Podcast appearances and mentions of Antonia Fraser

During March we've had Women's History Month, and in that vein I invited two Aspects of History authors on to discuss. Sarah Gristwood is a historian and the editor of the recent Secret Voices, and Miranda Malins is a novelist and historian, and is currently writing a non fiction book on the Cromwell dynasty. We discuss whether we need Women's History months and the challenges facing women in history, and women writing history. Aspects of History has produced an anthology of female writing, Herstory, which is available in the show notes, and throughout March our Substack has featured many women historians and fiction writers. Women's History Links Herstory - Aspects of History Anthology featuring authors including Antonia Fraser and Lucy Worsley Aspects of History's Substack Secret Voices, A Year of Women's Diaries, Edited by Sarah Gristwood The Puritan Princess & The Rebel Daughter, by Miranda Malins Aspects of History Links Latest Issue out - Annual Subscription to Aspects of History Magazine only $9.99/£9.99 Ollie on X Aspects of History on Instagram Get in touch: history@aspectsofhistory.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Episode 213! BookTuber Shawn Breathes Books joins us to celebrate Jenny Colvin and “I'll Have What You're Reading,” the memorial buddy read we jointly hosted with him the last few months. We also discuss Andrea Robbin Skinner's recent revelation about her mother, Alice Munro, and how it has impacted us as readers. Some other highlights: In #CurrentlyReading, we are each reading another chunkster for Sue Jackson's #BigBookSummer: Emily is cooling off with THE SNOW CHILD by Eowyn Ivey, and Chris is going back in time with MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS by Antonia Fraser. We have a spoiler-free conversation about FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliot Dark which we both enjoyed. Short stories read since the last episode: “Janus” by Ann Beattie and “In the Gloaming” by Alice Elliott Dark both from the collection THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES OF THE CENTURY edited by John Updike and Katrina Kenison. “A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You” by Amy Bloom from the collection A BLIND MAN COULD SEE HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU: STORIES. “Uncle Valentine” by Willa Cather in UNCLE VALENTINE AND OTHER STORIES, edited by Bernice Slote “The Birds” by Daphne du Maurier from the collection THE BIRDS AND OTHER STORIES [This collection was first published in the UK in 1952 with the title, THE APPLE TREE: A SHORT NOVEL AND SEVERAL LONG STORIES] In Biblio Adventures, we recap the great day we had on Long Island, NY We took a ferry from New London, CT, to Orient Point, NY, then drove south to the Barnes and Noble in Bridgehampton to check out their new store layout. Then we headed north to Sag Harbor, where we were delighted by a John Steinbeck and Charley sculpture (“Assistant Editor” by Seward Johnson) and explored Sag Harbor Books. Other stops included Black Cat Books on Shelter Island and the Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport. Check out our vlog of the day on our YouTube channel Emily had a Couch Biblio Adventure, thanks to our listener Kathy who told us about a conversation with Percival Everett, Cord Jefferson, and Jelani Cobb via City Arts & Lectures Chris watched LETTERS TO JULIET, a rom-com inspired by the book of the same name by Eve Friedman and Ceil Jann Friedman. She also went on a quick shopping spree at McNally Jackson Books at Rockefeller Center. A reminder that our third quarter readalong is ENVY, by Sandra Brown. There are a few spots left for our Zoom discussion on Sunday, 9/15, at 7 pm ET. Email us if you'd like to join us. bookcougars at gmail dot com. Thanks for listening, and Happy Reading! https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2024/episode213

Soutenez nous sur PatreonForfait 3€ épisode en accès anticipé sans pubForfait 5 € épisode en accès anticipé sans Pub + Accès aux Podcasts Exclusifs A l'occasion de la sortie prochaine de Megalopolis de Francis Ford Coppola, projet personnel à plus de 120 millions de dollars. Qui malheureusement n'a pas eu l'effet escompté et s'est retrouvé hué au Festival de Cannes de cette année. Profitons pour revenir sur un autre film de la famille Coppola qui a énervé pas mal de journalistes surtout Français avec Marie-Antoinette de Sofia Coppola. Coproduction entre la France, les Etats-Unis et le Japon, produit par Sony, Pathé, Papa Coppola et la Tohokushinsha. Tournée à Versailles, Paris, Melun, Chantilly et Vienne avec un budget de 40 Millions de dollars, écrit et réalisé par Sofia Coppola basé sur le roman biographique semi fictionnel de Antonia Fraser, Marie Antoinette : The Journey sorti en 2001. Le Film est mis en lumière par Lance Acord déjà derrière Lost In Translation le précédent film de la réalisatrice, également de Buffalo 66 de Vincent Gallo, Dans la peau de John Malkovich et Adaptation réalisé par Spike Jonze, l'ex conjoint de Sofia Coppola. Musique de Dustin O'Halloran qui se fait étouffer par Aphex Twin, les Strokes, Adam & The Ants, The Cure, la seule surprise c'est qu'il n'y a pas Phoenix dans l'ost mais la version suédoise The Radio Department Durant le XVIII ème siècle, Au sortir de l'adolescence, Marie-Antoinette sous les traits de Kirsten Dunst découvre un monde hostile et codifié, un univers frivole où chacun observe et juge l'autre sans aménité. Mariée à un homme maladroit, Louis XVI interprété par Jason Schwartzman qui la délaisse, elle est rapidement lassée par les devoirs de représentation qu'on lui impose. Elle s'évade dans l'ivresse de la fête et les plaisirs des sens pour réinventer un monde à elle. Soutenez nous sur PatreonForfait 3€ épisode en accès anticipé sans pubForfait 5 € épisode en accès anticipé sans Pub + Accès aux Podcasts Exclusifs La liste de la Shitlist sur Senscritique https://www.senscritique.com/liste/la_shitlist/3657768? La liste de la Shitlist sur Letterboxd par WongKarWaifu https://boxd.it/pQN3e Soutenez nous sur PatreonForfait 3€ épisode en accès anticipé sans pubForfait 5 € épisode en accès anticipé sans Pub + Accès aux Podcasts Exclusifs Si vous souhaitez soutenir ou aider notre Podcast Shitlist gratuitementNous vous demandons simplement de mettre des commentaires 5 étoiles avec un joli commentaire sur Apple Podcasts, Itunes ou Podcast Addict en vous remerciant par avance. Par ailleurs vous avez toujours la possibilité de nous envoyer vos suggestions de sujet pour qu'on en parle dans l'émission à l'adresse suivante shitlistpodcast@gmail.com Enregistré en live sur notre chaîne twitch ABONNEZ-VOUS ! Rattrapez le live sur notre chaine youtube Ne ratez aucun numéro, suivez-nous sur Twitter et Instagram Chroniqueur : Wonder VESPER et Karim BERRADIA et présenté par Luc LE GONIDEC Host : Luc LE GONIDECMusique Jean Baptise BLAISMontage et mixage son : Luc LE GONIDEC

We begin Episode 204 with the announcement of our second quarter readalong in our year of reading romance and end with a delightful conversation with author Allison Pataki about her fabulous new novel, FINDING MARGARET FULLER. Since our last episode, Emily has continued with her intention of reading a short story every Monday. She read “Lot” by Bryan Washington from the story collection LOT: Stories and “Postcards from Heaven” from REUNION BEACH: Stories Inspired by Dorothea Benton Frank. Chris also read a short story, “Consequences” by Willa Cather from the story collection UNCLE VALENTINE AND OTHER STORIES. We each read an excellent novel – we're talking Top 10 contenders! Emily read THE FROZEN RIVERr by Ariel Lawhon and Chris finished WE GOT THE BEAT by Jenna Miller. In Biblio Adventures, Chris has rekindled a childhood fascination with Mary Stuart (aka Mary I of Scotland or Mary, Queen of Scots). She watched two movies: Mary, Queen of Scots starring Vanessa Redgrave, and Mary Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan based on John Guy's biography QUEEN OF SCOTS: The True Life of Mary Stuart. She plans to read Antonia Fraser's biography, Mary, Queen of Scots for Big Book Summer. Emily took a trip to Wilmington, NC where she tried unsuccessfully to shop at Papercuts Bookshop because it was closed for inventory. She did find two Little Free Libraries where she picked up THIRTEEN MOONS by Charles Frazier, INTIMACIES by Katie Kitamura, and EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. Back in CT, Emily went to the North Haven public library where she purchased LOTt: Stories by Bryan Washington and WHO'S IRISH?: Stories by Gish Jen from the Friends of the Library sale, and attended a presentation with Linda Civitello author of BAKING POWDER WARS: The Cutthroat Food Fight That Revolutionized Cooking.

In the second episode of a new series, interviewer Chloe Fox talks to the 91 year-old historian, Lady Antonia Fraser about her remarkable childhood, the holiness of painting your nails frosted pink and whether women need to be a tiny bit selfish to succeed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Natasha Fraser "Harold ! Ma jeunesse avec Harold Pinter" (Grasset) Traduit de l'anglais par François Rosso. Harold Pinter (1930-2008), prix Nobel de littérature 2005, est un des plus grands dramaturges du XXe siècle. Né dans une famille juive de l'Est de Londres, fils d'un tailleur pour hommes, élevé dans un quartier pauvre et populaire, il est devenu une célébrité mondiale par la seule force de son talent. En janvier 1975, il rencontre la fameuse biographe Antonia Fraser, éminente membre de l'aristocratie britannique. Ce coup de foudre les entrainera en effet à quitter leurs conjoints respectifs.  A l'âge de onze ans, Natasha Fraser, voit sa vie bouleversée par l'arrivée dans sa famille de ce génie. Elevée dans « les meilleures écoles », apprenant à « bien se tenir », elle découvre qu'une autre vie existe, consacrée à l'art. Dans la garde-robe d'Harold Pinter, c'était le noir qui dominait. Et pourtant, il n'écrivait ses chefs-d'œuvre que sur des grandes feuilles de couleur paille. Sportif, il adorait tout de blanc vêtu, jouer au cricket. Sa Mercedes décapotable couleur argent éclipsait toutes les autres. Et il y avait surtout la magie du théâtre  : le regarder absorber le déroulement d'une pièce, c'était regarder quelqu'un qui embrassait toute la scène à 360°. Un Pinter intime comme on ne l'avait jamais montré. Musique : "Falling in love again" Marlène Dietrich   Mozart « Clarinet concerto en A major" K.622 adagio. Sabine Meyer 232   

Ep 182 is loose and things are a little different this week! We have the scandalous tale of a diamond necklace that brought down Queen Marie Antoinette. And we are joined by queen of podcasting Emma Ozenbrook as poor Nick is unwell this week.What made this necklace so important? What do you really knowabout dear Marie? And how many Les Mis songs can Emma fit into this show?The secret ingredient is...a diamond necklace! Listen to Real Life Ghost Stories wherever you get your podcastshttps://www.reallifeghoststoriespodcast.com/ Get cocktails and historic true crime tales every week with ThePoisoners' Cabinet. Listen to the Podcast on iTunes, Spotify and find us onAcast: https://shows.acast.com/thepoisonerscabinet Join us Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepoisonerscabinetFind us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thepoisonerscabinetFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoisonerscabinet/Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePoisonersCabinetTalk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepoisonerscab Sources this week include the Chateau Versailles, How StuffWorks, History Today, Britannica, Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser, Wiki andHistory Extra. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

