The TLS Podcast
A weekly podcast on books and culture brought to you by the writers and editors of the Times Literary Supplement.
Episodes
The Art of Chaos
This week, Carrie Cracknell joins us to talk about the delights and challenges of directing Tom Stoppard's Arcadia; and Hirsh Sawhney on the empathetic brilliance of Sigrid Nunez.'Arcadia', by Tom Stoppard, Duke of York's Theatre, London, until September 12 2026'It Will Come Back to You', by Sigrid NunezProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Economies of Scale
This week, Scarlett Baron puzzles over an attempt to cut Joyce down to size; and Ian Sansom on the sobering realities of balancing the books if you want to be an artist.'A Shorter Ulysses', by James Joyce and Anthony Burgess'Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in funding a creative life', by Mason Currey'How to Enter the Art World: After a late start, a first career, illness, raising childr
Beach bonanza!
This week, Toby Lichtig joins us to mull over what TLS writers are reading this summer; and Hannah Lowe reads a new poem with a botanical theme.'Jamaican Forget-Me-Not', by Hannah LoweProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Toby Lichtig in conversation with Nigel Planer
This week, we continue to enjoy festival season as we listen to Toby Lichtig's conversation with Nigel Planer live from the Hay Festival. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Live From the Hay Festival: Toby talks to Colm Tóibín
This week, we join Toby live from the Hay Festival where he talks to Colm Tóibín where they discuss exile and return, secrets and evasion, the avoidance of drama, and how (not) to end a story.Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Live From the European Writers' Festival with Toby Lichtig
This week, we join Toby live from the European Writer's Festival where he spoke to novelists Beatriz Serrano and Sulaiman Addonia. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Live From the Hay Festival
This week, join us live from Hay Festival. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May Highlights
May has flown by — here's a listen back at some of the conversations we've had this month on The TLS Podcast.We hear from Merlin Holland on the afterlife of his grandfather Oscar Wilde, David Horspool on the luscious world of the lido, Samantha Ellis on Charlotte Brontë's relationship with material reality, and Dinah Birch finds solace in letters and diaries from the past.Produced by Charlotte Par
Antidotes to doomscrolling
This week, Dinah Birch finds solace in letters and diaries from the past, whether they be joyous, heartbreaking or down-to-earth; John Talbot reads us his poem of a very specific corner of London. A Literary Letter for Every Day of the Year, edited by Liz Ison The Writer’s Room: The hidden worlds that shape the books we love by Katie da Cunha Lewin Diaries of Note: 366 l
Fabrications
This week, David Streitfeld takes us to Earthsea and the wonderful imagination of Ursula K. Le Guin; and Samantha Ellis on Charlotte Brontë's relationship with material reality.'The Word for World: The maps of Ursula K. Le Guin', edited by So Mayer and Sarah Shin'Searoad: Chronicles of Klatsand', by Ursula K. Le Guin'Ursula K. Le Guin's Book of Cats''So Far So Good: Final Poems: 2014-2018''A Large
Exclusive: Ed Vulliamy in Full
Here is our exclusive conversation with Ed Vulliamy in full as he gives us a look at the letters between his Great-Aunt Gladys and Ezra Pound.Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
This week, Ed Vulliamy gives us an exclusive look at the letters between his Great-Aunt Gladys and Ezra Pound; and David Horspool dips a toe into the luscious world of the lido.'Lido Land: How Britain Learned to Make a Splash', by Tom FortProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Looking at the Stars
This week, Toby Lichtig on a constellation of new fiction; and Merlin Holland on the afterlife of his grandfather, Oscar Wilde.'The Palm House', by Gwendoline Riley'Devotions: Eight Stories', by Lucy Caldwell'The Tribe', by Michael Arditti'Lázár', by Nelio Biedermann, translated by Jamie Bulloch'You Are the Führer's Unrequited Love', by Jean-Noël Orengo, translated by David Watson'After Oscar: The
April Highlights
April is behind us - here's a look back at some of the conversations we've had this month on The TLS Podcast. We hear from Fiona Stafford on encounters with remarkable trees, Emily Herring on why we should all slow down a little, Emma Smith on how Shakespeare scholarship wrestles with the gaps in what we know, and Sara Wheeler on the monumental task of becoming Jan Morris’s biographer.Produced by
Strike!
