Freedom, Books, Flowers & the Moon

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.

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 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', by Marianne BrownProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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'The uncanny muse: Music, art, and machines from automata to AI', by David HajduProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 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 NobleProduced 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 PrideauxProduced 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 IyerProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 CatlingProduced 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 AyoadeProduced 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 TaylorProduced 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 EchenozProduced 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 McInerneyProduced 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, editorsProduced 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 HarkawayProduced 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 HollinghurstProduced 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 CerquigliniProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Toby Lichtig talks to the new Booker Prize-winner Samantha Harvey about her voyage to the stars; and TLS contributors choose their books of the year.‘Orbital', by Samantha HarveyProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Norma Clarke explores the world of 18th-century chameleon Mary Robinson; and Devoney Looser on a soccer player's passion for Virginia Woolf.'Mary Robinson: Actress, mistress, writer, radical', Chawton House, Chawton, Hampshire, until April 21, 2025 'The Striker and the Clock: On Being in the Game', by Georgia CloepfilProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Mary Beard reports on the American election from her billet on Pennysylvania Avenue; plus Regina Rini opens a can of temporal worms in a quest to cure worry.Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special interview, Lucy Dallas meets artist William Kentridge to explore his new set of films.'Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot', by William Kentridge, available on Mubi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Oonagh Devitt Tremblay is intrigued by the multiple voices in Sarah Moss's new memoir; and Lucy Dallas speaks to artist William Kentridge.'My Good Bright Wolf', by Sarah Moss'Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot', by William Kentridge, streaming on Mubi Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Yoojin Grace Wuertz celebrates this year's Nobel Laureate in literature, South Korea's Han Kang; and David Morley reads his new poem, and discusses the link between birds, music and poetry.‘The Vegetarian', ‘Human Acts' and ‘Greek Lessons', by Han Kang‘Beethoven's Yellowhammer', by David MorleyProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Lisa Hilton on the truth behind life as a 'grand horizontale'; and Juliette Bretan explores why Virginia Woolf served up boeuf en daube in To the Lighthouse.'Kingmaker: Pamela Churchill Harriman's astonishing life of seduction, intrigue and power', by Sonia Purnell'Europe in British Literature and Culture', edited by Petra Rau and William T RossiterProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Larry Wolff admires an opera propelled by drone warfare; and Edward Carey describes how a love of theatre inspired his new novel.'Grounded', by Jeanine Tesori, libretto by George Brant, Metropolitan Opera, New York, until October 19'Edith Holler', by Edward CareyProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we start with Donna Summer and finish with a Scotch Woodcock, as Milo Nesbitt goes in search of the future of music, and Roger Domeneghetti sings the praises of a little fish with a big flavour.'Futuromania: Electronic dreams, desiring machines and tomorrow's music today', by Simon Reynolds'A Twist in the Tail: How the humble anchovy flavoured western cuisine', by Christopher BeckmanProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Toby Lichtig previews the season's fictional highlights; and Ann Manov on Sally Rooney's latest gambit.‘Creation Lake', by Rachel Kushner‘Intermezzo', by Sally RooneyProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, typographer Tom Cook on the fonts of all knowledge; and Graham Daseler explores Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler's firecracker relationship.'Albertus: The Biography of a Typeface', by Simon Garfield'Baskerville: The Biography of a Typeface', by Simon Garfield'Comic Sans: The Biography of a Typeface', by Simon Garfield'From the Moment They Met it was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir', by Alain Silver and James UrsiniProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Mary Beard joins us to explain why two recently discovered fragments of Euripides are big news; and an interview with director James Macdonald and actor Lucian Msamati on their new production of Waiting for Godot.'Ino' and 'Polyidus', by Euripides'Waiting for Godot', by Samuel Beckett, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, until December 14 2024Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, medieval spells and modern cures, as we look back at some podcast highlights with Mary C Flannery and Charles Foster.'Textual Magic: Charms and Written Amulets in Medieval England', by Katherine Storm Hindley'Ten Trips: The new reality of psychedelics', by Andy Mitchell'Psychedelics: The revolutionary drugs that could