The TLS Podcast
583 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 134 ratingsA weekly podcast on books and culture brought to you by the writers and editors of the Times Literary Supplement.
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Episodes
Simon McBurney of Complicité - "We've always been interested in the idea of connection"
December 18, 2022 23:59 - 39 minutes - 45.2 MBSimon 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.
The Power of Connections
December 15, 2022 10:35 - 47 minutes - 54.9 MBThis 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.
The Road To St Helena
December 11, 2022 23:59 - 21 minutes - 24.7 MBAlan 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.
Female Perspectives Take Centre Stage
December 08, 2022 10:00 - 45 minutes - 52.3 MBThis 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 informati...
His Biggest Role
December 04, 2022 23:59 - 21 minutes - 24.9 MBAnna 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.
Roman Coins And Radical Rosa Bonheur
December 01, 2022 10:00 - 48 minutes - 55.7 MBThis 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.
Conquering Sociopaths
November 28, 2022 10:38 - 16 minutes - 18.8 MBMichele 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.
“It Is An Astonishment To Be Alive”
November 24, 2022 10:00 - 53 minutes - 60.8 MBThis 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.
End Of The Road
November 20, 2022 23:59 - 24 minutes - 27.5 MBGeorge 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.
Bearing Witness To Terror
November 17, 2022 10:11 - 47 minutes - 54.3 MBThis 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.
Tinker, Tailor, Lover, Spy
November 13, 2022 23:59 - 16 minutes - 19.3 MBRobert 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.
Men On A Mission
November 10, 2022 09:59 - 46 minutes - 53.8 MBThis 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 wor...
One Step Beyond
November 06, 2022 23:59 - 19 minutes - 22.5 MBColin 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.
Who Knows Where The Time Goes
November 03, 2022 10:00 - 45 minutes - 52.6 MBThis 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.
Big Unfriendly Giant
October 30, 2022 23:59 - 14 minutes - 16.8 MBSam 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.
From Battleground to Billiard Table
October 27, 2022 10:18 - 47 minutes - 54.2 MBThis 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 B...
Acid Raine
October 23, 2022 22:59 - 12 minutes - 14.1 MBLaura 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.
A Journey Into The Ambiguous Afterlife
October 20, 2022 09:00 - 52 minutes - 60.3 MBThis 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.
Beyond Flesh and Blood
October 16, 2022 22:59 - 24 minutes - 28.3 MBMichele 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.
Measuring Our Lives, One Reindeer At A Time
October 13, 2022 09:00 - 48 minutes - 55.9 MBRichard 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.
What's For Dinner?
October 09, 2022 22:59 - 26 minutes - 30.3 MBBill 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.
United We Stand
October 06, 2022 09:03 - 48 minutes - 55.6 MBSofia 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 Par...
If We Only Had Eyes To See
October 02, 2022 22:59 - 12 minutes - 14.4 MBCharles 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.
Marching To Their Own Tune
September 29, 2022 08:54 - 49 minutes - 56.8 MBThis 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.
Vaccines On Stage, Elves On Screen
September 22, 2022 09:00 - 43 minutes - 49.7 MBThis 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.
Elizabeth II in History
September 18, 2022 23:15 - 15 minutes - 18.2 MBJane Ridley looks back at the Queen’s eight-decade reign Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Rise of Your Frenemy’s Sourdough
September 15, 2022 10:25 - 45 minutes - 51.8 MBThis 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, translate...
The Hour Of Our Death
September 11, 2022 22:59 - 24 minutes - 27.9 MBEmily 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/priv...
Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?
September 08, 2022 09:57 - 58 minutes - 67.3 MBThis 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.
Our New Gilded Age
September 04, 2022 22:59 - 13 minutes - 15.8 MBNat 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.
Women In Cages, Everywhere
September 01, 2022 09:16 - 55 minutes - 63.8 MBAlex 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 Pr...
In Which Summer’s Lease Runs Out
August 25, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 72 MBIn 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.