This week, Russell Williams on the French writers laying down their pens; and John-Paul Stonard hails a bravura production of Bertolt Brecht.The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, until May 30Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On the Road
This week, Sara Wheeler reflects on monumental task of becoming Jan Morris's biographer; and Abigail Dembo reads us an intriguing new poem.'Jan Morris: A Life', by Sara Wheeler'He Wore His Leather Coat', by Abigail DemboProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Grief Work
Emma Smith on how Shakespeare scholarship grapples with gaps; and Muriel Zagha admires François Ozon's noir adaptation of Camus's classic novel'Book Culture in Shakespeare's Stratford: The Quiney Connections', by Marlin E. Blaine, Lena Cowen Orlin, Robert Bearman and Alan H. Nelson'L'étranger', various cinemasProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf
March Highlights
It's been quite a month on The TLS Podcast, here's a listen back at some of the conversations we've had in March.We hear from Christy Edwall on the joys of being a lifelong bookworm, Sarah Lonsdale on the remarkable Clemence Dane, Julian Evans on two books exploring the link between food and war in Ukraine, and we revisit our interview with the inspirational Michael Morpurgo.Produced by Charlotte
Cool Your Jets!
This week, Emily Herring explains why we all need to take it a bit easier; and Ana Alicia Garza on the novelist whose ancestor inspired a Victorian classic.'In Defence of Leisure: Experiments in living with Marion Milner', by Akshi Singh'The Brain at Rest: Why doing nothing can change your life', by Joseph JebelliOliver Twist & Me: The true story of Dickens's best-loved novel', by Nicholas Bli
That Old Chestnut
This week, John Banville considers the work of a formidable Irish writer; and Fiona Stafford on meetings with remarkable trees.'An Arrow in Flight', by Mary Lavin, selected by Colm Tóibín'The Genius of Trees: How trees mastered the elements and shaped the world', by Harriet RixThe Great Tree Story: How forests have shaped our world', by Levison WoodProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See
Food fights
This week, Julian Evans on two books exploring the link between food and war in Ukraine; and Lily Herd introduces this issue's In Brief reviews.'Strong Roots: A Ukrainian family story, interrupted', by Olia Hercules'Bread and War: A Ukrainian story of food, bravery and hope', by Felicity SpectorIn Brief: 'Postcards, translators and Esperanto pioneers', by Guilherme Fians, Bernhard Struck and Clair
In Conversation with Michael Morpurgo
Here is the interview with Michael Morpurgo in full.Produced by Charlotte Pardu Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From trains to treaties
This week, an interview with the inspirational Michael Morpurgo; and David Horspool discusses the Second World War with Tim Bouverie, the winner of this year's Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize.'The Line to Legend Land', with an introduction by Michael Morpurgo'Black Beauty: A retelling', by Michael Morpurgo'Allies at war: The politics of defeating Hitler', by Tim BouverieProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hos
Revolutionary Roads
This week, the extraordinary stories of two pioneering women: Francesca Wade on Rhoda Power, and Sarah Lonsdale on Clemence Dane.'In the Storm: Caught in the chaos of the Russian revolution 1917-18', by Rhoda Power'Clemence Dane and Good Housekeeping: Modernity and common reading', by Stella DeenProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Full Interview with Francis Spufford
Here is our full conversation with Francis Spufford, he joined us to talk about his new novel, Nonesuch. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Escape Artists
This week, Christy Edwall on the boon of being a bookworm; and Norma Clarke is impressed by a memoir of a childhood survived.'Books: A manifesto, or, How to build a library', by Ian Patterson'The gifts of reading for the next generation: Essays on nurturing a passion for reading', edited by Jennie Orchard'Relearning to read: Adventures in not-knowing', by Ann Morgan'Leaving Home: A memoir in full
