Podcast appearances and mentions of Samuel Beckett

Jane Rogoyska explores the history of Paris's Hôtel Lutetia, which served as a haven for fleeing Weimar intellectuals before becoming a Nazi military intelligence headquarters in 1940. Rogoyska traces waves of refugees fleeing Nazi persecution, including writers Heinrich Mann and Lion Feuchtwanger. These figures struggled to warn an indifferent Europe about the dangers of fascism. Despite personal tragedies and bureaucratic challenges, literary giants like James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and Arthur Koestler frequented the hotel, carrying poison just in case they were captured. (6)

CONTENTS JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 8-27-2026.Anatol Lieven warns that foreign policy establishments in both the United States and Britain have embraced a dangerous militarism. He highlights how the Biden administration failed to rejoin the nuclear deal with Iran, seeking instead a harder bargain. Furthermore, Europe faces acute escalation risks over Ukraine; Russia has warned of retaliation against Britain for authorizing the use of Storm Shadow missiles inside Russian territory. Lieven cautions that British Prime Minister Burnham's domestic agenda could be destroyed if a stray British missile strikes a Russian civilian target, triggering a direct, retaliatory attack on British soil. (1)Peter Huessy argues that nuclear deterrence remains vital but requires continuous modernization of missiles, submarines, bombers, and command systems to match Russian and Chinese advancements. He explains that conventional defense fails against nuclear attacks in military war games. Huessy advocates for "counterforce" strategies—targeting an enemy's weapons and leadership rather than innocent civilian cities ("countervalue"). He also supports adding theater nuclear systems to deter Russia's "escalate to win" doctrine, which utilizes low-yield battlefield nuclear weapons to force a NATO stand-down. (2)Andrea Stricker discusses the concerning US-Saudi bilateral nuclear agreement, which triggers a 90-day congressional review. This pact opens the door to uranium enrichment on Saudi soil, setting a dangerous precedent that could spark a regional "domino effect." Additionally, Stricker highlights unresolved risks in Syria. Despite a US-brokered deal to turn over natural uranium metal, Syria's al-Qaeda-linked leadership intends to rebuild its civil nuclear program. She urges the US to enforce the complete removal of all nuclear material from Syria rather than giving extremists a pass. (3)Mary Anastasia O'Grady explains how the US is aggressively targeting Cuban regime elites by freezing assets and revoking visas. To facilitate the regime's collapse, O'Grady stresses that the US must present a viable post-collapse plan for "Day Zero" to avoid chaos, bloodshed, or oligarchic asset-grabbing. She advocates for securing property rights to encourage external investments and suggests using multilateral peacekeepers to maintain order. She supports a transitional board of Cuban-Americans and Americans to manage investments and prevent former military elites from seizing privatized state assets. (4)Conrad Black analyzes the impending trade dispute between Canada and the United States, labeled "the dumbest trade war ever." President Trump's comments describing Canada as a "51st state" and calling the Prime Minister "governor" have sparked deep resentment across Canada. Prime Minister Carney has ended negotiations and threatened retaliatory tariffs, securing tentative public support. However, the political opposition is demanding that Carney publish the underlying negotiation documents and recall parliament to build an all-party policy. Black argues this represents a moment of great risk but also a Churchillian opportunity. (5)Jane Rogoyska explores the history of Paris's Hôtel Lutetia, which served as a haven for fleeing Weimar intellectuals before becoming a Nazi military intelligence headquarters in 1940. Rogoyska traces waves of refugees fleeing Nazi persecution, including writers Heinrich Mann and Lion Feuchtwanger. These figures struggled to warn an indifferent Europe about the dangers of fascism. Despite personal tragedies and bureaucratic challenges, literary giants like James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, and Arthur Koestler frequented the hotel, carrying poison just in case they were captured. (6)Evan Ellis details how an unprecedented "super El Niño" is battering the Americas, causing floods in Peru and severe droughts affecting the Panama Canal. He outlines political developments, including Chile's struggle to finance aging copper mining infrastructure despite high global prices. In Venezuela, the "Rodrigato" gang leadership continues to slow-walk democratic reforms while benefiting from US-supervised oil sales. Colombia's new conservative president, de la Espriella, has prioritized security and pro-business reforms. Finally, in Panama, the US is expanding security efforts to counter persistent Chinese commercial and diplomatic encirclement. (7)