De todos los monarcas escoceses María Estuardo es el más famoso. Fue también el último en reinar sobre una Escocia por entero independiente y el que seguramente más desdichas personales padeció. Hija casi póstuma de Jacobo V, fue coronada a los seis días de nacer. En aquel momento Gran Bretaña se desangraba en guerras religiosas, por lo que su madre, la francesa María de Guisa, la envió a Francia donde fue prometida con el delfín Francisco de Valois, hijo de Enrique II. Allí pasó casi toda su infancia y llegó a ser incluso reina consorte de Francia cuando Francisco ascendió al trono en 1559. Durante año y medio Francisco y María fueron a un tiempo reyes de Francia y Escocia, justo lo que María de Guisa había buscado para emparedar a la Inglaterra de Isabel I que codiciaba la corona escocesa y perseguía a los católicos. La temprana muerte de Francisco cuando tenía sólo 16 años le obligó a regresar a Escocia, donde no fue del todo bien recibida. En 1560 el parlamento había aprobado el acta de reforma en virtud de la cual el reino pasaba a ser oficialmente protestante y se prohibía la celebración de misas católicas. Pero María había nacido y se había criado como católica. No estaba dispuesta a renunciar a su fe, pero si a contemporizar con los escoceses reformados, muchos de ellos poderosos aristócratas que miraban a Isabel de Inglaterra como su verdadera reina. Isabel veía en María simple competencia ya que, en tanto que su abuela era Margarita Tudor, hermana de Enrique VIII, se situaba tras ella en la sucesión al trono de Inglaterra. Si Isabel no se casaba y concebía descendencia serían los hijos de María quienes heredasen el trono inglés. El matrimonio entre María y Francisco II de Francia fue breve y no tuvieron hijos, pero a su regreso a Escocia se casó con su primo Enrique Estuardo, más conocido como Lord Darnley, católico como ella, con quien tuvo un hijo, el príncipe Jacobo que, con el correr de los años terminaría reinando en Escocia e Inglaterra. María no tuvo tanta suerte como su hijo. Se vio involucrada en el asesinato de Lord Darnley y poco después contrajo matrimonio con uno de sus asesinos, James Hepburn, un conde escocés muy impopular. El último matrimonio provocó una revuelta de varios aristócratas que se alzaron en armas contra la corona. Estalló una breve guerra civil que concluyó con la abdicación de María en su hijo, todavía un niño de corta edad. Tras ello fue recluida en un castillo, pero la reina se las apañó para fugarse y huir a Inglaterra, donde esperaba que su prima se apiadase de ella y la ayudase a recuperar el trono escocés. Pero Isabel no estaba por la labor de hacerlo, temerosa de los católicos, sospechaba que María tuviese la tentación de arrebatarle la corona. La mantuvo encerrada en varios castillos durante 18 años mientras realizaba una investigación que aclarase quién había mandado asesinar a Lord Darnley. Fue sometida a juicio y condenada a muerte. La sentencia se ejecutó en febrero de 1587 en el castillo de Fotheringhay, en el centro de Inglaterra, a no mucha distancia de la ciudad de Peterborough en cuya catedral fueron enterrados sus restos junto a los de Catalina de Aragón, otra reina casi tan desdichada como ella. Años más tarde su hijo Jacobo ordenaría que fuesen trasladados hasta la abadía de Westminster. La figura de María Estuardo es importante desde el punto de vista histórico en tanto que ella fue la última reina de Escocia y la madre del primero de los monarcas comunes para las dos coronas. Su trágica y agitada vida personal ha sido también un regalo para novelistas y cineastas, que entre los siglos XIX y XX la convirtieron en una suerte de reina malvada, asesina y adúltera, la contraparte necesaria de la virtuosa Isabel. Para conocerla más a fondo tenemos hoy en La ContraHistoria a un invitado que todos los contraescuchas conocéis bien: don Alberto Garín García, autor de la “Historia irreverente del arte” y desde hace un año youtuber de éxito con su programa Sierra de Historias. Bibliografía: - "María Estuardo" de Stefan Zweig - https://amzn.to/3utYdew - "María Estuardo" de Alexandre Dumas - https://amzn.to/3SQnolL - "María Estuardo, reina de Escocia" de Laurel Rockefeller - https://amzn.to/3RdaAEP - "María Estuardo" de Antonia Fraser - https://amzn.to/3RbxMTP · Canal de Telegram: https://t.me/lacontracronica · “Hispanos. Breve historia de los pueblos de habla hispana”… https://amzn.to/428js1G · “La ContraHistoria de España. Auge, caída y vuelta a empezar de un país en 28 episodios”… https://amzn.to/3kXcZ6i · “Lutero, Calvino y Trento, la Reforma que no fue”… https://amzn.to/3shKOlK · “La ContraHistoria del comunismo”… https://amzn.to/39QP2KE Apoya La Contra en: · Patreon... https://www.patreon.com/diazvillanueva · iVoox... https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-contracronica_sq_f1267769_1.html · Paypal... https://www.paypal.me/diazvillanueva Sígueme en: · Web... https://diazvillanueva.com · Twitter... https://twitter.com/diazvillanueva · Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/fernandodiazvillanueva1/ · Instagram... https://www.instagram.com/diazvillanueva · Linkedin… https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernando-d%C3%ADaz-villanueva-7303865/ · Flickr... https://www.flickr.com/photos/147276463@N05/?/ · Pinterest... https://www.pinterest.com/fernandodiazvillanueva Encuentra mis libros en: · Amazon... https://www.amazon.es/Fernando-Diaz-Villanueva/e/B00J2ASBXM #FernandoDiazVillanueva #albertogarin #mariaestuardo Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Ormond's coalition collapses, as Henry Ireton takes over from Cromwell. Check out the podcast website or join the mailing list! Check out Pax Britannica Merch! Facebook | Twitter | Patreon | Donate For this episode, I found the following publications particularly useful: John Cunningham, ‘Politics, 1641-1660', Cambridge History of Ireland Elaine Murphy, Micheál Ó Siochrú, Jason Peacey, John Morril, eds. The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Crmwell: Volume II, 2022. Antonia Fraser, Cromwell: Our Chief of Men David Edwards, ‘Political Change and Social Transformation, 1603-1641', Cambridge History of Ireland Ian Gentles, The English Revolution and the Wars in the Three Kingdoms, 1638-1652 John Jeremiah Cronin and Padraig Lenihan, ‘Wars of Religion, 1641-1691', Cambridge History of Ireland Patrick Little, Lord Broghill and the Cromwellian Union with Ireland and Scotland, 2004 Nick Lipscombe, The English Civil War: An Atlas and Concise History of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, 1639-51 Micheál Ó Siochrú, (ed.) Kingdoms in Crisis: Ireland in the 1640s, 2000 Micheál Ó Siochrú, Confederate Ireland, 1642-1649, 1999 Micheál Ó Siochrú, God's Executioner: Oliver Cromwell and the Conquest of Ireland Pádraig Lenihan, Confederate Catholics at War, 1641-49, 2001 Pádraig Lenihan, 'Siege Massacres in Ireland: Drogheda in Context', in Martyn Bennett, Raymond Gillespie, and Scott Spurlock (eds), Cromwell and Ireland: New Perspectives Wheeler, James Scott, 'Ormond and Cromwell: The Struggle for Ireland', in Martyn Bennett, Raymond Gillespie, and Scott Spurlock (eds), Cromwell and Ireland: New Perspectives Martyn Bennett, ‘God's Wall of Brass: Cromwell's Generals in Ireland, 1649-1650' in Martyn Bennett, Raymond Gillespie, and Scott Spurlock (eds), Cromwell and Ireland: New Perspectives Derek Hirst, ‘Security and Reform in England's Other Nations, 1649-1658', in Michael J. Braddick. The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cromwell's campaign in Ireland comes to an end, with a high cost for the New Model Army at Clonmel. Check out the podcast website or join the mailing list! Check out Pax Britannica Merch! Facebook | Twitter | Patreon | Donate For this episode, I found the following publications particularly useful: John Cunningham, ‘Politics, 1641-1660', Cambridge History of Ireland Elaine Murphy, Micheál Ó Siochrú, Jason Peacey, John Morril, eds. The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Crmwell: Volume II, 2022. Antonia Fraser, Cromwell: Our Chief of Men David Edwards, ‘Political Change and Social Transformation, 1603-1641', Cambridge History of Ireland Ian Gentles, The English Revolution and the Wars in the Three Kingdoms, 1638-1652 John Jeremiah Cronin and Padraig Lenihan, ‘Wars of Religion, 1641-1691', Cambridge History of Ireland Patrick Little, Lord Broghill and the Cromwellian Union with Ireland and Scotland, 2004 Nick Lipscombe, The English Civil War: An Atlas and Concise History of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, 1639-51 Micheál Ó Siochrú, (ed.) Kingdoms in Crisis: Ireland in the 1640s, 2000 Micheál Ó Siochrú, Confederate Ireland, 1642-1649, 1999 Micheál Ó Siochrú, God's Executioner: Oliver Cromwell and the Conquest of Ireland Pádraig Lenihan, Confederate Catholics at War, 1641-49, 2001 Pádraig Lenihan, 'Siege Massacres in Ireland: Drogheda in Context', in Martyn Bennett, Raymond Gillespie, and Scott Spurlock (eds), Cromwell and Ireland: New Perspectives Wheeler, James Scott, 'Ormond and Cromwell: The Struggle for Ireland', in Martyn Bennett, Raymond Gillespie, and Scott Spurlock (eds), Cromwell and Ireland: New Perspectives Martyn Bennett, ‘God's Wall of Brass: Cromwell's Generals in Ireland, 1649-1650' in Martyn Bennett, Raymond Gillespie, and Scott Spurlock (eds), Cromwell and Ireland: New Perspectives Derek Hirst, ‘Security and Reform in England's Other Nations, 1649-1658', in Michael J. Braddick. The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After sacking Drogheda and securing the path into Ulster, Cromwell marches south towards the port town of Wexford. History doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme. Check out the podcast website or join the mailing list! Check out Pax Britannica Merch! Facebook | Twitter | Patreon | Donate For this episode, I found the following publications particularly useful: John Cunningham, ‘Politics, 1641-1660', Cambridge History of Ireland Elaine Murphy, Micheál Ó Siochrú, Jason Peacey, John Morril, eds. The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Crmwell: Volume II, 2022. Antonia Fraser, Cromwell: Our Chief of Men David Edwards, ‘Political Change and Social Transformation, 1603-1641', Cambridge History of Ireland Ian Gentles, The English Revolution and the Wars in the Three Kingdoms, 1638-1652 John Jeremiah Cronin and Padraig Lenihan, ‘Wars of Religion, 1641-1691', Cambridge History of Ireland Patrick Little, Lord Broghill and the Cromwellian Union with Ireland and Scotland, 2004 Nick Lipscombe, The English Civil War: An Atlas and Concise History of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, 1639-51 Micheál Ó Siochrú, (ed.) Kingdoms in Crisis: Ireland in the 1640s, 2000 Micheál Ó Siochrú, Confederate Ireland, 1642-1649, 1999 Micheál Ó Siochrú, God's Executioner: Oliver Cromwell and the Conquest of Ireland Pádraig Lenihan, Confederate Catholics at War, 1641-49, 2001 Pádraig Lenihan, 'Siege Massacres in Ireland: Drogheda in Context', in Martyn Bennett, Raymond Gillespie, and Scott Spurlock (eds), Cromwell and Ireland: New Perspectives Wheeler, James Scott, 'Ormond and Cromwell: The Struggle for Ireland', in Martyn Bennett, Raymond Gillespie, and Scott Spurlock (eds), Cromwell and Ireland: New Perspectives Martyn Bennett, ‘God's Wall of Brass: Cromwell's Generals in Ireland, 1649-1650' in Martyn Bennett, Raymond Gillespie, and Scott Spurlock (eds), Cromwell and Ireland: New Perspectives Derek Hirst, ‘Security and Reform in England's Other Nations, 1649-1658', in Michael J. Braddick. The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new Council of State, and the Rump Parliament, cling to power after killing the king. The Levellers attempt the bring the government to its knees. J. C. Davis, Oliver Cromwell, in in Michael Braddick. The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution Philip Baker, 'The Regicide', in Michael J. Braddick. The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution Kenyon, J. and Ohlmeyer, J., The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Harris, T. Rebellion Geoffrey Robertson, The Tyrannicide Brief: The Story of the Man who sent Charles I to the Scaffold. Healey, J. The Blazing World. MacInnes, A., The British Revolution, 1629-60. Charles Spencer, Killers of the King. Michael J. Braddick, 'War and Politics in England and Wales, 1642-1646', in Michael Braddick. The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution Michael J. Braddick, God's Fury, England's Fire Peter Gaunt, The English Civil War: A Military History Blair Worden, The English Civil Wars: 1640-1660 Ian Gentles, The English Revolution and the Wars in the Three Kingdoms, 1638-1652. Antonia Fraser, Cromwell: Our Chief of Men Kishlansky, M, Monarchy Transformed Alexia Grosjean, Steve Murdoch, Alexander Leslie and the Scottish generals of the Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648 Steve Murdoch (ed), Scotland and the Thirty Years' War Stuart Reid, Crown, Covenant, and Cromwell: The Civil Wars in Scotland, 1639-1651. Nick Lipscombe, The English Civil War: An Atlas and Concise History of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, 1639-51 John Cunningham, ‘Politics, 1641-1660', Cambridge History of Ireland David Edwards, ‘Political Change and Social Transformation, 1603-1641', Cambridge History of Ireland John Jeremiah Cronin and Padraig Lenihan, ‘Wars of Religion, 1641-1691', Cambridge History of Ireland Patrick Little, Lord Broghill and the Cromwellian Union with Ireland and Scotland, 2004 Ó Siochrú, Micheál, (ed.) Kingdoms in Crisis: Ireland in the 1640s, 2000 Ó Siochrú, Micheál, Confederate Ireland, 1642-1649, 1999 Lenihan, Pádraig, Confederate Catholics at War, 1641-49, 2001 This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**Adult content and gore will be discussed during this episode - starting at 22:58. Please feel free to stop at this point and we shall see you next week : ) **  

Charles I has been executed, and the English Parliament establish a new, kingless, government. The reaction to the Regicide sweeps across Europe and the fledgling English empire. For this episode, I found the following publications particularly useful: Philip Baker, 'The Regicide', in Michael J. Braddick. The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution Kenyon, J. and Ohlmeyer, J., The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Harris, T. Rebellion Geoffrey Robertson, The Tyrannicide Brief: The Story of the Man who sent Charles I to the Scaffold. Healey, J. The Blazing World. MacInnes, A., The British Revolution, 1629-60. Charles Spencer, Killers of the King. Michael J. Braddick, 'War and Politics in England and Wales, 1642-1646', in Michael Braddick. The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution Michael J. Braddick, God's Fury, England's Fire Peter Gaunt, The English Civil War: A Military History Blair Worden, The English Civil Wars: 1640-1660 Ian Gentles, The English Revolution and the Wars in the Three Kingdoms, 1638-1652. Antonia Fraser, Cromwell: Our Chief of Men Kishlansky, M, Monarchy Transformed Alexia Grosjean, Steve Murdoch, Alexander Leslie and the Scottish generals of the Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648 Steve Murdoch (ed), Scotland and the Thirty Years' War Stuart Reid, Crown, Covenant, and Cromwell: The Civil Wars in Scotland, 1639-1651. Nick Lipscombe, The English Civil War: An Atlas and Concise History of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, 1639-51 John Cunningham, ‘Politics, 1641-1660', Cambridge History of Ireland David Edwards, ‘Political Change and Social Transformation, 1603-1641', Cambridge History of Ireland John Jeremiah Cronin and Padraig Lenihan, ‘Wars of Religion, 1641-1691', Cambridge History of Ireland Patrick Little, Lord Broghill and the Cromwellian Union with Ireland and Scotland, 2004 Ó Siochrú, Micheál, (ed.) Kingdoms in Crisis: Ireland in the 1640s, 2000 Ó Siochrú, Micheál, Confederate Ireland, 1642-1649, 1999 Lenihan, Pádraig, Confederate Catholics at War, 1641-49, 2001 This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

*Disclaimer*  We speak about adult themes and baby loss during this episode.  Baby loss is mentioned during the timestamp of 46:30 - 47:55. Please skip this part if you need to.    Welcome to our first of four special Summer series episodes.  Today we are taking a departure from talking about the British Royal Family and turning the tables to the 18th Century French Queen, Marie Antoinette.   Rachael has been busy researching the rise of Marie Antoinette and in today's episode we answer the questions:   What age was Marie Antoinette when she got married? Why did Marie Antoinette marry Louis XV? What the Royal Court of Versailles really like? How long did it take to produce an heir to the French throne?   Grab a cuppa and enjoy.   

On a cold January afternoon, Charles I walked onto a scaffold outside of the Palace of Whitehall, and he left it in a coffin. The King of England, Ireland, and Scotland was beheaded by his own subjects. No one who started the English Civil War, or any of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, had expected, planned, or hoped that it would lead to this. Join the Mailing List and stay up to date HERE Check out the podcast website Check out Pax Britannica Merch! Facebook | Twitter | Patreon | Donate For this episode, I found the following publications particularly useful: Charles Spencer, Killers of the King. Philip Baker, 'The Regicide', in Michael J. Braddick. The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution Kenyon, J. and Ohlmeyer, J., The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Harris, T. Rebellion Geoffrey Robertson, The Tyrannicide Brief: The Story of the Man who sent Charles I to the Scaffold. Healey, J. The Blazing World. MacInnes, A., The British Revolution, 1629-60. Charles Spencer, Killers of the King. Michael J. Braddick, 'War and Politics in England and Wales, 1642-1646', in Michael Braddick. The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution Michael J. Braddick, God's Fury, England's Fire Peter Gaunt, The English Civil War: A Military History Blair Worden, The English Civil Wars: 1640-1660 Ian Gentles, The English Revolution and the Wars in the Three Kingdoms, 1638-1652. Antonia Fraser, Cromwell: Our Chief of Men Kishlansky, M, Monarchy Transformed Alexia Grosjean, Steve Murdoch, Alexander Leslie and the Scottish generals of the Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648 Steve Murdoch (ed), Scotland and the Thirty Years' War Stuart Reid, Crown, Covenant, and Cromwell: The Civil Wars in Scotland, 1639-1651. Nick Lipscombe, The English Civil War: An Atlas and Concise History of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, 1639-51 This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Den spanska prinsessan som aldrig accepterade sin makes krav på skilsmässa. Trots att hon gick en ojämn maktkamp till mötes slutade hon aldrig att slåss för sin rätt och sin titel: drottning av England. Redaktionen för detta avsnitt består av:Emilia Mellberg – producentJenny Bergman – producentMårten Andersson – manus och researchEmma Peters – uppläsarePeter Jonason – ljuddesign och slutmixPablo Leiva Wenger – scenuppläsareMedverkar gör också Anna Carlstedt, författare och forskare specialiserad på renässansen.Vill du veta mer om Katarina av Aragonien? Här är några av böckerna som ligger till grund för avsnittet:Catherine of Aragon: Infantia of Spain, Queen of England av Theresa ErenfightCatherine of Aragon Henry's Spanish queen : a biography av Giles TremlettDrottning för ett tag : Henrik VIII:s sex hustrur av Lindsey, KarenHenrik VIII:s sex hustrur av Antonia Fraser

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing MARIE ANTOINETTE (2006) which is currently available on Paramount+, Epix/MGM+ and the Roku Channel. As we close out Women's History Month, we look at writer/director, Sofia Coppola's film, which was inspired by the book, MARIE ANTOINETTE: THE JOURNEY by Antonia Fraser.  In this retelling, the story takes artistic liberties and focuses on Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) from her journey to meet her groom to be, Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman) to the point where she, her husband and children are removed from the palace by those involved in the French Revolution.  Those 2 events are glossed over for the most part and the bulk of the film focuses on Marie and her POV as a young bride and then Queen.  The costumes in the film scored the Best Costume award from the Oscars but a weak story and bland acting do little for the overall storytelling experience.  The film is rated PG-13 and clocks in at 2 h 3 m. Please note there are SPOILERS in this review. For anyone with a fixation on royals and history, we highly recommend the Noble Blood podcast which you can find here:  https://www.grimandmild.com/nobleblood  Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jokagoge/support

This episode of the Alnwick Castle Podcast is one to remember, remember, as we begin with the introduction of our new co-host, our head guide at the castle, Deborah! She and regular host Daniel will take you back a little over 400 years to the time of Henry Percy, the 'Wizard Earl' of Northumberland, and his troublesome cousin - and Constable of Alnwick Castle - Thomas Percy.On the 5th November 1605, the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to kill King James VI & I, was uncovered, and Thomas Percy was a principal conspirator. In this episode, we look into his time as Constable at Alnwick, and the events both before and after the discovery of Guy Fawkes under the Houses of Parliament.Research for this episode would not have been possible without Antonia Fraser's 'Terror and Faith in 1605', the writing of Cambridge University's Mark Nicholls, and the archival work of Colin Shrimpton.If you enjoyed the podcast, please let us know on Twitter @alnwickcastle or by emailing podcast@alnwickcastle.com . Recommend us to your friends and share the links - every download is most appreciated - and finally, think of Thomas Percy if you attend any events this November!