change your life – a guide from the expert', by David Nutt'I feel love: MDMA and the quest for connection in a fractured world', by Rachel Nuwer'Psychonauts: Drugs and the making of the modern mind', by Mike JayProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Lucy and Alex are joined by Amber Massie-Blomfield, who discusses her new book about the connections between art and protest.'Acts of Resistance: The Power of Art to Create a Better World', byAmber Massie-BlomfieldProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Lucy and Alex are joined by the novelist David Peace, who explains what drew him to writing about the 1958 Munich Air Disaster.'Munichs', by David PeaceProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we take a look back at Fintan O'Toole's pre-election assessment of Keir Starmer; and revisit a conversation with William Boyd.'Keir Starmer: The Biography', by Tom Baldwin'November 1942: An Intimate History of the Turning Point of World WarII', by Peter Englund', translated by Peter GravesProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Philip Ball assesses the anxiety about AI - and provides some reassurance; and Jane Robinson on Emily Davies, the woman who founded Girton College, Cambridge.'Moral AI: And how we get there', by Jana Schaich Borg, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Vincent Conitzer'The AI Mirror: How to reclaim our humanity in an age of machine thinking', by Shannon Vallor'Robots and the People Who Love Them: Holding on to our humanity in an age of social robots', by Eve Herold'The Atomic Human: Understanding ourselves in the Age of AI', by Neil D. Lawrence'Emily Davies and the Mid-Victorian Women's Movement', by John HendryProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Isaac Nowell takes us out in all weathers, Sean O'Brien reads a new poem, and Norma Clarke on a fascinating story of exile and doomed love.'In All Weathers: A Journey Through Rain, Fog, Wind, Ice andEverything in Between', by Matt Gaw'Fingerpost', by Sean O'Brien'In Pursuit of Love: The Search for Victor Hugo's Daughter', by Mark BostridgeProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Anna Katharina Schaffner on a top-to-tail exploration of deportment; and Toby Lichtig in conversation with novelist Hari Kunzru at the Hay Festival.'Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America', by Beth Linker'Blue Ruin', by Hari KunzruProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Lily Herd on a child's-eye view of rockstar royalty; and Toby Lichtig talks to novelist Chigozie Obioma at the Hay Festival.'My Family and Other Rock Stars', by Tiffany Murray'The Road to the Country', by Chigozie ObiomaProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Heather O'Donoghue puzzles over the locked rooms and red herrings of the crime genre; and Josh Raymond on an animated attempt to understand teenage turmoil.'The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators', by Martin Edwards'Inside Out 2'Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we accompany Stephen Sawyer on a speeded-up saunter through the arrondissements; and Toby Lichtig in conversation with Rory Stewart at the Hay Festival.'Impossible City: Paris in the Twenty-First Century', by Simon Kuper'The Zone: An Alternative History of Paris', by Justinien Tribillon'Politics on the Edge', by Rory StewartProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, TLS editors and writers guide you through a summer of reading; and Sarah Watling explores the extraordinary story of an artistic double act.'Dorothy Hepworth and Patricia Preece: An Untold Story', Charleston, Lewes, Sussex'The Secret Art of Dorothy Hepworth, aka Patricia Preece', by Denys J. WilcoxProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Ben Hutchinson on the making of Franz Kafka, a century after the writer's death; and an interview with Roz Dineen about her vision of climate catastrophe and societal collapse.'Kafka: Making of an icon', Weston Library, Bodleian, Oxford, until October 27Accompanying book edited by Ritchie Robertson'Briefly Very Beautiful', by Roz DineenProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for at the Hay Festival for a conversation encompassing portals to other worlds, rock bands, improbable giraffes and the travails of the M4.'Impossible Creatures', by Katherine Rundell'One Ukrainian Summer: A Memoir About Falling in Love and Coming of Age in the Former USSR', by Viv GroskopProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we hear from two international prize-winning authors, Jenny Erpenbeck and Mircea Cărtărescu.'Kairos' by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann'Solenoid' by Mircea Cărtărescu, translated by Sean CotterProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, writers including Andrew O'Hagan, Rose Tremain, Ayobami Adebayo and Marian Keyes select their most memorable sporting moments; and we drop in on the European Writers' Festival at the British Library.Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at the busy afterlives of two canonical characters: Nathalie Olah on Tom Ripley and Emelyne Godfrey on Sherlock Holmes.'Ripley', on Netflix'The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes: The inspiration behind the world's greatest detective', by Andrew LycettProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Susan Owens explores the surreal and vivid life of the artist Eileen Agar; and Rosie Goldsmith, curator of the European Writers' Festival, joins us to explain what's on the bill.'A Look at My Life', by Eileen AgarThe European Writers' Festival, the British Library, London, 18-19 May 2024Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.