This is Dr. Swati Joshi's inaugural episode on the New Books Network. In this episode, she interviews Dr. Lucy Jeffery about her monograph, Transdisciplinary Beckett: Visual Arts, Music, and the Creative Process (ibidem Press, 2021). She is also co-editor and author of Replaying Communism: Trauma and Nostalgia in European Cultural Production, published by CEU Press and AUP in 2026. She is co-founder of the Replaying Communism project, which received funding from the AHRC SWW-DTP (2023) and the Visegrad Fund (2024). Dr. Jeffery's published research is on Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Ezra Pound, Ingeborg Bachmann, and Magda Szabó. Her monograph—Transdisciplinary Beckett: Visual Arts, Music, and the Creative Process—was published by Ibidem in 2021, and, in 2022, she co-edited a special issue for Green Letters, entitled ‘A New Poetics of Space'.  This episode weaves together Beckett's transdisciplinary creative process with Dr. Jeffery's journey of research, and cogitation over challenges to preserve integrity and creativity of the author's works in the wake of rapidly developing AI tools. Furthermore, the colour blue occupies an integral role in Dr. Jeffery's monograph, so this episode entails analytical segments on pigments used in Beckett's works beyond the black, white, and grey. Dr. Jeffery and I also briefly discuss our ongoing special issue, "A Writer's Palette: Colour in Late Modernist Literature," for Textual Practice. Colleagues interested in sharing their proposal until 12th December, can write to us on latemodernists@gmail.com, for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before Peggy Guggenheim became one of the most influential collectors of modern art—and before Palazzo Venier dei Leoni became her Venetian home and museum—she opened a small but remarkably ambitious gallery in London.In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica Cesarato speaks with Gražina Subelytė, curator at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, about the exhibition Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector.The exhibition explores the crucial years of 1938 and 1939, when Peggy founded Guggenheim Jeune, her first London gallery. During its brief eighteen-month existence, the gallery presented more than twenty exhibitions, promoted abstraction and Surrealism, introduced London audiences to major European artists and helped Peggy develop the vision that would eventually shape her celebrated collection.Gražina guides us through this formative period, revealing a Peggy Guggenheim who was still learning, experimenting and finding her place in the international art world. We discuss the artists, advisers and friendships that influenced her, the radical exhibitions she organised and the archival discoveries that offer a more complex understanding of her development as a collector.The conversation also explores the role of women artists within Guggenheim Jeune, the gallery's controversial contemporary sculpture exhibition and the first signs of Peggy's dream of creating a museum of modern art.Presented inside Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, the exhibition allows visitors to look back at the moment when Peggy's extraordinary story was only beginning—and to understand how her London years laid the foundations for the collection we know in Venice today.Key Notes from This EpisodeGražina Subelytė's journey into art history and curatorial workPeggy Guggenheim's life before she became a legendary collectorThe opening of Guggenheim Jeune in London in 1938How Marcel Duchamp, Samuel Beckett and Mary Reynolds influenced Peggy's artistic educationThe gallery's extraordinary programme of more than twenty exhibitions in eighteen monthsKandinsky's first solo exhibition in LondonPeggy's support for abstraction, Surrealism and experimental contemporary artThe role of women artistsThe controversial contemporary sculpture exhibitionLetters, photographs and archival documents that reveal a more personal side of PeggyThe origins of Peggy's ambition to establish a museum of modern artHow the London years anticipated the collection now housed in Venice

In the first of our special programmes from the Edinburgh Festivals, actress Stockard Channing - star of Grease, Six Degrees of Separation and Practical Magic - joins us alongside her friend, actor David Westhead, to discuss their production of Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape, in which a cynical and disillusioned older man reflects on his early life as an ambitious and idealistic writer.Jeff Whitty, Tony Award winning creator of the hit musical Avenue Q, which is currently running until 2027 in London's West End, tells us about Midsummer!, his new production inspired by Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's dream, set in the Gilded Age and performed in a contemporary verse translation. We have a live performance from siblings Maddie and Marcus Rice from their show with songs Goodbye Dandelion, an exploration of an unlikely friendship between an 87 year old and their much younger friend, which is the recipient of the inaugural Underbelly Futures Fund Award. And we hear how deaf actors and artists are taking centre stage at this year's Festival, with Stijn Van Opstal, the director of the acclaimed production [seagull], performed in Flemish sign language by Belgian company Olympique Dramatique - and with director Cora Bissett and deaf performer Jamie Rea, whose gig theatre production The Singer, centres on Joe, a deaf artist who 'sings' with his hands, and Andy, a washed-up musician seeking a comeback, and features music by KT Tunstall. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