February Highlights
As February draws to a close, we’re taking a listen back at some of the conversations we’ve had over the past month on The TLS Podcast.We listen back to Nick Enfield exploring the benefits of playing games, Mary Hitchman on the history of humanity's fascination with the moon, Peter Filkins, winner of the inaugural Freudenheim Translation Prize, joins us with chair of the judges Boyd Tonkin and Dar
Darkness Visible
This week, novelist Francis Spufford explains why the Blitz proved fertile territory for fantasy and the occult; and Darra Goldstein on the hidden properties of kimchi and sourdough. 'Nonesuch', by Francis Spufford'Adventures in Fermentation: From ancient origins to culinary frontiers, an exploration of the microbes that shape the world we live in', by Johnny Drain'Ferment: The life-changing
A Cortège of Snails
This week, Peter Filkins, winner of the inaugural Freudenheim Translation Prize, joins us with chair of the judges Boyd Tonkin to talk about the mercurial genius of Elias Canetti; and a poem in praise of Tuesdays by Jamie McKendrick.'The Book Against Death', by Elias Canetti, translated by Peter Filkins'Mardi Gras', by Jamie McKendrickProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv
Great Balls of Fire
This week, Mary Beard dons her VR set to experience a Roman cataclysm; and Mary Hitchman on the history of humanity's fascination with the moon.'The Last Days of Pompeii: The immersive exhibition', Immerse LDN, Excel, London, until March 15'The Medieval Moon', by Ayoush LazikaniProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Game's Afoot
This week, Nick Enfield explores the benefits of playing games - whether or not you keep score; and Mike Jakeman on how the football World Cup has got bigger and bigger.'The Score: How to stop playing someone else's game', by C Thi Nguyen'World Cup Fever: A footballing journey in nine tournaments', by Simon Kuper'The Power and the Glory: A new history of the World Cup', by Jonathan WilsonProduced
January Highlights: Conversations That Started 2026
As January draws to a close, we take a look back through some of the conversations we have had so far in 2026. First, publisher Alessandro Gallenzi joined us to reveal how he turned literary detective and uncovered Dylan Thomas's youthful plagiarism, then Joanna Kavenna explains why she invented a game to write her new novel, Tristram Fane Saunders surveys the poetic landscape and Maria Scott
Now You See Me
This week, Maria Scott on recently discovered photographs of Jeanne Duval, muse and lover of Charles Baudelaire; and Pratinav Anil weighs up the case for and against reparations.'Reparations: Slavery and the tyranny of imaginary guilt', by Nigel Biggar'The big payback: The case for reparations for slavery and how they would work', by Lenny Henry and Marcus RyderProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted o
This Be The Verse
This week, Tristram Fane Saunders surveys the poetic landscape; and Toby Lichtig on a rediscovered slice of life in 1930s Berlin.'A History of England in 25 Poems', by Catherine Clarke'Rhyme and Reason: A short history of poetry and people (for people who don't usually read poetry)', by Mark Forsyth'Endless Present: Selected articles, reviews and dispatches, 2010-23', by Rory Waterman'The Privatis
Mind Games
This week, Joanna Kavenna explains why she invented a game to write her new novel; how to survive life online; and a new poem.'Seven', by Joanna Kavenna'This Is for Everyone', by Tim Berners-Lee with Stephen Witt'Enshittification: Why everything suddenly got worse and what to do about it', by Cory Doctorow'How to Save the Internet: The threat to global connection in the age of AI and political con
Exclusive: Doubting Thomas
This week, publisher Alessandro Gallenzi reveals how he turned literary detective and uncovered Dylan Thomas's youthful plagiarism; and Norma Clarke on the stunning work of two 18th-century women portrait artists.'Mrs Kauffman and Madame Le Brun: The entwined lives of two great eighteenth-century women artists' by Franny Moyle Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr
Merry Christmas!