We all know by now how iconic Hortense Mancini was. Is it any wonder that the other Mazarinettes were just as cool? This week, we tie up the Hortense saga with a look at the stories of Anna Marie Martinozzi, Laura Martinozzi, Laura Mancini, Olympe Mancini, Marie Mancini, and Marianne Mancini along with Boy Mazarinette Philippe Mancini.Between these seven we have: one musketeer, two accused poisoners, one iconic courthouse strut, one nighttime fleeing from the law, at least one pretty cool husband, at least one escape from a convent, and more!References:WikipediaThe Affair of the Poisons by Anne Somerset Love and Louis XIV by Antonia Fraser https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9781400033744The Kings' Mistresses: The Liberated Lives of Marie Mancini, Princess Colonna, and Her Sister Hortense, Duchess Mazarin by Elizabeth C. Goldsmith https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9781586488895https://partylike1660.com/marie-mancini-princesse-colonna/Info about how to take action after the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs Wade is at http://podvoices.helpSupport Vulgar History on Patreon at patreon.com/annfosterwriterGet merch at http://vulgarhistory.store - use code TITSOUT for free U.S. shipping or TITSOU10 for 10% off your orderVulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History: bookshop.org/shop/vulgarhistory Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all know by now how iconic Hortense Mancini was. Is it any wonder that the other Mazarinettes were just as cool? This week, we tie up the Hortense saga with a look at the stories of Anna Marie Martinozzi, Laura Martinozzi, Laura Mancini, Olympe Mancini, Marie Mancini, and Marianne Mancini along with Boy Mazarinette Philippe Mancini. Between these seven we have: one musketeer, two accused poisoners, one iconic courthouse strut, one nighttime fleeing from the law, at least one pretty cool husband, at least one escape from a convent, and more! References: Wikipedia The Affair of the Poisons by Anne Somerset Love and Louis XIV by Antonia Fraser https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9781400033744 The Kings' Mistresses: The Liberated Lives of Marie Mancini, Princess Colonna, and Her Sister Hortense, Duchess Mazarin by Elizabeth C. Goldsmith https://bookshop.org/a/1419/9781586488895 https://partylike1660.com/marie-mancini-princesse-colonna/ Info about how to take action after the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs Wade is at http://podvoices.help Support Vulgar History on Patreon at patreon.com/annfosterwriter Get merch at http://vulgarhistory.store - use code TITSOUT for free U.S. shipping or TITSOU10 for 10% off your order Vulgar History is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, which means that a small percentage of any books you click through and purchase will come back to Vulgar History as a commission. Use this link to shop there and support Vulgar History: bookshop.org/shop/vulgarhistory

Rachel and Simon speak with the historian and novelist Antonia Fraser. She began her career in the 1950s as an assistant to George Weidenfeld, the co-founder of Weidenfeld & Nicolson, a British publishing house. Lady Antonia wrote her first book, "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table", in her early twenties; her first major historical work, "Mary Queen of Scots", was published in 1969. Since then she has written biographies of Oliver Cromwell, Charles II, the six wives of Henry VIII and Marie Antoinette, the last of which was adapted into a film directed by Sofia Coppola and starred Kirsten Dunst. She has also written two volumes of autobiography, including "Must You Go? My Life with Harold Pinter". Lady Antonia has served as President of English PEN and Chairman of the Society of Authors. We spoke with her about the success of "Mary Queen of Scots", her research process and her new book, "The Case of the Married Woman". This episode is sponsored by Curtis Brown Creative, the writing school attached to the major literary agency. CBC has provided an exclusive discount for Always Take Notes listeners. You can use the code ATN20 for £20 off the full price of Writing a Memoir, or any other four- or six-week online writing course. You can find us online at alwaystakenotes.com, on Twitter @takenotesalways and on Instagram @alwaystakenotes. Our crowdfunding page is patreon.com/alwaystakenotes. Always Take Notes is presented by Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd, and produced by Artemis Irvine. Our music is by Jessica Dannheisser and our logo was designed by James Edgar.