Earth Matters
August 18, 2022 09:00 - 53 minutes - 61.6 MBThis 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.
Visionaries Revisited
August 11, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 71.2 MBIn 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.
Summer Breeze
August 04, 2022 09:00 - 52 minutes - 60.6 MBThis 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.
Revolutionary Roads
July 28, 2022 08:50 - 47 minutes - 54.9 MBThis 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/p...
Boys And Their Toys
July 21, 2022 09:56 - 52 minutes - 60 MBThis 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 Par...
Paradise Lost and Particles Found
July 14, 2022 09:00 - 50 minutes - 58.4 MBThis 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.
Making Waves: An Oceanic Austen And A Modern Orwell
July 07, 2022 08:58 - 53 minutes - 61.7 MBAlex 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.
From Mountain Passes To Streets Paved With Gold
June 30, 2022 09:00 - 45 minutes - 690 MBThis 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.
Lazing On A Sunny Afternoon
June 23, 2022 09:00 - 56 minutes - 65 MBThis 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.
Kidneys, Plums and Free Love
June 16, 2022 09:04 - 51 minutes - 58.9 MBThis 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.
The TLS podcast at the Hay Festival
June 08, 2022 21:54 - 55 minutes - 75.6 MBJoin 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...
The Ebb and Flow of Power
June 02, 2022 09:40 - 56 minutes - 412 MBThis 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 mo...
Liberté, Égalité and Fraternité
May 26, 2022 06:30 - 1 hour - 449 MBThis 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 ...
Mementoes and Mayhem
May 19, 2022 08:47 - 52 minutes - 388 MBThis 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...
Free-thinking Dinners in the Age of Revolutions
May 11, 2022 23:01 - 50 minutes - 68.9 MBThis week, Lucy Dallas is joined by Kathryn Sutherland to tuck into the three o'clock dinners of Joseph Johnson, publisher and friend of Mary Wollstonecraft, Joseph Priestley, Henry Fuseli, Williams Blake and Wordsworth, and many more great minds of that era. And Boyd Tonkin explains that Napoleon's conqueror, the "Iron Duke" of Wellington, had a great and unexpected gift for friendship - with women. 'Dinner with Joseph Johnson' by Daisy Hay 'Wellington, women and friendship' at Apsley Hou...
The Shape Of Things To Come
May 05, 2022 06:25 - 1 hour - 84.5 MBThis week, Lucy Dallas and Alex Clark are joined by Joe Moran to explore the strange world of precognition, and Elizabeth Lowry is bowled over by the iconoclastic work of South African multimedia artist William Kentridge. Plus great news for Terry Pratchett fans, as an all-star cast records his much-loved Discworld series. 'The Premonitions Bureau’ by Sam Knight ‘SYBIL’ by William Kentridge Produced by Sophia Franklin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Birds and the Bees, and Books Made of Cheese
April 28, 2022 05:32 - 1 hour - 82.4 MBThis week, Lucy Dallas and Alex Clark are joined by Carol Tavris to discuss two wide-ranging works of biology that cast fascinating light on our understanding of sexual behaviour and gender identity throughout the animal and human world. And James Waddell explores a “bibliobiography” by a Shakespeare scholar that digs deep into centuries of books and their readers - from “shelfies” to book burning to the historical precedent for Jilly Cooper’s Riders. 'Different: Gender through the eyes of ...
Lives, Interrupted
April 21, 2022 08:03 - 58 minutes - 80.8 MBThis week, Lucy Dallas and Alex Clark are joined by Nat Segnit to discuss the long reach of the gambling industry and the music of chance, and Kevin Brazil brings to life a dystopian novel from 1977. ‘Jackpot: How Gambling Conquered Britain’ by Rob Davies ‘Might Bite: The Secret Life of a Gambling Addict’ by Patrick Foster, with Will Macpherson ‘Big Snake Little Snake: An Inquiry into Risk’ by DBC Pierre ’They’ by Kay Dick Produced by Sophia Franklin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...