This week, we introduce a very festive issue; and Toby Lichtig on the puppeteers pulling the strings of this season's big productions.'The Pelican Child', by Joy Williams'The BFG', by Roald Dahl, adapted by Tom Wells RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon'Pinocchio', by Carlo Collodi, adapted by Charlie Josephine, Globe TheatreProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati
Altogether Elsewhere
This week, Lily Herd heads for outer space in the company of a prodigious imagination; and Andrew Motion joins us with a wonderful new poem.'Collected Stories' by Cixin Liu, translated by John Chu, Andy Dudak et al'All that We See or Seem', by Ken Liu'Snow', by Andrew Motion Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Beyond the bonnet
This week, Devoney Looser on what we don't know about Jane Austen; and Peter Swaab introduces a previously unpublished story by the great Sylvia Townsend Warner. 'Jane Austen in 41 Objects', by Kathryn Sutherland'Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: The women writers who shaped a legend', by Rebecca RomneyJane Austen and George Eliot: The lady and the radical', by Edward Whitley'Wild for Austen
In Transit
This week, Camille Ralphs confides the highs and lows of travelling by Greyhound bus; and Alev Adil boards a train to join current night owls and bygone tourists.'Greyhound', by Joanna Pocock'Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train', by Monisha Rajesh'To the Sea by Train: The Golden Age of Railway Travel', by Andrew MartinProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac
Foundation course
This week, Damian Flanagan explores the complex history of the Japanese masterpiece The Tale of Genji; and Miranda France on the eventful life and enduring work of Miguel de Cervantes.'The Tale of Genji', by Murasaki Shikibu'El Verano de Cervantes', by Antonio Muñoz Molina'El Cautivo', directed by Alejandro AmenábarProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa
Books of the Year
This week, TLS contributors select their favourites from 2025; plus an interview with CD Rose, winner of this year’s Goldsmiths Prize.‘We Live Here Now’, by CD RoseProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Devices and Desires
This week, how well does Alan Hollinghurst's novel The Line of Beauty translate to the stage? And Toby Lichtig interviews the newest winner of the Booker Prize, David Szalay.'The Line of Beauty', by Jack Holden, based on the novel by Alan Hollinghurst, Almeida Theatre, London, until November 29'Flesh', by David SzalayProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor
Motherload
This week, Terri Apter reviews a quartet of books exploring the impact of parenthood on identity, particularly for women; and we revisit Helen Garner, as she wins the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.'Four Mothers: A year of motherhood around the world', by Abigail Leonard'The Republic of Parenthood: On bringing up babies', by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett'Second Life: Having a child in the digital
Scare Stories
This week, Lily Herd introduces us to the concept of Fascist Yoga; and Mark Storey on America’s ghosts.‘Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread’, by Leila Taylor‘Haunted States: An American Gothic Guidebook’, by Miranda CorcoranProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Escape Artists
This week, Margaret Drabble enjoys an enthralling biography of an adventure writer and his entourage; and Thea Lenarduzzi on the gothic mystery at the heart of her new book.'Storyteller: The life of Robert Louis Stevenson', by Leo Damrosch'The Tower', by Thea LenarduzziProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dramatic licence
This week, Mary Beard grapples with a noisy new version of Euripides at the National Theatre; and Norma Clarke on the mysterious world of Helen DeWitt's new novel.'Bacchae', by Nima Taleghani, after Euripedes, Olivier Theatre, National Theatre, London, until November 1'Your Name Here', by Helen DeWitt and Ilya GridneffProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info
What Ho!
This week, Tim Lake explains why Bertie Wooster is not half the dimwit we think he is; and fiction editor Toby Lichtig introduces the novels to look out for this autumn.Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Not All Heroes Wear Capes
This week, Nicola Shulman is entranced by the life of a naturalist; and Larry Wolff enjoys a night at the opera - with added superheroes.'A year with Gilbert White: The first great nature writer', by Jenny Uglow'The amazing adventures of Kavalier & Clay', by Mason Bates and Gene Scheer, based on the book by Michael Chabon, Metropolitan Opera, New York, until October 11Produced by Charlotte Par
All Rise
This week, Richard Sennett delivers a powerful warning to universities to defend their freedom; and Helena Kelly on the revolutionary world that shaped Jane Austen.'The Worlds of Jane Austen: The Influence and Inspiration Behind the Novels', by Helena KellyProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Epic moves
This week, AE Stallings immerses herself in Daniel Mendelsohn's new translation of Homer's Odyssey; and Dinah Birch is intrigued by an ambitious novel twenty years in the making. 'The Odyssey', by Homer, translated by Daniel Mendelsohn 'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny', by Kiran DesaiProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Such stuff as dreams are made on
This week, James Shapiro celebrates New York's love affair with Shakespeare; Mark Nayler goes on the hunt for monsters; and Lily Herd introduces this issue's In Brief pages. 'Monsterland: A journey around the world’s dark imagination', by Nicholas Jubber'The Perilous Deep: A supernatural history of the Atlantic', by Karl BellProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f
Code-breakers