Before we get started… Writing elsewhereI have recently written about modern Russian literature for CapX, as well Victorian YIMBYs and Katherine Mansfield and 1922, for The Critic.Tours of LondonSign up here to get updates when we add new tour dates. There will be three tours a month, covering the Great Fire, Barbican, Samuel Johnson and more!Helen Lewis is a splendid infovore, which is how she has come to be one of the most interesting journalists of her generation. You will see in this conversation some of her range. We chatted before we recorded and she was full of references that reflect her broad reading. She reminded me of Samuel Johnson saying that in order to write a book you must turn over half a library. I recommend her book Difficult Women to you all, perhaps especially if you are not generally interested in “feminist” books. Helen is also working on a new book called The Selfish Genius. There's an acuity to Helen, often characterised by self-editing. She has the precision — and the keenness to be precise — of the well-informed. She was also, for someone who claims to be a difficult woman, remarkably amiable. That seeming paradox was one of the things we discussed, as well as biography, late bloomers, menopause, Barbara Castle, failure, Habsburgs and so on... I had not realised she was such a royal biography enthusiast, always a good sign. Helen's newsletter, by the way, has excellent links every week. It's a very good, and free, way to have someone intelligent and interesting curate the internet for you. Her latest Atlantic feature is about defunct European royals who are not occupying their throne. Let's hope one of Helen's screenplays gets produced…(I do not know, by the way, if Tyler Cowen would endorse the reference I made to him. I was riffing on something he said.)[This transcript is too long for email so either click the title above to read online or click at the bottom to go to the full email…]Henry: Is Difficult Women a collective biography, a book of connected essays, feminist history or something else?Helen Lewis: Start nice and simple. It was designed as the biography of a movement. It was designed as a history of feminism. But I knew from the start I had this huge problem, which is that anyone who writes about feminism, the first thing that everybody does is absolutely sharpens their pencils and axes about the fact that you inevitably missed stuff out. And so I thought what I need to do is really own the fact that this can only ever be a partial history. And its working subtitle was An Imperfect History of Feminism, and so the thematic idea then came about because of that.And the idea of doing it through fights, I think, is quite useful because that means that there was a collision of ideas and that something changed. You know, there were lots and lots of subjects that I thought were really interesting, but there wasn't a change, a specific "We used to be like this, and now we're like this," that I could tie it to. So I don't think it is a collective biography because I think there's no connection between the women except for the fact that they were all feminists, and to that extent, they were all change makers. And I've read some really great collective biographies, but I think they work best when they give you a sense of a milieu, which this doesn't really. There's not a lot that links Jayaben Desai in 1970s North London and Emmeline Pankhurst in 1900s Manchester. They're very disparate people.Henry: Some people make a distinction between a group biography, which is they all knew each other or they were in the same place or whatever, and a collective biography, which is where, as you say, they have no connection other than feminism or science or whatever it is. Were you trying to write a collective biography in that sense? Or was it just useful to use, as a sort of launching off point, a woman for each of the fights you wanted to describe?Helen Lewis: I think the latter because I felt, again, with the subject being so huge, that what you needed to do was bring it down to a human scale. And I always feel it's easier to follow one person through a period of history. And weirdly, by becoming ever more specific, I think you'll have a better chance of making universal points, right? And one of the things that when I'm reading non-fiction, I want to feel the granularity of somebody's research which, weirdly, I think then helps you understand the bigger picture better. And so if you take it down all the way to one person, or sometimes it's more... So Constance Lytton and Annie Kenney, that's sort of two people. I think probably Constance is bigger in that mix. It helps you to understand what it's like to be a person moving through time, which is what I wanted to kind of bring it back. Particularly, I think, with feminism where one of the problems, I think, is when you get progress made, it seems like common sense.And it's one of the things I find I love about Hilary Mantel's, the first two of that Thomas Cromwell trilogy, is there is a real sense that you don't know what's going to happen. Like the moment, the hinge moment, of Anne Boleyn's star appears to be falling. It's very hard not to read it now and think, "Well, obviously that was destined to happen. You'd obviously jumped ship to Jane Seymour." But she manages to recreate that sense of living through history without knowing the ending yet, right? And so maybe you should stick with Anne Boleyn. Maybe this has all just been a temporary blip. Maybe she'll have a son next year. And that's sort of what I wanted to recreate with feminism, is to put you back in the sensation of what it is to be like making those arguments about women having a vote at a time when that's seen as a kind of crackpot thing to be arguing for because obviously women are like this, obviously women are delicate, and they need to be protected. And when all of those arguments... Again, to go back to what it's like to just to live in a time where people's mindsets were completely different to... Which is to me, is the point of writing history, is to say... And the same thing about travel writing, is to say, "Here are people whose very basis, maybe even the way that they think, is completely different to all of your assumptions." All your assumptions that are so wired so deeply into you, you don't even know they're assumptions. You just think that's what consciousness is or what it is to be alive. And that's, I think, why I try to focus it on that human level.Henry: How do you do your research?Helen Lewis: Badly, with lots of procrastination in between it, I think is the only honest answer to that. I went and cast my net out for primary sources quite wide. And there was some... The number of fights kept expanding. I think it started off with eight fights, and then just more and more fights kept getting added. But I went to, for example, the LSC Women's Library has got a suffragette collection. And I just read lots and lots of suffragette letters on microfiche. And that was a really good way into it because you've got a sense of who was a personality and who had left enough records behind. And I write about this in the book, about the fact that it's much easier to write a biography of a writer because they'll fundamentally, probably, give you lots of clues as to what they were thinking and doing in any particular time. But I also find things that I found really moving, like the last letter from Constance Lytton before she has a stroke, which has been effected by being force fed and having starved herself. And then you can see the jump, and then she learns to write again with her other hand, and her handwriting's changed.And stuff like that, I just don't think you would get if you didn't allow yourself to be... Just sort of wade through some stuff. Someone volunteered to be my research assistant, I mean I would have paid them, I did pay them, to do reports of books, which apparently some authors do, right? They will get someone to go and read a load of books for them, and then come back. And I thought, "Well, this is interesting. Maybe I'll try this. I've got a lot of ground to cover here." And she wrote a report on a book about… I think it was about environmental feminism. And it was really interesting, but I just hadn't had the experience of living through reading a book. And all of the stuff you do when you're reading a book you don't even think about, where you kind of go, "Oh, that's interesting. Oh, and actually, that reminds me of this thing that's happened in this other book that's... Well, I wonder if there's more of that as I go along." I don't think if you're going try and write a book, there is any shortcut.I thought this would be a very... I'm sure you could write a very shallow... One of those books I think of where they're a bit Wikipedia. You know what I mean. You know sometimes when you find those very 50 inspirational women books, those were the books I was writing against. And it's like, you've basically written 50 potted biographies of people. And you've not tried to find anything that is off the beaten track or against the conventional way of reading these lives. It's just some facts.Henry: So biographically, you were perhaps more inspired by what you didn't want to write than what you did.Helen Lewis: Yeah, I think that's very true. I think writing about feminism was an interesting first book to pick because there's so much of it, it's like half the human race. It's really not a new subject. And to do the whole of British feminism really was a mad undertaking. But I knew that I didn't want to write, "You go girl, here's some amazing ladies in history." And I wanted to actually lean into the fact that they could be weird or nasty or mad. And my editor said to me at one point, and I said, "I'm really worried about writing some of this stuff." She said, "I think you can be more extreme in a book," which I thought was really interesting.Which I think is also very true in that I also feel like this about doing podcasts is that I very rarely get in trouble for things I've said on podcasts because it's quite hard to lazily clip a bit of them out and put them on Twitter and toss the chum into the water. Right? And I think that's the same thing about if you write something on page 390 of a book, yeah, occasionally, someone might take a screen-grab of it, but people hopefully will have read pages 1-389 and know where you're coming from, by that point.Henry: Maybe trolls don't read.Helen Lewis: Well, I think a lot of the stuff that annoys me is a shallow engagement with complexity, and an attempt to go through books and harvest them for their talking points, which is just not how... It's just such a sad, weathered way of approaching the experience of reading, isn't it? Do I agree with this author or not? I like reading people I disagree with. And so for example, the fact that I call the suffragettes terrorists, and I write about that, I think people are reluctant to engage with the fact that people you agree with did terrible things in the pursuit of a goal that you agree with. And I think it's very true about other sectors. I always think about the fact that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for terrorism. And that gets pushed down in the mix, doesn't it? When it all turns out that actually, he was a great man. And that incredibly long imprisonment in Robben Island is its own totemic piece of the history of modern South Africa, that you don't wanna sit with the awkward bits of the story too.Henry: You've had a lot of difficult experiences on Twitter? Would you have written this book if you hadn't lived through that?Helen Lewis: I think that's a hard question to answer. I tried not to make it a “Here is the cutting of all my enemies.” And actually, my friend, Rob read this book in draft and he insisted that everyone I knew that I was going to argue with had to be of sufficient stature to be worth arguing with. He's like, You cannot argue with, I think I put it in my drawing piece, a piece like Princess Sparklehorse 420. Right? That's quite hard when you're writing about modern feminism, because actually if you think about what I think of as the very social justice end of it, right? The end of it, that is very pro sex work, very pro self-identification of gender, very pro prison abolition, police abolition, it's actually quite hard to find the people who were the theorists of that. It's more of a vibe that you will find in social media spaces on Tumblr, and Twitter and other places like that. So trying to find who is the person who has actually codified all that and put that down to then say, "Well, let's look at it from all sides", can be really difficult. So I did find myself slightly arguing with people on Twitter.Henry: I'm wondering more, like one way I read your book, it's very thought-provoking on feminism, but it's also very thought-provoking just on what is a difficult person. And there's a real thing now about if you're low in agreeableness, that might mean you're a genius, like Steve Jobs, or it might mean you're a Twitter troll. And we have a very basic binary way of thinking about being difficult. And it's actually very nuanced, and you have to be very clever about how to be difficult. And in a way, I wondered if one of the things you were thinking about was, well, everyone's doing difficult in a really poor way. And what we need, especially on the left, is smart difficult, and here is a book about that, and please improve. [chuckle]Helen Lewis: Yeah, there was a lot of that and it's part of the sort of bro-ey end of philosophy is about maybe women have been less brilliant through history because they're less willing to be disagreeable, they have a higher need to be liked, which I think is kind of interesting. I don't entirely buy it. But I think there's an interesting thing there about whether or not you have to be willing to be iconoclastic. The thing that I find interesting about that is, again, there's another way in which you can refer to it, which is the idea that if you're a heretic, you're automatically right.Henry: Yes.Helen Lewis: And there's a lot of...Henry: Or brave.Helen Lewis: Or brave, right? And I think it's... You can see it in some of the work that I'm doing at the moment about the intellectual dark web being a really interesting example. Some of them stayed true to the kind of idea that you were a skeptic. And some of them disbelieved the mainstream to the extent that they ended up falling down the rabbit holes of thinking Ivermectin was a really great treatment for COVID, or that the vaccines were going to microchip you or whatever it might be. And so I'm always interested in how personality affects politics, I guess. And yeah, how you can be self-contained and insist on being right and not cow-tow to other people without being an a*****e is a perpetually interesting question. It's coming up in my second book a lot, which is about genius. Which is sort-of the similar thing is, how do you insist when everybody tells you that you're wrong, that you're right. And the thing that we don't talk about enough in that context, I think Newton is a very good example is that, obviously, he made these incredible breakthroughs with gravity and mathematics, and then spends literally decades doing biblical chronology and everyone tells him that he's wrong, and he is wrong. And we don't really talk about that side of it very much.All the people who spent all their time studying phlogiston and mesmerism, or that's more complicated because I think that does lead to interesting insights. A lot of people who the world told was wrong, were wrong. And we're over-indexing, always writing about the ones who were the one Galileo saying the Earth still moves, and they turned out to be correct.Henry: Yes. There are good books about biographies of failures, but they're less popular.Helen Lewis: Which is tough because most of us are going to be failures.Henry: Yes. Well, you're not gonna buy a book to reinforce that.Helen Lewis: No, but maybe there could be some deep spiritual learning from it, which is that a life spent in pursuit of a goal that turns out to be illusory is still a noble one.Henry: That's a fundamentally religious opinion that I think a secular society is not very good at handling.Helen Lewis: Yeah, maybe. Yeah. I've been doing lots of work for Radio 4 about the link between politics and religion, and whether or not religion has to some extent replaced politics as Western societies become more secular. And I think there is some truth in that. And one of the big problems is, yes, it doesn't have that sort of spirit of self-abnegation or the idea of kind of forgiveness in it, or the idea of just desserts happening over the horizon of death. Like everything's got be settled now in politics here, which I think is a bad fit for religious impulses and ideas.Henry: What is the role of humour in being difficult?Helen Lewis: I think it's really important because it does sweeten the pill of trying to make people be on your side. And so I had a long discussion with myself about how much I should put those jokes in the footnotes of the book, and how much I should kind of be funny, generally. Because I think the problem is, if you're funny, people don't think you're serious. And I think it's a big problem, particularly for women writers, that actually I think sometimes, and this happens in journalism too, that women writers often play up their seriousness, a sort of uber-serious persona, because they want to be taken seriously. If you see what I mean, it's very hard to be a foreign policy expert and also have a kind of lively, cheeky side, right? We think that certain things demand a kind of humourlessness to them.But the other thing that I think humour is very important, is it creates complicity with the audience. If you laugh at someone's joke, you've aligned yourself with them, right? Which is why we now have such a taboo and a prohibition on racist jokes, sexist jokes, whatever they might be, because it's everyone in the audience against that minority. But that can, again, if you use your powers for good, be quite powerful. I think it is quite powerful to see... There's one of the suffragettes where someone throws a cabbage at her, and she says something like, “I must return this to the man in the audience who's lost his head.” And given that all the attacks on the suffragettes were that they were these sort of mad, radical, weird, un-feminine, inhuman people, then that was a very good way of instantly saying that you weren't taking it too seriously.One of the big problems with activism is obviously that people, normal people who don't spend every moment of their life thinking about politics, find it a bit repellent because it is so monomaniacal and all-consuming. And therefore, being able to puncture your pomposity in that way, I think is quite useful.Henry: So if there are people who want to learn from Helen Lewis, “How can I be difficult at work and not be cast aside,” you would say, “Tell more low-grade jokes, get people to like you, and then land them with some difficult remark.”Helen Lewis: Use your powers for good after that. It's tricky, isn't it? I think the real answer to how to be difficult at work is decide what level of compromise you're willing to entertain to get into positions of power. Which is the same question any activist should ask themselves, “How much do I need to engage with the current flawed system in order to change it?” And people can be more or less open with themselves, I guess, about that. I think the recent Obama memoir is quite open about, for example on the financial relief in 2008, about how much he should have tried to be more radical and change stuff, and how much he... Did he actually let himself think he was being this great consensualist working with the Republican Party and therefore not get stuff done?And then the other end, I think you have the criticism I made of the Corbyn project, which was that it was better to have kind of clean hands than get things done. There's a great essay by Matt Bruenig called Purity Politics, which says... No, what is it called? Purity Leftism. And it said, “the purity leftist's approach is not so much that they're worried about that oppression is happening but that they should have no part of it.” And I think that's part of the question of being difficult, too, is actually how much do you have to work with and compromise yourself by working with people with whom you're opposed? And it's a big question in feminism. There are people who will now say, “Well, how could feminists possibly work with the Conservative Party?” Entirely forgetting that Emmeline Pankhurst ran as a Conservative candidate.Henry: She was very conservative.Helen Lewis: Right. And there were members of the suffragettes who went on to join the British Union of Fascists. That actually... Some of the core tenets of feminism have been won by people who didn't at all see themselves on the left.Henry: If I was the devil's advocate, I'd say that well-behaved women, for want of a better phrase, do make a lot of history. Not just suffragists but factory workers, political wives, political mistresses. What's the balance between needing difficult women and needing not exactly compliant women but people who are going to change it by, as you say, completely engaging with the system and almost just getting on with it?Helen Lewis: There's a scale, isn't there? Because if you make yourself too unbelievably difficult, then no one wants to work with you and it's... I think the suffragettes is a really good example of that actually. The intervention of the First World War makes that story impossible to play out without it.But had they continued on that course of becoming ever more militant, ever more bombings, and pouring acid on greens, and snipping telephone wires... The criticism that was made of them was, “Are they actually turning people off this cause?” And you get people saying that, that actually the suffragettes set back the cause of women's suffrage, which I'm not entirely sure I buy. I think I certainly don't buy it in the terms of the situation in 1905. Fawcett writes about the fact that there were loads of all these articles decrying the suffragettes, whereas previously they'd just been... The cause of suffrage, which had been going on for 70-80 years, quite in earnest, in legal form, had just been completely ignored. So there was definitely a moment where what it really needed was attention. But then, can you make the same argument in 1914 about whether or not the suffragettes were still doing an equal amount of good? I think then it's much more tenuous.And there was a really good article saying that, essentially your point, well-behaved women do make history, saying that a lot of boring legal heavy-lifting... And it's one of the things I find very interesting about where modern feminism in Britain is. A lot of the work that's most interesting is being done through things like judicial reviews, which is a lot of very boring pulling together large amounts of court bundles, and people saying, “Is this obiter?” This word which I once understood, and now don't anymore. But it's not people chaining themselves to railings or throwing themselves under horses. It's people getting up in the morning and putting another day shift in at quite boring admin. And I do think that maybe that's something that I underplayed in the book because it's not so narratively captivating. Brenda Hale made that point to me that she would have been a suffragist because she just believed in playing things by the book. You won it by the book.And I do think now I find I don't agree with throwing paint and pies and milkshakes and stuff like that at people whose political persuasions I disagree with, right? I fundamentally don't believe in punching Nazis, which was a great debate... Do you remember the great Twitter debate of a couple of years ago about whether it's okay to punch a Nazi? I think if you live in America or the UK, and there are democratic ways and a free press in which to make your political case, you don't need to resort to a riot. And that's not the case all over the world, obviously. But I do think that I am... I think difficulty takes many, many forms.Henry: A question about Margaret Thatcher.Helen Lewis: Yes.Henry: Was she good for women, even though she wasn't good for feminism? So millions of women joined the labour force in the 1980s, more than before or since. It was the first time that women got their own personal allowance for income tax, rather than being taxed as an extension of their husband's income.Helen Lewis: I'm trying to remember. Was that a Tory policy?Henry: That was 1988 budget, and it came into effect in 1990. And she also publicly supported. She said, “You should be nice to mothers who go out to work. They're just earning money for their families.” So even though she definitely did not, consciously I think, help the cause of feminism, you would probably rather be a woman in the '80s than the '70s...Helen Lewis: Oh yeah, definitely.Henry: But because of her. That's my challenge to you.Helen Lewis: No, it's a good challenge. And I think it's one that has a lot of merit. I'm not sure whether or not she would be grateful to you for positioning her as Margaret Thatcher, feminist hero. And it's really into having... I wrote a screenplay last year about the women in politics in the years before Margaret Thatcher, and it's very... And I cover this a bit in the book. That women have always struggled in Labour, a collective movement, where it's like if you let one woman through, you've got to let them all. Like, “I'm the vanguard” versus the Thatcher route, which was like, “I'm just me, a person. Judge me on who I am,” and not making such a kind of radical collective claim. So that's the bit that holds me back from endorsing her as a kind of good thing for women, is I think she was Elizabeth I in the sense where she was like, “I'm good like a man,” rather than saying, “Women are good, and I'm a woman,” which I think are two different propositions. But it's definitely true that... I think that growing up in a society that had a female prime minister was a huge deal. America still hasn't had a female president. It's just not... If you're a girl growing up there, it's just... That's something that you've never seen. And the other half of it is, I think it was incredibly powerful to see Denis Thatcher. The true feminist hero that is Denis Thatcher. But genuinely, that's somebody who was older than her, who was willing to take a back seat. And he found a role for men that was not being the alpha. It was kind of the, “I don't have anything left to prove. And I like playing golf. Haven't I got a great life while the little woman runs around with her red boxes. All a bit much.” I think that was almost a more radical thing for people to see.And it's interesting to me that he was somebody who had fought in the Second World War because I think the '70s and the feminist revolution, I think in some ways depends on there being a generation of men who didn't have anything to prove, in terms of masculinity. And it's really interesting to me that... So Barbara Castle's husband Ted was also, I think, a little bit older than her. But he was also very much in that Denis Thatcher mould of, “Woman! Right, you're exhausting.” And Maureen Colquhoun, who I also write about in the book, her husband Keith was, by all accounts, a very decent guy who was totally accepting of her ambitions. And then he conducted himself with incredible dignity after she left him for a woman. And I think that's a story that I'm interested in hearing a bit more about, is of the men who weren't threatened. So I do think that's a big challenge that the Thatchers did present to orthodox values. But let's not underplay them as conservatives.Henry: Oh no, hugely conservative.Helen Lewis: And also the fact that, to some extent, Margaret Thatcher was reacting to an economic tide that was very useful to her. More women in the workforce meant more productivity, meant higher GDP. And I think it was at that point a train that was just not... Why would you throw yourself in front of it to try and reverse it and get women back into the home?Henry: Her advisors wanted a tax break for marriage.Helen Lewis: Oh, that's a classic Conservative policy.Henry: Because they said, “We're in office, and this is what we're here for.” And she said, “I can't do it to the mill girls in Bolton. I can't give a tax break to wives in Surrey playing bridge.” And in a way, I think she was very quietly, and as you say for political reasons not entirely openly, quite on the side of the working woman for moral reasons that we would usually call feminist. But which because it's her and because of everything else she believes, it doesn't really make sense to call them feminist, but it's difficult to think of another Prime Minister who has had so much rhetoric saying “Yes, women should go to work, that's a good thing. Don't yell at them about it.” And who has implemented economic policies that's giving them tax breaks and trying to level the playing field a bit. So it's a sort of conundrum for me that she didn't want to be called a feminist, but she did a lot of things that quotes, if you were that sort of person would say “undermined” the traditional family or whatever.Helen Lewis: Yeah. And she found a way to be a powerful woman and an archetype of what that was, which I think again, is based enormously on Barbara Castle, I think Barbara Castle is the template for her.Henry: Oh yeah. Down to the hair. Yeah.Helen Lewis: With the big hair and the fluttering the eyelashes, and that kind of, what I think of as kind of “Iron Fem” right? Which is where you're very, very feminine, but it's in a steely ball-crushing kind of way. Although interestingly, Barbara Castle cried a lot. She would have frequently burst into tears about stuff, which again was, I think kept the men around her slightly off balance, they didn't know how to... Which I think any good politician uses what they've got. But the thing that struck me when I read more about Thatcher last year, was about the fact that if she hadn't been the first female Prime Minister, I think we would write a lot more about her lower-middle middle class background and what a challenge that was. And the fact that that really, in some ways, I think the Tory Party really loved having a female leader once they got over the initial shock because it was kind of like, “Well, aren't we modern. And now Labor can't have a go at us about all this kind of stuff, 'cause look at our woman leader.” What I think was more of a profound challenge for a long time, was the kind of arriviste sort of idea that she was, as you say, a representative of working people, upwardly mobile, or from right to buy being an example of one of these policies. I think that was a big challenge to the kind of men in smoky rooms.Henry: I don't think they ever got over it. Carrington called her “a f*****g stupid petit-bourgeois woman.”Helen Lewis: Petit-bourgeois is exactly the right, I think the right term of abuse. And there was a... And I think that's why... I mean, I think it came out as misogyny but actually it was also driven by class as well, the fact that she was no better than she ought to be, right?But that's about... I think that's how you see, and honestly I think Ted Heath experiences as a great... Leading to the incredible sulk, one of my favorite phrases, [chuckle] that he just never kind of got over that he had been beaten by a woman. I think that was an extra kind of poisoned pill for him, of the ingratitude of the party, that they would replace him with a woman.Henry: And a woman of his own class.Helen Lewis: Right. And exactly, it's not like she... So she wasn't sort of Lady Aster wafting in a cloud of diamonds and violet scent. It was, “Hang on a minute, you're saying this person is better than me.”Henry: Now, before Margaret Thatcher became leader of the Tory Party, almost nobody thought that she was going anywhere, right up to say a week before the leadership election. People would have meetings about who the candidates were and they wouldn't even discuss her. Who are the people in politics today that no one's really sort of gathered actually have got this big potential?Helen Lewis: Yeah, I think that's really interesting isn't it, that essentially she goes into that leadership context and they sort of think, “Well, someone's gonna shake it up a bit, someone's gonna represent the right to the party.” And then they go round... And it was Airey Neave who was running her campaign, going around sort of saying, “Well, you know, vote for her, it'll give Ted a shock.” And then the first ballot result comes in and they go, “Oh God, it's given us a shock as well.” And then I think at that point, Willy Whitelaw piles in, doesn't he? But it's too late and the train's already moving. And the other one who's... It's Hugh Fraser is the other... And he runs very much from the sort patrician candidate background. I love that, that leadership election, it symbolizes what I like about politics, which is just that sometimes there is a moment, that is a hinge when a force that's been bubbling away suddenly pops up. And not to get too much into the great man or in this case, a great woman theory history, but someone makes a big decision that is either going to be the right call or the wrong call.And for Margaret Thatcher is almost insanely ambitious, and she could have ended up looking incredibly stupid, and because the life didn't take that fork in the road, we'll never look back on that. But there are many people who have made that gamble, and again, go back to failures point, have crashed. You have to have that kind of instinct in politics. Who's good now? I was just thinking this morning that Bridget Phillipson of Labor, who is now currently shadow education, I think has been underrated for a long time. Finally less so, given that she's made it to the Shadow Cabinet, who knows if she can make an impression there, but she is smart. So I'll give you an example, she was asked the inevitable question that all labor politicians are now asked, like, “What is a woman?” And she said, “The correct... “ This is Richard Madeley asked her this. She said, “What to my mind is the correct legal ounce that would also makes sense to normal human beings who don't follow politics all the time, which is, ‘It's an adult human female or anybody with a gender recognition certificate. And there are difficulties in how you might sometimes put that into practice, but those are the two categories of people.'”And it was like this moment, I was like, Why? Why has it taken you so long to work out an answer to this question that is both correct and explicable. And I think that is an underrated gift in politicians, is actually deciding what issues you're going to fudge around and which issues you actually have to come out and say what you think even if people disagree with it. It was one of Thatcher's great strengths, was that she made decisions and she stuck to them. I mean, obviously then you get to the poll tax and it becomes a problem. But I think there's... One of the problems I felt with the Ed Miliband era of Labor was that he didn't want to annoy anybody and ended up annoying everybody. Wes Streeting, I think is also... No, I won't say underrated, I will say he's now rated and clearly has got his eye on the leadership next.Bridget Phillipson has a much more marginal seat than you'd like to see from somebody who's going to be a leader. Wes is an interesting character. Grew up on free school meals, has been through cancer in the last couple of years, is gay, has a genuinely kind of... But is also on scene as being on the right to the party. So he's got lots of different identity factors and political factors that will make people very hard to know where to put him, I think, or how to brand him, I guess. But those are two of the ones who you make me think that there's some interesting stuff happening. On the Tory side, there are some people who are quietly competent. So Michael Gove, I think, whatever you think about his persona or anything like that, is the person they put in when they want stuff actually to happen. I think Nadhim Zahawi did very well as Vaccines Minister without anyone really noticing, which is probably not what you want when you're a minister, but it's probably what you want from the public.Henry: Why are so many women late bloomers? Well, obviously, the constraints of having a family or whatever.Helen Lewis: I think the answer is children, I think is the answer to that one.Henry: But there must be other reasons.Helen Lewis: I think... I mean, who knows? I may be straying into territory which is pseudo-science here, but I do also think that menopause is quite important. When you lose all your caring for others, nicely, softly, softly hormones and your hormone profile becomes much more male, I think that makes it easier to not care what people think about you, to some extent. As does the fact that you can no longer be beautiful and play that card. And I don't know, I think also... Again, this is... I don't know if this is supported by the evidence, I think there's more of... I think more of the men fall away. I don't know, I think if you're a guy who's found it very hard to form personal relationships, then maybe your 50s and 60s can be quite lonely, whereas I think that's often the time in which women kind of find a sort of a second wind. Does that make sense? This is all... I mean, none of this is... There's no evidential basis for this, this is just based on my sort of anecdotal reading of people that I'm thinking of.Henry: Camille Paglia once wrote, she put it in very strict terms, she said something like, when the menopause happens, the wife becomes this sort of tyrant and starts flourishing.Helen Lewis: Yeah. No, I'm very much looking forward to that, yeah. Oh yeah.Henry: And the husband becomes this kind of wet rag and his testosterone level drops and the whole power balance just flips. And you're sort of, you're saying that, but not in quite that... Not as quite an aggressive way as she's phrased it.Helen Lewis: Yeah, and it's not a universal truth.Henry: No, no, not at all.Helen Lewis: I just think for the people for whom that happens, that is quite an arresting thing that often gives them the liberation. I also do think there's a kind of mindset change. I don't have kids, but I know from women that I know whose kids have gone off to university, that if you have been the primary caregiver, there is suddenly a great, big hole in your life, and what do you fill it with? And actually, do you have to find a new focus and direction and purpose, because you don't want to be sort of turning up at their halls of residence going, “Hello, just thought I check in, see if you're alright.” And whereas for men, who've maintained a sort of career focus throughout, whilst also adding on a family, that's not such a kind of big realignment of their day and their life and what they feel the focus of their life is.Henry: I spoke to Tyler Cowen about this and he wondered if there's something about women become more acceptable in their looks. So you think about Angela Merkel and Margaret Thatcher as... I think you were sort of implying this, when a woman reaches middle age, the public or the people around them are less likely to judge them on whether they're good-looking, and so some of that sexism slightly falls away, because when you are a woman in your 20s or 30s, you're very susceptible to being looked at or rated or whatever, whereas Margaret Thatcher had a sort of, I don't know, a motherly quality that no one would... There was a kind of cult of finding her attractive and Alan Clark said disgusting things about her.Helen Lewis: Yeah, and also we've had a queen for 70 years, right? So we do have that sort of idea of what female power looks like, which is icy and so it's non-emotional, but yeah.Henry: But I've seen that in the office, that women in their 20s have a difficult time if they're good looking because there are a certain type of men...Helen Lewis: Well, people assume you're stupid as well.Henry: Well, and also it's just what men go to. They talk about you being that, whereas once a woman gets slightly past that, men don't automatically sort of go, “Oh, how would you rate her out of 10” or whatever? And that creates a space to see them as the person.Helen Lewis: And see them as actual human. I think that's a really interesting thesis. I also think that there's a... I think being a young woman is a particular kind of problem. So I think there's definitely a form of ageism against women, where it's silly old bat, right? Which I do think you get silly old duffer as well, but there is some extra level as well about women, it's like, “Why are you still talking? No one wants to hear from you? Your... “ This is a phrase they use in the internet now, “You're dusty, you and your dusty opinions.” But I think you get the contrary version of that as a young woman, whereas I think we find... The phrase Young Turk implies man, doesn't it?It's like, thrusting young guy, on his way up, super ambitious, he's the new generation, whereas I don't think you necessarily have that whole sort of coalition of positive stereotypes about young women. It's untested, learner, still needs to learn the ropes, that kind of... I'm eternally grateful to my boss in my 20s, Jason Cowley of the New Statesman, for making me deputy editor of the Statesman when I was 28, which I think was a pretty radical thing to do. When I don't think it would have necessarily felt so radical to make a 28-year-old guy.Although I say that, but then Ian Hislop became editor of Private Eye when he was 26, and there was like a revolution among the old guard. And he had to metaphorically execute a few of them outside the woodshed. So I do think that... I also think people begin to... There's... Now, this is really straying to some dangerous, choppy feminist waters. Competition between women can be very fierce, obviously. I write about this in the book in the terms of Smurfette Syndrome. The idea that there's only one place for a woman, and by God, I've got to have it. But I do think that there can be some jealousy that maybe recedes. And I think it's probably true for men and women. As you get older, people don't see you as a threat because they think, “Well, by the time I'm 40, maybe I'll have all the stuff you have.” But if you've got that stuff at 28, I think there's a real feeling from other people in the generation that those, the stars are peeling away, and there's a real resentment of them. So one of the things I do is I provide kind of counselling services to young journalists who've just suddenly had like a really big promotion or career lift or whatever it is. And I feel indebted to go and say to them, “By the way, this is amazing, but people will hate you because of it.”Henry: It's very striking to me that we've had a period of very young politicians being leaders, but they're men. And the women who've either competed with them or become leaders afterwards are in their 50s. And I do think there's something about what's an acceptable public woman.Helen Lewis: And the idea of authority, I think that's the thing. I think as you get older as a woman, it's easier to seem authoritative.Henry: Someone like Stella Creasy, I think, has had a much more difficult time just because she happens to be under a certain age.Helen Lewis: Yeah, I think that's interesting. And I think the fact that she's now got very young children at a relatively older age. I know that's... Sorry. Apologies to Stella, if you're listening. But it is comparatively old to have children after 40, still. That that will be interesting of how that complicates her next decade in politics.And I do think those super top jobs… There was a really brilliant piece of research which I put in the book about the sort of so-called demanding jobs, the kind of lawyers, the top lawyers, and I think journalists and politicians. Greedy jobs, they're called. And the fact is that they have become more demanding in terms of hours as women have entered the workforce. And now the thing has become fetishized as can you do the 14-hour days? And it becomes a soft way of excluding women with young kids.The problem, I think, will come with all of this when both men and women end up needing to look after elderly parents, as we're having more and more of that extension, those decades at the end of life when you're alive but maybe you're not as mobile as you were. Maybe you need more help from your family. And I think there is a lot of anger among certain types of women that they just feel like they're finally free from their caring responsibilities, and then they get landed with another one. But I know, I've been to some feminist conferences recently where... There's a famous saying which women are the only minority that get more radical with age, which I think is probably true. You can meet some groups of 50-something women, and they are fuming, really fuming. And they've now got the time and the sort of social capital with which to exercise that fuming-dom, as it were.Henry: Is Roy Jenkins overrated?Helen Lewis: [laughter] That's the most random question. He's not my favourite politician, mainly because I'm Team Castle for life, right? And I think she was treated very badly by the men in that Wilson cabinet, the first, the '66 to '70 one, of whom he was one, right? I think that, yeah. I think... Do you know what? I haven't got very strong opinions on him compared with my strong opinions on James Callaghan, who I am anti. And I know there are some Callaghan-stans out there. But I think the utterly cynical way in which he sucked up to the unions in order to get the leadership at the cost, ultimately, of then Margaret Thatcher in '79, out-strikes me as one of the most sort of cynical pieces of politicking.Henry: You are sailing very close to being a Thatcherite.Helen Lewis: I'm not a Thatcherite. I'm not.Henry: No, I know.Helen Lewis: But I can see... I think you... And I think Rachel Reeves has basically written about this, who's now Labour's Shadow Chancellor, that if Barbara Castle had succeeded with In Place of Strife on what were, now, to us, very mild measures, right? A conciliation pause where you have negotiations, strike ballots, no wildcat strikes. If she'd managed to push through some of those, then some of the excesses of the '70s would not have happened. Or at least, Labour would have been able to show that it had a grip of them. But you have a situation where the teachers were asking for something like 25% pay rise in the run up to the '79 election. And the Labour government just looked completely out of control. And so yeah, that's my Callaghan beef. What's your Roy Jenkins beef, then?Henry: I don't have beef. I can't remember why I wrote that question. I read about him in your book. I suppose I think that he did implement some good progressive measures, but that he was essentially a sort of patrician wannabe. And that his whole career in politics is much more middling and establishment, and his radicalism was... I don't know. Perhaps overrated, when we look back.Helen Lewis: Well, I will go away and read some more. I read quite a lot of the... The mad thing about the cabinet, particularly in that Wilson government, is that they were all obviously sitting there writing copious amounts of... To the extent that Barbara Castle would actually write literal notes in cabinet, save it for diary later on. But Tony Benn was writing notes. Crossman was writing notes. Jenkins essentially wrote lots of... A very full memoir. Harold Wilson wrote one of the most boring memoirs that the world has ever seen. The trade union leaders wrote memoirs. Jack Jones wrote a memoir. It was an astonishingly literate and writerly sort of set of people. And yet the cabinet was, in some respects, kind of utterly dysfunctional, but with Wilson still running a sort of... You know, sort of like who was kind of currently had been nice to me. And he went... And of course in his second term, he became incredibly paranoid.It was not a model of good government really. And again, Callaghan is one of the greatest political resurrections ever, right, when he completely screws up the Treasury and then uses Northern Ireland's Home Secretary in order to kind of make himself back into a respectful mainstream figure. But before we go and fight Roy Jenkins-stans, we should both go and find out what our beef is with him.Henry: I'm gonna say her name, well, Colquhoun?Helen Lewis: Colquhoun.Henry: Colquhoun. She said, “Labor would rather fight Powell than solve poverty.” Is that still true?Helen Lewis: What read it out there is a phrase that I think Maureen Colquhoun said after not “the rivers of blood” speech, but another Enoch Powell speech in the '70s, which got her in enormous trouble. Would you like to endorse this sentiment that got her called a racist? And it was used as a pretext for drumming her out of the Labor party. So what happened to Maureen after that is that she... Her local party tried to de-select her, it then went to an appeal at the NEC. She eventually ended up holding on to her candidacy and then she lost in '79 to a guy called Tony Marlow, who's one of the most... Talk about Thatcher, I mean... He was bristly, to the extent that his nickname was Tony von Marlow. But yeah, he has some terrible quote about Harriet Harman as well, which is something like, “These bra burners have got a chip on their shoulder,” or something. It was something terrible mixed metaphor involving how you couldn't wear a bra if you also had a chip on your shoulder. Anyway, I digress.Henry: I'm not trying to endorse her quote, but if you replace Powell with Boris.Helen Lewis: I think it's a really interesting quote about... It comes back to purity leftism, what we were talking about before, is actually, “Do you want the win or do you want the fight?” And there is, I think, more of a tendency on the left than the right, to want to be on the right side of history, to want to be pure, to want to be fighting, and that sort of sense that... The perpetual struggle is the bit that you want to be in, that's the bit that's exciting, rather than the win. I think one of the really interesting sounds to me is gay marriage. I was just reading this Jonathan Rauch piece this morning about the fact that... His argument being, that there was a coalition of kind of right-wingers and centrists and liberals in America who fought with the radical left, who wanted gay rights to be predicated on the idea of sort of smashing the nuclear family and everything like that, to say, “Let's make gay rights really boring, and let's talk a lot about how much we want to get married. And maybe we wanna adopt. Let's recruit all the people who happen to have been born gay, but are also Tories or Republicans.”And I think a similar thing happened to him here, where you have David Cameron saying, “I support gay marriage not in spite of being a conservative, but because I'm conservative.” And you frame it as essentially a very norm-y, boring thing. And I think that has been really interesting to watch in the sense of... I think that's why gender is now come much more to the fore because it's a sense that, “Well, if even Tories are okay with people being gay, it's not... Like what's left? How is that interesting anymore?” And so, I think the criticism that she was trying to make there is very true in the sense that sometimes Labor wants to look right more than it wants to win a halfway victory.Henry: What are some of the best or most underrated biographies of women?Helen Lewis: That's a really interesting question. I read a lot of royal biographies, so I very much like Leonie Frieda's biography of Catherine de' Medici, for example. There is also... You're gonna think this is terrible, Princess Michael of Kent wrote a joint biography of Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II, which is called The Serpent and the Moon, which is a really... I think it's... Actually, it's not a bad biography, but I think it's quite interesting to write a biography of the wife and the mistress together.Henry: Yeah, I think that's a great idea.Helen Lewis: Because the story of them is obviously so intertwined and their power relationship obviously changes, right? Because Catherine is the dowdy wife who bears the 10 children, Diane is the kind of unbelievably gorgeous, older woman. But then of course, the king dies and it's like, “Oh, nice chateau you've got there. Shame, one of us is the dowager queen and one of us is now just some woman,” and makes her hand back her Chenonceau to her. So I enjoyed that very much. I'm trying to think what the best political women biographies are. Do you have a favourite Elizabeth I biography? I think there must be a really great one out there but I can't... I don't know which one actually is best.Henry: Well, I like the one by Elizabeth Jenkins, but it's now quite out of date and I don't know how true it is anymore. But it's, just as a piece of writing and a piece of advocacy for Elizabeth, it's an excellent book. And it sold, it was sort of a big best seller in 1956, which I find a very compelling argument for reading a book, but I appreciate that a lot of other people might not.Helen Lewis: No, that's not to everyone's taste. That's interesting. I like Antonia Fraser as a biographer. I don't know if you'‘e got a strong feelings, pro or anti. Her Mary Queen of Scots book is very good. Her Mari Antoinette book is very good. And I actually, I interviewed her once about how she felt about the Sofia Coppola film, which is basically like a two-and a half hour music video. She was totally relaxed, she was like, “It's a film, I wrote a book.”She didn't say it like that, she didn't go, “Film innit,” sucking on a roll-up, she said it in a very lofty, Antonia Fraser kind of way. But I think that's a good thing if you're an author, to kind of go, “What works in a biography is not what works in a film,” so...But yeah, I grew up reading those Jean Plaidy historical novels, so I guess I read a lot of biographies of Queens. I'm trying to think whether or not I read any biographies of modern women. I haven't read... I have on my shelf the, Red Comet, the Sylvia Plath biography. And I also, which is on my to-read pile, as is the biography of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas by Janet Malcom, which I one day, will treat myself to. Henry: What are the best or most underrated biographies by women?Helen Lewis: By women? Well, again, then we go back to...Henry: I mean, you've named some of them, maybe.Helen Lewis: The interesting thing is, I remember when I did Great Lives, they said... The Radio 4 program about history. That they said, the one thing that they have tried to encourage more of, is men nominating women. Because they found there was no problem with getting women to nominate men and men to nominate men, but they found there weren't that many men who picked women, which I think is interesting. I really wanted, when Difficult Women came out, I wanted a man to review it.Henry: Did that not happen?Helen Lewis: No, it didn't happen. And I think everybody would've... I think, from the point of view of your male reviewers, why would you review a book on feminism when you're gonna get loads of people going, “Ew, what are you doing?mansplaining feminism?” But it's an intellectual project, right? It's not a... It should be open to criticism by absolutely anyone, not on... You don't have to pass an identity test. It's an ideology and a school of history. And so I would... What's the best biography of woman written by a man, is kind of a question I'm interested in.Henry: Yes. That's very difficult to think of.Helen Lewis: And how many of them are there? Because it just strikes me that when I'm naming all my women, biographies of women, that they're all by women.Henry: Yes. It's difficult to think... It'‘ easy to think of biographies of men written by women.Helen Lewis: Right. Hermoine Lee's out there repping for Tom Stoppard biography recently. But yeah, people can send in answers on a postcard for that one.Henry: Should there be less credentialism in journalism?Helen Lewis: Yes. I started as a sub-editor on the Daily Mail. And I worked alongside lots of older guys who had come up through local papers at the time when the trade unions were so strong that you had to do two years on local paper before you got to Fleet Street. And therefore, I worked with quite a lot of people who had left school at either 16 or 18 and were better at subbing than people who'd... than recent university graduates. And so, the way that journalism has become first of all, a graduate profession and now a postgraduate profession, I don't think it's got any real relationship to the quality of journalism. There are a sort of set of skills that you need to learn, but a lot of them are more about things like critical thinking than they are about literature, if you see what I mean?That's the thing. That is what I find very interesting about journalism, is the interesting marriage of... You have to have the personal relationships, you have to be able to find people and make them want to be interviewed by you and get the best out of them. Then you have to be able to write it up in prose that other humans can understand. But then there is also a level of rigour underneath it that you have to have, in terms of your note-keeping and record-keeping and knowledge of the law and all that kind of stuff. But none of that maps onto any kind of degree course that you might be able to take. And so, I think that's... And the other huge problem, I think in journalism is that, everyone in the world wants to do it, or at least that's how it seems when you're advertising for an entry level position in journalism.When I was at the New Statesman, we used to recruit for editorial assistants and I once had 250 applications for a single post, which was paid a fine amount, you could live on it just about in London, but was not... It was a plum job in intellectual terms, but not in economic terms. And I think that's a real problem because I could have filled every position that we had, with only people who'd got Firsts from Oxford or whatever it might be. But it wouldn't have been the best selection of journalists.Henry: No. Quite the opposite.[laughter]Helen Lewis: Yes. I enjoy your anti-Oxford prejudice. [chuckle] But you know what I mean is that I... But the fact that you had to have at least a degree to even get through the door, is sort of wrong in some profound way. And actually, some of the places have been... I think Sky did a non-graduate traineeship for people who were school leavers. And I think that there are profound problems in lots of those creative arts, publishing is the same, academia is the same, where you could fill every job which is low paid, and in London, with middle-class people whose parents are willing to fund them through. And the credentialism just is a further problem in that it just knocks out bright people from perfectly normal economic backgrounds.Henry: Do you think as well, that in a way, the main criteria for a good journalist, whether they're a sub-editor, or writing leaders or whatever, is common sense? And that a good English degree is really no guarantee that you have common sense.[laughter]Helen Lewis: Yeah. I couldn't put my hand in my heart and say that everybody I know with an English degree demonstrates common sense. I think that is actually not a bad... The famous thing is about you need a rat-like cunning, don't you? Which I think is also pretty true. But yeah, you do need to come back to that kind of idea about heresy and you do need to have a sort of sniffometer, not to be... I think you need to be fundamentally cynical, but not to a point where it poisons you.The right amount of cynicism is probably the thing you need in journalism. Because my husband's a journalist and quite often, there'll be a story where we just go, “I don't believe that. I just don't believe that.”And it really troubles me that that's become harder and harder to say. So I wrote a piece a while ago, about TikTok and people who claim to have Tourette's on there and actually quite a lot of them might have something else, might have functional neurological disorder. But there are whole genres of that all across journalism, where people will talk very personally and very painfully about their personal experiences. And the other half of that is that, we are not... It's mean, to question that. But they're often making political claims on the basis of those experiences. And you therefore can't put them in a realm beyond scrutiny. And so it's interesting to me, having been a teenager in the '90s when journalism was incredibly cruel. I'm talking about the height of bad tabloid, going through people's bins, hate campaigns against people. And a lot of this “be kind” rhetoric is a response to that and a necessary correction, but I do think there are now, lots of situations in which journalists need to be a bit less kind. That's a terrible quote. [laughter] But do you know what I mean?Henry: I do know exactly what you mean.Helen Lewis: When you have to say, “I know you think you've got this illness, but you haven't.” That's tough.Henry: People need to be more difficult.Helen Lewis: That's always my marketing strategy, yes.Henry: I want to ask if you think that you are yourself a late bloomer? In the tone of voice that you write in, you very often... You write like an Atlantic journalist and there are these moments, I think, of real wit. I don't mean jokey. I mean, clever. And so, a line like, “Your vagina is not a democracy,” is very funny but it's also very...Helen Lewis: It's true.Henry: Sort of Alexander Pope-ish.[laughter]Helen Lewis: That's the best possible reference. Yes, I hope to write very mean epigrams about people, one day.Henry: Please do. But you can also be very jokey like when you said, I think in a footnote, that you don't watch porn because the sofas are so bad.Helen Lewis: True.Henry: Now, there is something in those moments of wit that I think suggest that you could, if you wanted to, go and do something other than what you've already done. Maybe like Charles Moore, you'd become a biographer, or maybe you'd become a novelist, or maybe you'll run a think tank, or maybe you'll set up a newspaper and only employ 16-year-old school leavers, or... I don't know. Is that how you think about yourself or am I...Helen Lewis: You are trying to tell me I need to just grow up.[laughter]Henry: Not at all.Helen Lewis: Stop clowning around like a sea lion for applause after throwing fish.Henry: My theory on Helen Lewis is, you've got all the accolades that someone could want from a journalistic career.Helen Lewis: Not true. I've only ever won one award for journalism and you'll love this, it was Mainstream Video Games Writer of the Year.Henry: Oh my god.Helen Lewis: That's it. From the Games Awards in 2013, which I only remember this because every so often my publisher will put award-winning journalist as a merit that I have. Not really gov, not if I'm honest. You're right though. I have one of the plum jobs in journalism which is I work three days a week at the Atlantic, and then I make radio documentaries on the side and write books, and that is a position which is enormously enviable. But I have also... So I've moved away from column writing, in the last couple of years — I used to write a regular op-ed column — because I found it a deeply unsatisfying form. And I think, when you do jokes, you begin to realize that you can actually just say stupid, easy clap lines and with sufficient confidence, and people will respond to them, and after a while, you begin to hate yourself for doing that.[laughter]Well, that's one of the reasons I again... Like getting off Twitter. You know what I mean? You see some of those accounts that just exists to do lazy little dunks about the people that are appointed, that are sort of designated hate subjects. So if someone gets designated as a hate subject, then you can say nasty things about them and then everybody will applaud you. And I fundamentally revolt from that and I don't like it.I think that as a journalist, you should always try and be at right angles to whatever the prevailing opinion is. And actually as I've got older, I value the sort of... The people I think of as contrarians who I think really believe it rather than the people who are doing it for effect. Someone like a Peter Hitchens. He's got a whole ideology that's very much not mine and a set of interesting opinions and he believes them, and he truly argues them, and although they... Whether or not they're popular or unpopular is of no interest to hi

