline Riley takes us into the affecting and brutally funny world of Michael Bracewell’s return to fiction after 21 years. Species loss and bioabundance, by Gabriel Roberts ‘Unfinished Business’ by Michael Bracewell Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Christy Edwall reflects on a meditations on Keats’s poems, and a new account of his last days. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/a-greeting-of-the-spirit-susan-wolfson-written-in-water-alessandro-gallenzi-keats-book-review-christy-edwall/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Olivia Laing secrets and lies in the life and work of Kathy Acker. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/eat-your-mind-kathy-acker-jason-mcbride-book-review-olivia-laing/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Lucy Lethbridge explains what a curate's eye is, and how ideas of British cooking range from Aga fantasies to bacon butties; and J. S. Barnes takes us to the dark side of the festive season, via Dickens and M. R. James.... 'The British Cookbook: Authentic home cooking recipes from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland' by Ben Mervis 'To Be Read At Dusk: Dickens, ghosts and the supernatural', Charles Dickens Museum, London, until March 5, 2023 'The Witch Farm', BBC Radio 4 and ...
Simon McBurney, the artistic director of the endlessly innovative and influential Complicité theatre company, talks to Lucy Dallas about two of their major new projects. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, we hear how the music-hall star Josephine Baker became a secret agent; and we talk to Simon McBurney of Complicité theatre company, about their haunting audio production of Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising. 'The Flame of Resistance' by Damien Lewis 'The Dark Is Rising' by Susan Cooper, BBC World Service, December 20 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Alan Forrest on Napoleon’s enemies at home and abroad. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/napoleon-michael-broers-napoleon-at-peace-william-doyle-book-review-alan-forrest/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Breeze Barrington takes us through a history of art with a difference - there are no men; and Larry Wolff talks us through the diva-rich operatic event of the season, the world premiere of The Hours at the Met in New York. 'The Story of Art Without Men' by Katy Hessel 'The Hours' by Kevin Puts Metropolitan Opera, New York, until December 15. Live transmission in various cinemas, December 10 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Anna Reid on the improbable rise of Volodymyr Zelensky https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/volodymyr-zelensky-biographies-book-review-anna-reid/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Mary Beard talks us through coins and emperors, real and fake, and the hidden networks beneath the Roman Empire; and Norma Clarke discusses the life and work of Rosa Bonheur, a celebrated female artist who kept her radical private life to herself. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Michele Pridmore-Brown on the troubled dreams of the gods of the digital universe https://www.the-tls.co.uk./articles/survival-of-the-richest-douglas-rushkoff-book-review-michele-pridmore-brown/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Baillie Gifford Prizewinner Katherine Rundell describes how John Donne’s life force captivated her; and celebrated actor and playwright Wallace Shawn surveys a lifetime of writing essays. Produced by Charlotte Pardy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
George Berridge on Cormac McCarthy’s long-awaited diptych of conspiracy and nuclear anxiety https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/the-passenger-stella-maris-cormac-mccarthy-book-review-george-berridge/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, we discuss Emmanuel Carrère’s incisive account of France’s judicial response to the Bataclan attacks; and a host of TLS contributors on their favourite books of 2022. ‘V13: Chronique judiciare’ by Emmanuel Carrère Books of the Year 2022 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Robert Potts considers the inconstancies of John le Carré. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/private-spy-letters-john-le-carre-secret-heart-suleika-dawson-book-review-robert-potts/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Alex Clark and Lucy Dallas explore the rise to prominence of Volodymyr Zelensky, the satirical stand-up turned president and war leader; and blow the cobwebs off the world’s rarest medieval manuscripts. 'The Zelensky Effect' by Olga Onuch and Henry E Hale 'Zelensky: Ukraine’s president and his country' by Steven Derix with Marina Shelkunova, translated by Brent Annable 'The Fight of Our Lives: My time with Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s battle for democracy, and what it means for the world' by ...
Colin Thubron on an anthology of human beings straining at the limits. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/endurance-levison-wood-book-review-colin-thubron/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week André Aciman toasts the genius of Marcel Proust, a century after his death; and Richard Lea on the mesmerising multiverses of John Banville. The works of Marcel Proust ‘The Singularities’ by John Banville Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sam Leith on Roald Dahl’s life of plane crashes, bunk-ups, secret agenting – and children’s writing https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/teller-of-the-unexpected-roald-dahl-matthew-dennison-book-review-sam-leith/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, we learn about the final years of the Napoleonic era, poke around the exclusive gentlemen’s watering holes of Pall Mall, and discover how Roy Orbison ended up meeting his wife in Batley Variety Club. ’Napoleon: The decline and fall of an Empire, 1811-1821’ by Michael Broers ’Napoleon at Peace: How to end a revolution’ by William Doyle ‘Behind Close Doors: The secret life of London’s private members’ clubs’ by Seth Alexander Thévoz ‘Clubland: How the working men's club shaped Britain’ ...