This week, Professor Jonathan Bate on a tiny Elizabethan portrait with an illuminating history; and novelist Gwendoline Riley assesses the mysterious life and work of Dame Muriel Spark.'Electric Spark: The enigma of Muriel Spark', by Frances Wilson'The Letters of Muriel Spark – Volume 1: 1944–1963', edited by Dan GunnProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor
Let's Get Lost
This week, the winner of this year's TLS Ackerley Prize, Jeff Young, discusses his spellbinding memoir; and Toby Lichtig talks to the Australian novelist Michelle de Kretser at this year's Hay Festival.'Wild Twin', by Jeff Young'Theory & Practice', by Michelle de KretserProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In vino veritas
This week, George Berridge instructs Lucy and Alex on the noble art of oenophilia; and Lucy takes in a trio of musicals.'Who's Afraid of Romanée-Conti: A shortcut to drinking great wines', by Dan Keeling'One Thousand Vines: A new way to understand wine', by Pascaline Peltier'Good Night, Oscar', by Doug Wright, Barbican, until September 21'Top Hat', by Irving Berlin, Chichester Festival Theatre, un
A Force of Nature
Alex Clark celebrates the life and work of Edna O'Brien with filmmaker Sinéad O'Shea and novelists Eimear McBride and Jan Carson at this year's Belfast Book Festival.'Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story', by Sinéad O'SheaProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feather weight
This week, a special interview with farmer and writer James Rebanks about a life-changing stay on the Norwegian coast.'The Place of Tides', by James RebanksProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Blowing in the wind
This week, Emile Chabal braces himself against the barrelling force of the Mistral; and Kathryn Hughes is exhilarated by memories of dancing to Dickens in the carpark of the Horsham Odeon.'The Mistral: A Windswept History of Modern France', by Catherine Tatiana Dunlop'Showtime!', at the Charles Dickens Museum, until January 18, 2026Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
Hedging Your Bets
This week, Norma Clarke explores the ancient arts of hedge-laying, thatching, hay-cutting and wood-turning; and highlights from this week's issue.'Words from the Hedge: A hedgelayer’s view of the countryside', by Richard Negus'Of Thorn and Briar: A year with the West Country hedgelayer', by Paul Lamb 'On the Roof: A thatcher’s journey', by Tom Allan'Where Are the Fellows Who Cut the Hay?: How
Across the Pond
This week, Alicia Rix charts Henry James's return to an unrecognisable homeland; and David Horspool on a Victorian conman and a contemporary swimmer.'Henry James Comes Home: Rediscovering America in the Gilded Age', by Peter Brooks'On Writers and Writing: Selected Essays', by Henry James, edited by Michael Gorra'Swimmingly: Adventures in Water', by Vassos AlexanderProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hoste
Letters from America
This week, Michael LaPointe celebrates a century of The Great Gatsby; and Miranda France on an epistolary novel by Natalia Ginzburg.'The Cambridge Centennial Edition of The Great Gatsby', by F Scott Fitzgerald, edited by James LW West III, with an introduction by Sarah Churchwell'The Annotated Great Gatsby', by F Scott Fitzgerald, edited by James LW West III, with an introduction by Amor
HORSE TRADING
This week, Nicola Shulman is staggered by Sarah Vine's account of Westminster rivalry; and James Clackson on the irresistible rise of Indo-European.'How not to be a political wife: A memoir', by Sarah Vine'Proto: How one language went global', by Laura Spinney'The Indo-Europeans rediscovered: How a scientific revolution is rewriting their story', by JP MalloryProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on
DON'T STOP...
... thinking about tomorrow. This week, Michael Caines on a musical inspired by a classic album; and Toby Lichtig talks to Mike Berners-Lee about the future of cliimate action at the Guernsey Literary Festival.'Sterophonic', by David Adjmi, Duke of York’s Theatre, until October 11'A Climate of Truth: Why We Need It and How to Get It', by Mike Berners-LeeProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast.
Seasons in the Sun
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 AitkenProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It All Adds Up
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 MooreProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more
Making Hay
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'
Unearthed Treasures
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 16Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.co
Vagabond Hearts
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 WeymouthProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Days to Remember
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 GarnerProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Big Cheese, Big Apple
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 ShortoProduced by
On our travels
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 7Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Renaissance Men
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 TaylorProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Be not afraid of greatness!
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 CourvoisierProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat
Psychopomp and circumstance
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 changi
Life is a Cabaret
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 Br
Into The Wild
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 KingdonProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hos
Breaking Ground
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.
Making Waves
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 NobleProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva
Once Upon a Time
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 PrideauxProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hidden Realms
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', b
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