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Antonia Fraser, author of The Case of the Married Woman: Caroline Norton: A 19th Century Heroine Who Wanted Justice for Women. Antonia Fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works which have been international bestsellers. She was awarded the Medlicott Medal by the Historical Association in 2000 and was made a DBE in 2011 for services to literature. Her previous books include Mary Queen of Scots; King Charles II; The Weaker Vessel: Woman's Lot in Seventeeth-Century England, which won the Wolfson History Prize; Marie Antoinette: The Journey; Perilous Question; The King and the Catholics; and The Wives of Henry VIII. Must You Go?, a memoir of her life with Harold Pinter, was published in 2010, and My History: A Memoir of Growing Up in 2015. She lives in London. Visit Antonia Fraser's website at www.antoniafraser.com. Visit our website: https://lithub.com/story-type/keen-on/ Email Andrew: a.keen@me.com Watch the show live on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajkeen Watch the show live on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankeen/ Watch the show live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lithub Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LiteraryHub/videos Subscribe to Andrew's newsletter: https://andrew2ec.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Le 24 mars 1603, aux petites heures du matin, la Reine Élisabeth 1ère d'Angleterre s'éteint. Celle que l'on surnomme la Reine Vierge, Gloriana, Good Queen Bess, ou encore Faerie Queen disparaît après un règne de plus de 44 ans - alors le plus long de l'histoire du pays. Adhérez à cette chaîne pour obtenir des avantages : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4TCCaX-gqBNkrUqXdgGRA/join Pour soutenir financièrement la chaîne, trois choix: 1. Cliquez sur le bouton « Adhérer » sous la vidéo. 2. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hndl 3. UTip: https://utip.io/lhistoirenousledira Avec: Laurent Turcot, professeur en histoire à l'Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada Script: Catherine Tourangeau Montage: DeadWill 00:00​ : Introduction 01:22 : Règne de Good Queen Bess 06:18 : La mort mystérieuse d'Élisabeth 1ère 10:31 : 1603, l'avènement de la dynastie des Stuart 16:39 : Conclusion Abonnez-vous à ma chaine: https://www.youtube.com/c/LHistoirenousledira Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/histoirenousledira Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurentturcot Les vidéos sont utilisées à des fins éducatives selon l'article 107 du Copyright Act de 1976 sur le Fair-Use. Pour aller plus loin: David Loades, Tudors: the history of a dynasty (New York, 2012) Roy Strong, Gloriana: The Portraits of Queen Elizabeth I (New York, 1987) Antonia Fraser, King James VI of Scotland, I of England (Londres, 1974) Pauline Croft, King James (Basingstoke, Hampshire, 2003) Mark Kishlansky, A Monarchy Transformed: Britain 1603-1714 (New York, 1997) John S. Morrill et Stephen J. Greenblatt, "Elizabeth I" Encyclopedia Britannica (2021) #histoire #documentaire

Antonia Fraser in conversation with David Freeman about her biography of Marie Antoinette

Did you ever wonder what it must have been like for Marie Antoinette when the riots of the French Revolution started to heat up the mood in the country? Did you ever wonder what it must have been like to be in the Versaille Palace and witness the uncertainty among the royals on the verge of free-fall? What happened behind those walls? How did those days pass for those living inside?In the film  “Les Adieux a la Reine” or “Farewell, My Queen” you get a good glimpse at this fascinating chapter of history through the eyes of a servant, giving a full new perspective to the story.And this is the topic of our new episode: we review the movie not only focusing on the cast, the main characters, and the stunning production around it but also on how much a film and a story can be modified by the personal touches of the director.We go into a discussion about clichés, men directing female characters, the necessity of nudity, and rumours from the past. ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***Additional musicConcerto for 2 Cellos in G minor, RV 531 The Modena Chamber OrchestraSources & further linksMarie Antoinette, by Antonia Fraser https://www.amazon.de/Marie-Antoinette-Journey-Antonia-Fraser/dp/038548948X Berlinale Press conferencehttps://www.berlinale.de/de/archiv/jahresarchive/2012/02_programm_2012/02_filmdatenblatt_2012_20123500.html#tab=filmStills 

Did you ever wonder what it must have been like for Marie Antoinette when the riots of the French Revolution started to heat up the mood in the country? Did you ever wonder what it must have been like to be in the Versaille Palace and witness the uncertainty among the royals on the verge of free-fall? What happened behind those walls? How did those days pass for those living inside?In the film  “Les Adieux a la Reine” or “Farewell, My Queen” you get a good glimpse at this fascinating chapter of history through the eyes of a servant, giving a full new perspective to the story.And this is the topic of our new episode: we review the movie not only focusing on the cast, the main characters, and the stunning production around it but also on how much a film and a story can be modified by the personal touches of the director.We go into a discussion about clichés, men directing female characters, the necessity of nudity, and rumours from the past. ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***Additional musicConcerto for 2 Cellos in G minor, RV 531 The Modena Chamber OrchestraSources & further linksMarie Antoinette, by Antonia Fraser https://www.amazon.de/Marie-Antoinette-Journey-Antonia-Fraser/dp/038548948X Berlinale Press conferencehttps://www.berlinale.de/de/archiv/jahresarchive/2012/02_programm_2012/02_filmdatenblatt_2012_20123500.html#tab=filmStills 

Storical is back with an all new episode about the messy life of Mary Queen of Scots. There is murder, treason, Medicis, and Tudors… you won't want to miss it! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, Pocket Casts, or Stitcher so you never miss an episode with all of my sporadic absences. FictionMary Queen of Scots and the Isles by Margaret George - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16033.Mary_Queen_of_Scotland_and_The_IslesThe Wild Queen by Carolyn Meyer - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6431797-the-wild-queenNonfictionMary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10079.Mary_Queen_of_ScotsMovies & TVMary Queen of Scots (2018) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2328900/Mary of Scotland (1936) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027948/The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots (1895) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132134Reign (2013-2017) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2710394PodcastsQueens Podcast - Mary Queen of Scots - https://shows.acast.com/queenshistorypodcast/episodes/605a372ed90cd2354f494b17Thistle Do Nicely - Mary Queen of Scots - https://www.thistledonicelypod.com/BBC In Our Time - Mary Queen of Scots - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b088fs7zStuff You Missed in History Class - Rival Queens: Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I - https://www.scribd.com/podcast/418357825/SYMHC-Classics-Rival-Queens-Mary-Stuart-and-Elizabeth-I

Storical is back with an all new episode about the messy life of Mary Queen of Scots. There is murder, treason, Medicis, and Tudors… you won't want to miss it! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, Pocket Casts, or Stitcher so you never miss an episode with all of my sporadic absences. FictionMary Queen of Scots and the Isles by Margaret George - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16033.Mary_Queen_of_Scotland_and_The_IslesThe Wild Queen by Carolyn Meyer - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6431797-the-wild-queenNonfictionMary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10079.Mary_Queen_of_ScotsMovies & TVMary Queen of Scots (2018) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2328900/Mary of Scotland (1936) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027948/The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots (1895) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132134Reign (2013-2017) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2710394PodcastsQueens Podcast - Mary Queen of Scots - https://shows.acast.com/queenshistorypodcast/episodes/605a372ed90cd2354f494b17Thistle Do Nicely - Mary Queen of Scots - https://www.thistledonicelypod.com/BBC In Our Time - Mary Queen of Scots - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b088fs7zStuff You Missed in History Class - Rival Queens: Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I - https://www.scribd.com/podcast/418357825/SYMHC-Classics-Rival-Queens-Mary-Stuart-and-Elizabeth-I

Welcome to the Magic Monday episode for March 8th, 2021. In this episode I talk about the Pisces New Moon, Sabian Symbols, my brand new tarot deck, and the iconic Marie Antoinette. So join in on this fun and magic filled episode.  XOXO,  The Punk Priestess   Below are the links to where you can find some of the rad things I mention in this episode: 1.) Sabian Symbol info: https://www.jamesburgess.com/sabian-calculator.html https://sabiansymbols.com/the-sabian-symbols-story/ 2.) Wayhome Tarot Deck: https://shopeverydaymagic.com 3.) Our Tarot Deck: https://www.psychic-sister.com/collections/tarot-oracle-decks/products/our-tarot 4.) Marie Antoinette book by Antonia Fraser: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17157.Marie_Antoinette   Follow The Punk Priestess: Instagram: @thepunkpriestess  Club House: @thepunkpriestess  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepunkpriestess   Punk Priestess Shop & Tarot Readings:  Get Yourself Some Punk Swag & schedule a tarot reading with me: https://www.thepunkpriestess.com   Contact: Email & Advertising Inquires: thepunkpriestess@gmail.com   Artwork by: Justin Adams  Website: http://www.variastudios.com  

THE DRAMA OF THE GREAT REFORM BILL 1832In November 1930, the Duke of Wellington declared. ‘the beginning of reform is the beginning of revolution. Despite his fears, a bill to introduce greater democracy was duly presented to Parliament. Eminent historian, Antonia Fraser, discusses with William Waldegrave how this most divisive of bills led to a complete change in the way Britain was governed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Whether you know me personally or not, if you’re listening to the podcast you’re probably not surprised to hear I LOVE the six wives! I loved seeing the new musical SIX in London and in New York. I love the television specials. I fell in love with history and the Tudors and began my obsession with Anne Boleyn watching the BBC production from back in the seventies (rebroadcast on PBS here in the US). I am a big six wives fan.It makes sense, then, that I wrap up my focus on books by looking at books about the Six Wives of Henry VIII. I decided to choose a book for each wife. The publication dates span more than 100 years, with the earliest book published in 1896 (!) and the most recent in 2014. Even 2014 feels like a long time ago, so I might have my next project identified!My criteria was that the book focus on the wives instead of the husband—he makes appearances, of course, and inserts his larger than life body and personality into the books just as he did into his marriages. But for the most part, Henry is placed in a supporting role, the husband that brings this fascinating group of women together. So let’s meet the six wives through six authors’ views of them.Amy License, The Six Wives and Many Mistresses of Henry VIII: The Women’s Stories (pub date 2014) and Katherine of Aragon.Karen Lindsey, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived (pub date 1995) and Anne Boleyn.Sarah Tytler, Tudor Queens and Princesses, (pub date 1896) and Jane Seymour.Alison Weir, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, (pub date 1991) and Anne of Cleves.Antonia Fraser, The Wives of Henry VIII (pub 1992) and Katherine Howard.David Loades, The Six Wives of Henry VIII (pub 1996) and Katherine Parr.I get the feeling that Henry VIII would describe his life with himself at the center, as the sun, with other people rotating around him, including these six women. But I think that in fact, the women had the real light—the intelligence, courage, determination, compassion, and abilities that created the power of Henry VIII’s reign. They were not just the power behind the throne, they were the power of the throne.

Chaque année, le 5 novembre, les Anglais célèbrent par de joyeuses détonations de pétards et autres feux d'artifice l'anniversaire de la tentative d'attentat déjouée dite de la conspiration des poudres (Gunpowder Plot). Pour soutenir financièrement la chaîne, trois choix: 1. Cliquez sur « Adhérer » sous la vidéo 2. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hndl 3. UTip: https://utip.io/lhistoirenousledira   Avec: Laurent Turcot, professeur en histoire à l'Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada Abonnez-vous à ma chaine: https://www.youtube.com/c/LHistoirenousledira Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/histoirenousledira Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turcotlaurent Les vidéos sont utilisées à des fins éducatives selon l'article 107 du Copyright Act de 1976 sur le Fair-Use. Pour aller plus loin: Antonia Fraser, The Gunpowder Plot : Terror & Faith in 1605, Londres, Phoenix, 2005. Alan Haynes, The Gunpowder Plot : Faith in Rebellion, Sparkford, Hayes and Sutton, 2005 Peter Marshall, Reformation England 1480–1642, Bloomsbury Academic, 2003. #histoire #documentaire #conspiration #complot

This podcast is now and forever exclusively a space for processing the slow motion image of Jamie Dornan on a horse as seen in Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, based on the 2001 biography Marie Antoinette: The Journey written by Antonia Fraser. That’s it. That’s the only show note. Enjoy.

This episode we're delving into the worlds of the ill-fated french queen, Marie Antoinette, and the formerly crowned, youngest self-made billionaire, Kylie Jenner. We're talking wigs, scandals, puppies and, of course, MOMAGERS. Join us as we lose our heads over this extravagant and contentious pair and make a palatial amount of references to the Sofia Coppola film. Mes amis, it's going to be ‘lit'.  Email - femmefilespodcast@gmail.comTwitter - @filesfemmeInstagram - @femmefilespodcastIn light of what's happening in the world we feel it is important to share some information about where you can help:Black Lives Matter https://blacklivesmatter.com/Minnesota Freedom Fund https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/Places to donate https://blacklivesmatter.carrd.co/#donationsLinksConstructing Images of Kylie Jenner and Marie Antoinette http://blog.courtauld.ac.uk/documentingfashion/2020/02/20/constructing-images-of-kylie-jenner-and-marie-antoinette/The Truth about the Big Hair of the 1770s http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-truth-about-big-hair-of-1770s-part.htmlAmanda Stenberg: Don't Cash Crop on my Cornrowshttps://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=don%27t+cash+crop+my+cornrows+The Curl Talk Projecthttps://www.thecurltalkproject.com/Marie Antoinette and her family https://www.habsburger.net/en/chapter/marie-antoinette-childhood-overshadowed-politicsMarie Antoinette a brief biographyhttps://www.thoughtco.com/marie-antoinette-biography-3530303Review of Antonia Fraser's biography of Marie Antoinette https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/jun/17/biography.artsandhumanitiesFacts about Marie's life https://www.crfashionbook.com/celebrity/g26519708/marie-antoinette-facts/?slide=31Marie Antoinette's siblingshttp://jeannedepompadour.blogspot.com/2012/03/antoinettes-brothers-and-sisters-when.html

Greetings from quarantine! Today's minisode will bring you some very special recommendations for things to read and watch while staying at home, including discussions on The Great, Normal People, The Witcher, The Mists of Avalon, and more! In the spirit of To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we'll talk about some of our other favorite teen rom-coms before getting into a quiz all about movies in which a letter plays a pivotal role. Stay tuned for our next episode on Marie Antoinette directed by Sophia Coppola based on the book Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser! Keep in touch on Twitter @Radaptations, and be sure to check out other women-hosted movie podcasts in the Lady Pod Squad Network by following #LadyPodSquad.

Let Them Eat CakeMay 24, 2020 Though legend has often attributed the phrase, “Let them eat cake,” to Marie Antoinette, it’s more likely those words were said about 100 years before her time by Marie-Therese, wife of Louis XIV. British author and biographer Antonia Fraser writes, “It was a callous and ignorant statement and she, Marie Antoinette, was neither.” The phrase references the plight of the poor during a time of famine in France when bread was in short supply and extraordinarily expensive, consuming up to 50% of a household’s income. It shows us just how disconnected she was from the challenges facing the poorest citizens in France at that time.As we continue in our study of 1 Corinthians this week, Paul has some words of correction for the believers in Corinth around their practice of communion. Originally, their remembrance of Jesus’ death on the cross was part of a larger feast, commonly called a “love feast,” meant to be a blessing to those in need in the congregation. But the practice within the Corinthian congregation had become significantly lacking in love. Their “let them eat cake” attitude was hurting the unity and strength that communion was meant to build. Paul, fed up with their drift from the purpose of the love feast, issues a strong rebuke, urging them to remember the price paid for their redemption and that they are now, one body. 

Powder your wig and add an extra hoop to your skirt, today we're talking all things Marie Antoinette. Who were her lovers? Did she cause the French Revolution? Did she actually say, “Let them eat cake”? We'll discuss all that and more on today's episode.New episodes on Mondays. You can listen on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, or Stitcher. Follow on Instagram or Facebook @storicalpodcastNon-fictionMarie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17157.Marie_AntoinetteFictionBecoming Marie Antoinette (Trilogy) by Juliet Grey - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9951003-becoming-marie-antoinetteThe Mistresses of Versailles (Trilogy) by Sally Christie - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33362126-the-sisters-of-versaillesMarie Antoinette: Serial Killer by Katie Alender - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16139598-marie-antoinette-serial-killerPodcastsMarie Antoinette on Queens Podcast - http://queenspodcast.libsyn.com/marie-antoinette-episode-13Marie Antoinette on Noble Blood - http://noblebloodtales.com/MoviesMarie Antoinette (2006) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0422720/Farewell, My Queen (2012) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1753813PerfumeLa Reine Antoinette - https://www.immortalperfumes.com/imported-products/marie-antoinette-inspired-perfume-oilBonus!Song: Versailles by Thylacine - http://en.chateauversailles.fr/node/821/versailles-thylacineMarie Antoinette's Enduring Mystique - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/arts/marie-antoinette-exhibition-Paris.htmlHofburg Palace - https://www.hofburg-wien.at/en/Schönbrunn Palace - https://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/

Powder your wig and add an extra hoop to your skirt, today we’re talking all things Marie Antoinette. Who were her lovers? Did she cause the French Revolution? Did she actually say, “Let them eat cake”? We’ll discuss all that and more on today’s episode.New episodes on Mondays. You can listen on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, or Stitcher. Follow on Instagram or Facebook @storicalpodcastNon-fictionMarie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17157.Marie_AntoinetteFictionBecoming Marie Antoinette (Trilogy) by Juliet Grey - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9951003-becoming-marie-antoinetteThe Mistresses of Versailles (Trilogy) by Sally Christie - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33362126-the-sisters-of-versaillesMarie Antoinette: Serial Killer by Katie Alender - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16139598-marie-antoinette-serial-killerPodcastsMarie Antoinette on Queens Podcast - http://queenspodcast.libsyn.com/marie-antoinette-episode-13Marie Antoinette on Noble Blood - http://noblebloodtales.com/MoviesMarie Antoinette (2006) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0422720/Farewell, My Queen (2012) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1753813PerfumeLa Reine Antoinette - https://www.immortalperfumes.com/imported-products/marie-antoinette-inspired-perfume-oilBonus!Song: Versailles by Thylacine - http://en.chateauversailles.fr/node/821/versailles-thylacineMarie Antoinette’s Enduring Mystique - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/arts/marie-antoinette-exhibition-Paris.htmlHofburg Palace - https://www.hofburg-wien.at/en/Schönbrunn Palace - https://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/

Originally envisioned as Sofia Coppola's second feature but stuggling with Historical true and an imposing roster of character which would lead Coppola to begin work on a parallel project which evolved into "Lost In Translation" whose success would inturn revamp this project. Setting out to not create another stuffy costume drama Coppola here blends the contempory with the traditional as lavish gowns and powdered wigs are sound tracked to a combination of New Wave and Post Punk as the film follows the life of Marie Antoinette from her marriage to Louis XVI to the fall of the house of Versailles with Coppola drawing inspiration from Evelyn Lever and Antonia Fraser’s biographies of Antoinette to craft a film which is less of a history lesson but instead more of a rich girl fantasy as Coppola focuses on the life the queen and the people in Antoinette’s life

It's time for another Extravaganza! This week, we're getting tipsy, answering listener questions, and revealing our brand new Patreon! Please consider supporting us there so that we can pay the scribes for their amazing work! What We’ve Been Reading The Ruin of Kings by Jenn LyonsA Choir of Lies by Alexandra RowlandRussian Doll (2019)The Umbrella Academy (2019- )Erkenci Kus (the Turkish soap opera)   Other Stuff We Mentioned Doctor WhoPacific Rim (never explicitly stated, but this is where the term “drift compatible” comes from)Steven UniverseTintinAsterix  BunyipsA Conspiracy of TruthsBarns Courtney’s “Glitter and Gold”Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto  Coldplay’s Ghost StoriesThe NationalTabletop AudioThe Hazards of Love by the Decemberists.A Beautiful MindThe Blue PlanetWicked Girls by Seanan McGuire"Wicked Girls" by Seanan McGuireMy Chemical Romance’s Danger Days“The Queen and the Soldier” by Suzanne VegaAnnihilation by Jeff VanderMeerCat Valente’s Space OperaMoulin Rouge!StilyagiAtomic BlondeAmélieRay Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way ComesHannibalRivers of London by Ben AaronovitchSilver in the Wood by Emily TeshDiscworld  by Terry PratchettCircle of Magic by Tamora PierceThe Captive Prince by C.S. PacatKushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline CareySorcerer to the Crown by Zen ChoA Sword on Two Fingers by Freya Marske (unpublished)Untitled Manuscript by Alexandra Rowland (unpublished)Catalyst by Jennifer Mace (unpublished)Hagstone by Jennifer Mace (unpublished)Antonia Fraser’s Robin HoodThe Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn GreenRaymond E. Feist’s Riftwar Cycle, specifically Silverthorn  and A Darkness of Sethanon (and also Magician)Gareth Gates For Next Time "The City Born Great" by NK Jemisin Transcription The transcript for this episode can be found here. Thank you so much, scribes!!

Den katolska superdrottningen med tre kungadömen inom räckhåll men som med olycklig tajming, obefintlig impulskontroll och katastrofala partnerval dundrade fram genom livet, rakt mot sin egen avgrund. I P3 Historia leder Cecilia Düringer lyssnarna genom världshistoriens vindlande berättelser. Vid sin sida har hon Navid Bavey som förhöjer dramatiken med scener ur historien. Varje avsnitt handlar om ett historiskt skeende, med en historisk person i fokus. Vill du veta mer om Maria Stuarts dramatiska livsöde? Här är några av de böcker som legat till grund för avsnittet: Maria Stuart drottning utan krona av Richard Herrmann Maria Stuart av Stefan Zweig The Stuarts redaktör Antonia Fraser    Redaktionen för detta avsnitt består av: Cecilia Düringer - programledare, research och manus  Navid Bavey - scenuppläsare Samuel Lindberg -  ljuddesign och slutmix Tove Palén - producent Medverkar gör även Anna Carlstedt litteraturforskare specialiserad på 1500-talet.

The Gunpowder Plot by Antonia Fraser.

Acclaimed historian and author Antonia Fraser joins us to discuss her new book The King and the Catholics: The Fight for Rights 1829 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Olá pessoal, no episódio desse mês falamos de “A irmã de Ana Bolena” (2001) de Philippa Gregory. Conversamos sobre o período dos Tudors na Inglaterra, focando no reinado de Henrique VIII, para falar sobre suas esposas Catarina de Aragão e, principalmente, Ana Bolena. Abordamos temas que permanecem em discussão na história de Ana e Henrique, como por exemplo o período antes dela se tornar rainha; as acusações de bruxaria; os abortos vividos pelas duas rainhas e ainda,  temas como o incesto e a relação com sua irmã e seu irmão. Falamos também sobre as soluções ficcionais da autora em relação aos fatos historicamente documentados, sobre as adaptações e a forma como o cinema escolheu representas essas personagens históricas. Livros citados: As seis mulheres de Henrique VIII (1992), de Antonia Fraser. A hora das bruxas (1990), de Anne Rice. Taltos (1994), de Anne Rice. Música da nossa trilha sonora: Pastime with good friends – “The King’s Ballad” (The Kynges Balade) de Henry VIII. Performance de Gryphon 17th Century music – The Publications Of John Playford (David Douglass, Paul O’Dette, Andrew Lawrence-King If Love Now Reynyd [Reigned] – de Henry VIII, performance de Krainis Recorder Consort. Carol – Sirius – Court Jesters. Tudor Minstrel Music: Best of Dowland, Byrd, Henry VIII and other court composers Overture – Trilha Sonora de “Anne of the Thousand days”- George Delerue Fanfarre for Henry VIII – Trilha Sonora de “Anne of the Thousand days”- George Delerue Consort N.24 – Henry VIII Podcast: 00:00:36 Apresentação 00:03:20 Contexto histórico – vida de Ana Bolena 01:08:09 O livro e as soluções ficcionais da autora 01:34:30 A adaptação 01:42:40 Outras indicações 02:02:00 Encerramento   The Tudors (2007-2010) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758790/ The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024473/ Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064030/ Wolf Hall (2015-) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3556920/ Henry and Ana: the Lovers Who Changed History https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3521474/ The Six Wives of Henry VIII (20o1) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358884/ Henry VIII and His Six Wives (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5705536/ Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6321326/ Links: Renaissance English History Podcast https://www.englandcast.com/ Boullan – Tudo sobre Ana Bolena e Era Tudor https://boullan.wordpress.com/ Tudor Brasil https://tudorbrasil.com/ O post #21: A irmã de Ana Bolena de Philippa Gregory apareceu primeiro em Chá das Cinco Com Literatura.

There are huge spoilers for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in this episode, so don't listen if you want to #KeepTheSecrets We're without Jessie for this week's episode but Sara and Amelia soldier on! We discuss the Palace of Versailles in Paris and misunderstood teen queen Marie Antoinette as well as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child's Hermione Granger. If you're planning to visit Versailles, there's lots of information here: http://en.chateauversailles.fr/ We briefly discuss Antonia Fraser's book on Marie Antoinette, more information here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/jun/17/biography.artsandhumanities Never Marry A Mitford is edited by Louisa Shanks.

Writer Lady Antonia Fraser; comic and actor Stephen K Amos; travel writer Christopher Somerville and poet Inua Ellams join Libby Purves. Stephen K Amos is a comedian and actor. His Radio 4 series What Does the K Stand For? tells the story of his teenage years in 1980s South London. Stephen's parents came from the same town in south-west Nigeria, but met as adults in Lagos and emigrated to the UK in the late 1960s. Stephen is currently performing his new stand-up show. He has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year since 2003, after making his début in 2001. During the 2006 Fringe, he performed the revealing solo show All of Me, in which he publicly acknowledged his own homosexuality to his audience for the first time. What Does the K Stand For? is broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Antonia Fraser is a writer and award-winning biographer. In 1978 she made a trip to Israel with her late husband, the playwright Harold Pinter. In her book, Our Israeli Diary, she recalls their experiences visiting the country during the 30th year of its founding - the first time either of them had travelled to Israel. She writes about the underlying tensions facing the country and their experiences spending time at some of its historically significant sites, revealing insights into the couple's relationship along the way. Our Israeli Diary - Of That Time, Of That Place is published by Oneworld. Christopher Somerville is a travel writer and the walking correspondent for The Times. In his latest book, The January Man, he retraces the paths he first walked along with his late father, John. His father was a senior civil servant at GCHQ in Cheltenham who never spoke about his work or his wartime experiences, but was a great walker. It was through their shared love of walking that father and son developed a bond that lasted until John's death. The January Man - A Year of Walking Britain is published by Doubleday. Inua Ellams is a poet and playwright who won the Edinburgh Fringe First Award in 2009 with his play The 14th Tale. Born in Nigeria to a Muslim father and a Christian mother, his latest one-man show, An Evening with an Immigrant, tells his story - of leaving Nigeria to performing solo shows at the National Theatre, all the while without a country to belong to or place to call home. An Evening with an Immigrant is touring the UK beginning at Brighton Dome. Producer: Paula McGinley.

With Lady Antonia Fraser, author of Our Israeli Diary. Presented by Sam Leith.

Elton John tells John Wilson about returning to his rock roots and the joy of the school run.Front Row launches an appeal to track down lost public art works.Lady Antonia Fraser pays tribute to her mentor, Lord Weidenfeld, who's died at the age of 96.Nicholas Searle discusses his debut novel, The Good Liar, a story of a conman in his 80s who hopes to pull off one last job when he meets a woman through a dating website.Comic book writer Kieron Gillen gives his take on Sky One's new superhero drama Lucky Man, based on an idea by Stan Lee and starring James Nesbitt.Producer: Dixi Stewart.

The renowned Oldie Literary lunch held in Brighton welcomes Flora Fraser, granddaughter of Elizabeth Longford and daughter of Antonia Fraser. Flora describes the marriage of The Washingtons, George and Martha, and the struggle for independence in the US. Sponsored by Doro, number one in the senior mobile market

Historian Lady Antonia Fraser discusses her memoir My History with broadcaster Mark Lawson, at the prestigious Oldie literary lunch at Simpson's in the Strand.

The award winning historian Antonia Fraser talks to Rosie Boycott about her childhood, speed reading and growing up the eldest of eight children. Her father was the exquisitely eccentric Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, the British politician and social reformer who was once beaten up by thugs at a meeting addressed by Sir Oswald Mosley - and her mother the historian Elizabeth Harman. 5x15 brings together five outstanding individuals to tell of their lives, passions and inspirations. There are only two rules - no scripts and only 15 minutes each. Learn more about 5x15 events: http://5x15stories.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/5x15stories

Antonia Fraser's memoir describes growing up in the 1930s and 1940s but its real concern is with her growing love of History. The fascination began as a child - and developed into an enduring passion; as she writes, 'for me, the study of History has always been an essential part of the enjoyment of life'.Antonia Fraser is the prize-winning author of many widely acclaimed historical works which have been international bestsellers. She was made DBE in 2011 for services to literature.This podcast was recorded live at our January 2015 'Writer of the month' event.

Lady Antonia Fraser talks to Matthew Sweet about her childhood in Oxford and London in the 30s and 40s, her lifelong fascination with history, and her forthcoming book, My History: A Memoir of Growing Up. Academics Susan Neiman and Robert Pogue Harrison discuss our modern day obsession with youth. And as a major retrospective of the late French director, Eric Rohmer, begins at the British Film Institute, critics Jonathan Romney and Ginette Vincendeau look at the auteur's fascination with characters in the summer of their lives.

TESTO DELL'ARTICOLO ➜ https://www.bastabugie.it/it/articoli.php?id=3509WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ERA CATTOLICO di Elisabetta Sala Indizi soltanto, ma significativi, sulla presunta appartenenza segreta alla Chiesa cattolica del grande scrittore ingleseE' da poco iniziato un importante biennio shakespeariano, compreso tra il 450° anniversario della nascita (il 23 aprile 2014) e il 400° della morte (lo stesso giorno nel 2016). Lassù in Inghilterra l'industria commerciale ne sta approfittando alla grande, lanciando iniziative, culturali ma non solo, per tutti i gusti e per tutte le tasche. Il grande drammaturgo, ridotto per secoli a iconcina del politically correct, rischia però di diventare un po' scomodo per la laicissima Gran Bretagna; giacché, con ogni probabilità, egli apparteneva al vasto e ramificato sottosuolo della dissidenza cattolica, nell'Inghilterra anglicana, e dell'opposizione al suo spietato regime.PAPISTI E "COMPLOTTI CATTOLICI"Né la fede individuale era, allora, un fatto privato o secondario: il ritenerla tale è, oltre che un anacronismo, una novità del nostro tempo malato di privacy. La fede di ognuno era un fatto squisitamente, e spesso tragicamente, pubblico; soprattutto dal momento in cui il governo aveva deciso di separare il tralcio inglese dalla vite romana, di considerare il Papa un nemico politico e di etichettare dunque tutti i cattolici come quinta colonna al servizio dell'avversario. In Inghilterra i "papisti" più "pericolosi" erano automaticamente colpevoli di alto tradimento, non di eresia, e venivano pertanto giustiziati con la pena più dolorosa e infamante che si riuscisse a concepire: squartati vivi sul patibolo, tra le ovazioni della folla, con il cuore ancora pulsante strappato dal petto.Peccato che, tra gli inglesi, i cattolici fossero allora la maggioranza e che non ci tenessero affatto a conformarsi alla Chiesa di Stato. Molti, i cosiddetti "papisti di chiesa", fingevano di adeguarsi e si presentavano al servizio domenicale anglicano solo per non pagare le salatissime multe. I più coraggiosi, che a volte erano anche molto ricchi, accettavano invece l'amarissima persecuzione e in chiesa non ci andavano, cercando intanto di far celebrare Messa in casa propria da qualche sacerdote cattolico clandestino. Erano costoro i famosi "ricusanti", che pagavano multe stratosferiche e rischiavano la morte ogni giorno pur senza immischiarsi di politica; molti di essi avevano anzi giurato che, se le potenze cattoliche avessero attaccato (com'era accaduto con l'Armada spagnola nel 1588), non avrebbero esitato a difendere la Patria. Altri ancora preferirono l'esilio alla persecuzione; alcuni di costoro, dall'estero, davvero si unirono ai nemici dell'Inghilterra per spodestare la tirannia.Ai sacerdoti inglesi toccava intanto formarsi all'estero e poi rientrare in patria clandestinamente come missionari. Erano braccati a guisa di spie nemiche dai servizi segreti più efficienti d'Europa e, se catturati, trattati di conseguenza: torturati, processati per lesa maestà, sventrati e squartati, colpevoli solamente di essere approdati sullo coste inglesi. Le loro teste finivano per lo più impalate sulla porta Sud del ponte di Londra, mentre lo altre parti del corpo erano esposte in catene in vari altri punti strategici. Ciò nonostante, continuavano a sbarcare.Il governo, che non ebbe mai il sostegno della maggioranza, divenne maestro nell'organizzare falsi "complotti cattolici" per poi sventarli "miracolosamente". I sacerdoti, d'altra parte, impararono presto a nascondersi e mimetizzarsi alla perfezione per tentare di svolgere il loro ministero almeno per qualche anno, prima di essere catturati o costretti alla fuga. In questa lotta del gatto col topo era in gioco l'anima dell'Inghilterra.SHAKESPEARE CATTOLICO?Ora, per dirla con Clare Asquith, «lo scrittore più brillante d'Inghilterra visse e lavorò nell'epoca più turbolenta del Paese. È impossibile credere che non avesse nulla da dire riguardo al dramma dei suoi giorni», come invece vorrebbero i sostenitori di un suo fantomatico disimpegno sia politico che religioso. Perché, paradossalmente, è proprio il rapporto di Shakespeare con il suo tempo a renderlo veramente un uomo «per tutti i tempi», come scrisse nel suo elogio funebre l'amico Ben Jonson (1572-1637). Chi si ferma al livello estetico non fa che considerare la sola punta dell'iceberg, utilizzando soltanto una piccola parte del pacchetto; ma, come ogni altro classico, anche Shakespeare va preso tutto intero e non come una confezione di spinaci da supermercato, a porzioni singole surgelate una per una.L'ultimo secolo ha visto esperti di diverse nazionalità e specializzazioni scavare sia nel retroterra storico del grande drammaturgo, sia nel canone delle sue opere; i loro studi hanno portato a scoperte estremamente interessanti. Gli storici hanno evidenziato come Stratford, il paesello natio, si trovasse in realtà al centro di una regione che Antonia Fraser definì «una specie di santuario per i ricusanti». Si è scoperto anche che il suo contesto familiare era ricusante; che ricusanti furono il padre, la famiglia della madre, la figlia e i padrini che la tennero a battesimo, persino diversi dei maestri di scuola assunti dalla municipalità quando Shakespeare era bambino. Che da ragazzo egli fu forse ospitato da una grande famiglia ricusante, attraverso cui entrò per la prima volta in contatto con gli ambienti teatrali. Che uno dei suoi parenti fu squartato sul patibolo per la sua fede e che un suo carissimo amico finì "suicidato" in carcere, accusato di aver ordito una trama cattolica contro Elisabetta I. Che, quando lasciò il paesello (forse in fuga) per recarsi a Londra, si mosse e operò nell'ambito di potenti famiglie cattoliche. Che, ritiratosi infine dalle scene e rientrato a Stratford, acquistò un misterioso palazzo londinese e lo diede in affitto a un ricusante per un prezzo simbolico; solo in seguito si scoprì che si trattava di un centro cattolico clandestino. Che, sempre dopo la sua morte, anche in campagna girava voce che fosse morto "papista".Quanto alle opere, la corrente critica che potremmo definire "cattolicista" vi ha individuato un filo rosso che le percorre tutte; un filo non facile da scorgere, a quel tempo, per il governo, giacché solo la metà dei drammi era stata data alle stampe (in edizioni sparse lungo gli anni e presto esaurite), mentre l'opera omnia vide la luce soltanto sette anni dopo la sua morte. Si tratta di un livello allegorico profondo, mai troppo scoperto ma neppure invisibile, in cui emerge una sorprendente, audace dissidenza politica e religiosa. Così la "Danimarca" di Amleto, in cui, notoriamente, c'è del marcio, è l'Inghilterra elisabettiana; il padre del principe, trucidato a tradimento e ora proveniente dal (proibito) Purgatorio, è l'antica fede; l'assassino usurpatore, nel cui regno i riti sono "mutilati", è il nuovo ordine imposto dall'alto, mentre i due falsi amici inviati dal nuovo re a spiare Amleto e a cercare di strappargli il "cuore" del suo "mistero" sono gli agenti segreti governativi, attraverso le cui delazioni i malcapitati dissidenti si ritrovavano veramente con il cuore strappato, sul patibolo, esposto al pubblico ludibrio.Stupiscono alcuni temi ricorrenti che, se riscontrati in opere isolate, possono non destare particolari sospetti, ma che diventano messaggi chiarissimi proprio per la loro ricorrenza lungo tutto il canone; come l'esilio dei buoni, il diritto al tirannicidio e persino l'invasione straniera (spesso guidata da quegli stessi esuli «rinnegati») come unico rimedio per salvare un Paese ferito e oppresso dai suoi stessi governanti. Tutti temi scottanti e proibiti, politicamente e religiosamente scorrettissimi, attraverso i quali il drammaturgo parlava a chi, tra il pubblico, aveva orecchie per intendere. Perché il teatro, pur sotto censura, era l'unico mezzo di comunicazione di massa non direttamente controllato dal governo.L'opera shakespeariana è tutta intrisa delle sofferenze del suo Paese: in mezzo a tanto dolore, mentre il sangue dei martiri ancora grondava dal patibolo, la passione di un intero popolo si faceva passione letteraria, reticente e nascosta, e si incarnava in drammi senza tempo. Giacché, per dirla con Peter Milward (l'illustre caposcuola della corrente "cattolicista"), il cuore del suo mistero sta proprio qui.

With Mark Lawson. Award-winning documentary maker Norma Percy's latest series, The Iraq War, investigates the events that led Britain and America to go to war with Iraq, with testimony from major players including Tony Blair, Jack Straw and key figures in the Iraqi government. Chris Mullin and Richard Ottaway MP discuss whether the series give us a new insight into how the war came about. To celebrate the centenary of Stravinsky's controversial ballet The Rite of Spring, dancer and choreographer Akram Khan has created a new interpretation of the piece with an original score by Nitin Sawnhey, Jocelyn Pook and Ben Frost. Akram Khan discusses his new work ITMOi (In the Mind of Igor) and explains how he went about following in Stravinsky's footsteps. In Cultural Exchange, in which leading creative minds share a cultural passion, historian Antonia Fraser champions J M W Turner's painting The Fighting Temeraire. Producer Olivia Skinner.

On Start the Week Anne McElvoy explores movements and people that have changed the political landscape. The MP Jesse Norman champions the founder of modern conservatism, the 18th century philosopher and statesman Edmund Burke. Lady Antonia Fraser brings to life the Great Reform Bill of 1832 which transformed the way Britain was governed. And one of the co-founders of the Occupy movement, David Graeber, looks afresh at the idea of democracy. Producer: Katy Hickman.

Playwright Errol John re-assessed; comedian Sarah Millican; Caitlin Moran and Antonia Fraser on recording audio versions of their books; author Shalom Auslander; screenwriter Paula Milne on new TV show White Heat; Naomi Alderman focuses on video games.

With John Wilson. Antonia Fraser and Caitlin Moran have both recorded audio versions of their memoirs. They discuss the challenges of reading their intimate thoughts aloud. Bruce Springsteen's new album Wrecking Ball mixes his muscular rock with folk influences and a strong sense of anger. Kate Mossman, Reviews Editor of Word Magazine, gives her response to it. Today the National Gallery and the National Galleries of Scotland announced that they have found the funds needed to buy Titian's painting Diana and Callisto, saving it for the nation. John asks John Leighton of the National Gallery of Scotland whether the £45m price-tag represents good value at this time. Radio 4 is inviting you to nominate New Elizabethans - people who have made an impact on the UK from 1952 to today. This week Front Row is asking writers and artists for their suggestions, and tonight architect Amanda Levete suggests a man who's made a significant contribution to the urban environment around the world. Producer Philippa Ritchie.

Chief Executive of Oxfam Barbara Stocking, and historian Lucy Worsley discuss their favourite paperbacks with Harriett Gilbert: 'Must You Go' by Antonia Fraser, 'Food in England' by Dorothy Hartley and 'Brighton Rock' by Graham Greene.

Right click here to download the mp3. Amber has traveled a path through Mormonism where she tried to follow every commandment, suggestion, and piece of advice that the church had to offer. She married and had two children in short order. What followed were three babies lost within a year after priesthood blessings assuring that they would live. These experiences, combined with other factors in her life, have led Amber on a path of finding what she truly believes, which is to reach out to those around her with compassion.Amber will be watching the comments to respond  to her story.As you leave comments, remember that Daughters of Mormonism seeks to provide a safe place for women to share their stories. This is a real story from a real person. Please see the Comment Policy for further details. Universe Embryo by fresco-childPosts from Amber's Blog First Miscarriage Sudden LossSecond Miscarriage Living On FaithMy Ambiguous LossMoving ForwardA Slow Healing ProcessReposeThird Miscarriage What do you say?The ElephantResources & ReferencesAntonia FraserThe Feminine MystiqueZelophehad's DaughtersMormon Stories PodcastFeminist Mormon HousewivesBy Common ConsentThe Exponent“Parents in Zion will be held responsible for the acts of their children, not only until they become eight years old but, perhaps, throughout all the lives of their children, provided they have neglected their duty to their children while they were under their care and guidance, and the parents were responsible for them.” (Joseph F. Smith quoted by Benson) 

Kosmo handlar om makt och estetik. Mårten Arndtzén har varit på Guggenheimmuseet i Bilbao och sett utställningen "Kaos & Klassicism". Här skildras ett lite bortglömt skede i den moderna konstens historia: den nyklassicistiska strömning som uppstod mellan de två stora världskrigen. Pablo Picasso gjorde en av 1900-talets mest politiskt laddade målningar med Guernica. Ändå förblev han länge partipolitiskt neutral, men 1944 i Andra Världskrigets slutskede fick han nog av den Gaullistiska yran och gick med i kommunistpartiet. Medlemskapet varade sen livet ut, även om relationen mellan Picasso och partiet var oavbrutet fylld av konflikter, både bistert allvarliga och dråpliga. Om detta handlar utställningen Picasso - Fred och Frihet på Louisiana utanför Köpenhamn, som Karsten Thurfjell besökt. Hedvig Weibull har träffat författaren Antonia Fraser som bland annat skrivit om Marie Antoinette som genom hela livet utnyttjades som en marionett av kungamakten i Versaill. Och så har Maria Edström Mårten Arndtzén har varit på Guggenheimmuseet i Bilbao och sett utställningen Kaos & Klassicism. Här skildras ett lite bortglömd skede i den moderna konstens historia: den nyklassicistiska strömning som uppstod mellan de två stora världskrigen, perioden 1918-1936. Då övergav många konstnärer de vildsinta experimenten och eftersträvade istället harmoni och klassisk skönhet, vilket även den framväxande fascismen och nazismen vurmade för. Mellankrigstiden var också en av de politiskt mest polariserade perioderna i modern tid, då i stort sett alla konstnärer och intellektuella tvingades ta ställning i spänningsfältet mellan fascism, socialism och kommunism. Även om Pablo Picasso med Guernica gjorde 1930-talets mest berömda politiskt laddade målning, förhöll han sig partipolitiskt neutral - ända fram till Andra Världskrigets slut, då han fick nog av den Gaullistiska yran och gick med i kommunistpartiet. Medlemskapet varade livet ut, även om relationen mellan Picasso och partiet var oavbrutet fylld av konflikter, både bistert allvarliga och dråpliga. Om detta handlar utställningen Picasso - Fred och Frihet på Louisiana utanför Köpenhamn, som Karsten Thurfjell besökt. Hedvig Weibull har träffat författaren Antonia Fraser. Ett sätt att presentera Lady Antonia Fraser är som överklasskvinnan som gifte sig med arbetarklassmannen och dramatikern Harold Pinter. Men Antonia Fraser är även en hyllad historiker med särskild talang för biografier. Hon har skrivit flera historiska romaner, bland annat om Marie Antoinette, en bok som senare kom att ligga till grund för Sofia Coppolas film om den franska drottningen. Marie Antoinette har fått personifiera tidens extravagans och vidlyftighet, men den yttre kontrollen av henne i själva verket total, från det att hon utsågs till Frankrikes kronprinsessa. Och så har Maria Edström funderat kring nobelpristagaren, författaren och dramatikern Elfriede Jelineks maktdemonterande estetik. Programledare: Cecilia Blomberg Producent: Marie Liljedahl

John Crace looks at the author's memories of life with Harold Pinter, with the pauses taken out

Kirsty Young's castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is the writer Antonia Fraser. Born Antonia Pakenham, the eldest of eight children, it was while growing up in Oxford that she became fascinated with the past and would make daily trips to the town's library to fuel her passion for history. With seven brothers and sisters it was, she says, "something of mine". Her father, Lord Longford, was a classicist and their lives were rich with interesting visitors like John Betjeman, William Beveridge and Isaiah Berlin. Both her parents stood unsuccessfully as Labour candidates. An internationally regarded historian, her best-selling books are credited with bringing the past to life, full of painstakingly researched detail and strong narrative. Her first job was in publishing, working for George Weidenfeld and then marrying the Tory MP Hugh Fraser. She wrote the first of her best selling historical biographies, Mary Queen of Scots in 1969 while the mother of six young children - "the little baby enjoyed the sound of the typewriter".Along with her husband, Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter, she has been at the centre of London's literati for well over 30 years. Her writing is still "place of solitude and a solace".[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]Favourite track: 3rd Movement of Piano Concerto No. 23 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The complete works by Walter Scott Luxury: Strings and strings of false pearls.

Kirsty Young's castaway on Desert Island Discs this week is the writer Antonia Fraser. Born Antonia Pakenham, the eldest of eight children, it was while growing up in Oxford that she became fascinated with the past and would make daily trips to the town's library to fuel her passion for history. With seven brothers and sisters it was, she says, "something of mine". Her father, Lord Longford, was a classicist and their lives were rich with interesting visitors like John Betjeman, William Beveridge and Isaiah Berlin. Both her parents stood unsuccessfully as Labour candidates. An internationally regarded historian, her best-selling books are credited with bringing the past to life, full of painstakingly researched detail and strong narrative. Her first job was in publishing, working for George Weidenfeld and then marrying the Tory MP Hugh Fraser. She wrote the first of her best selling historical biographies, Mary Queen of Scots in 1969 while the mother of six young children - "the little baby enjoyed the sound of the typewriter". Along with her husband, Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter, she has been at the centre of London's literati for well over 30 years. Her writing is still "place of solitude and a solace". [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: 3rd Movement of Piano Concerto No. 23 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Book: The complete works by Walter Scott Luxury: Strings and strings of false pearls.

James Naughtie is joined by historian Antonia Fraser to discuss her book The Gunpowder Plot.