This week, actress and humorist Annabelle Gurwitch discusses her new book The End of My Life Is Killing Me: The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker. In this deftly comedic and deeply contemplative memoir, the New York Times bestselling author faces life's biggest curveball only to find resilience in the most unlikely places. Gurwitch discusses the memoir-writing process and the importance of humor in hard times with comedian Chelsea Hood. This program was part of the 2026 American Writers Festival. Co-hosted by the American Writers Museum and Chicago Public Library, the American Writers Festival is a free literary event featuring in-depth conversations with diverse writers from across genres and backgrounds. This conversation took place June 7th, 2026 and was recorded live at the Harold Washington Library Center. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HUB More about The End of My Life Is Killing Me: After Annabelle Gurwitch received an out-of-the blue diagnosis of Stage 4 lung cancer, an existential dread set in. Precision medicine offered a temporary reprieve—but instead of turning into a cancer warrior, Annabelle declared herself a cancer slacker. Her motto: no runs, no ribbons, no religion. Told with her signature wit, warmth, and gimlet eye, Gurwitch draws inspiration from Greek mythology and TV comedies, Kermit the Frog and Samuel Beckett. She accidentally acquires an angel, embraces being in it "just for the sex," and finds herself on a European van tour selling merch for a heavy metal band. In this hilariously and deeply affecting meditation on mortality, the actress and activist illuminates life with chronic disease, inequities in care, and celebrates tiny victories, the crusty ends of baguettes, the discreet pleasure of sucking at a hobby, and the unshakable bond of female friendship. She upends the notion of living each day as if it were your last, as she discovers you can carpe too much diem, embracing, instead, the extraordinariness of the ordinary. About the speakers: ANNABELLE GURWITCH is an actress, activist, and New York Times bestselling author of six books and a two-time Thurber Prize finalist. Her essays and satire have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post amongst other publications. Her books include the New York Times bestseller I See You Made an Effort and You're Leaving When? a New York Times "Favorite Book for Healthy Living." Annabelle co-hosted the fan favorite Dinner & a Movie on TBS and was a regular commentator on NPR. She is a Jewish mother, lung cancer survivor and patient advocate, a terrible ukulele player, and an unrepentant cat lady who lives in Los Angeles. CHELSEA HOOD is a stand up comedian living in Chicago, IL by way of the comedy scenes in both Dallas, TX and Brooklyn, NY. You may have seen her on WGN, The CW Network's Eye Opener, or CW33's Nightcap. She was also featured on Stand Up Records' "Texas Mess" album recorded at SXSW. She was most frequently featured performer at Limestone Comedy Festival, one of eight chose as the Best of the Midwest at Gilda's LaughFest and a Comic to Watch at RIOT LA.

After a long delay (life gets in the way!) Gavin & Iain return with a “Wayland Yutani-cast” to discuss the recent spate of Aliens and Predator movies and TV shows. From Alien: Romulus to Predator:Badlands via Predator: Killer of Killers, Alien: Earth and even the original Alien (which we saw on the biug screen a year or two ago). But to kick things off, Gavin recounts his excellent adventure to New York Citay to see Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter live on stage in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot!   If you want to let us know what you thought of the show ( or our schedule), you can email us at podcast@mcyapandfries.com or send us a comment via social media : You can finds us on Bluesky at @mcyapandfries.bsky.social‬ (and you can also find Iain there at @mcnastyprime.bsky.social‬) We're occasionally still on the hellsite that is twitter at @mcyapandfries or individually @gavyap, & @mcnastyprime and you can follow us on Instagram ( @mcyapandfries,  @gavyap77 & @McNastyPrime). Click the images below to open the podcast in your player of choice, and, if you like, please leave us a review! Every review helps! If you want to REALLY help support our show, click on the banner below to head over to our sponsors Greenroom136.com!

In Episode 230, Sarah chats with Kevin Hazzard about his new book, No One's Coming, the true story of the daring mission to rescue two Americans infected with Ebola during the 2014 West African outbreak. They discuss the unlikely team behind the unprecedented operation, the challenges of telling a real-life story with the pacing of a thriller, and what Kevin learned about the ordinary people who stepped up when no one else could. Plus, Kevin shares his book recommendations. This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog. Highlights Books by Kevin Hazzard: No One's Coming, American Sirens, and A Thousand Naked Strangers How Kevin first came across this remarkable true story — and how he knew he had to write it Why the Phoenix Air team agreed to take on an unprecedented and incredibly dangerous mission The challenge of getting people to speak candidly about such a high-pressure, high-stakes operation The qualities Kevin saw in the people who said "yes" when everyone else was saying "no" Kevin answers the question: Would he have agreed to go on this ebola mission? If he plans to stay in the world of medical nonfiction for future books Kevin's Book Recommendations Two OLD Books He Loves Apeirogon by Colum McCann (2020) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:45]  The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:07]  Other Books Mentioned The Tiger by John Vaillant (2010) [40:17] Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry (2019) [42:59]  Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (1952) [43:03]  Two NEW Books He Loves In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means To Be A Man by Tom Junod (Mar 10) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [43:11]  Black Dahlia by William Mann (Jan 27) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [44:57]  Other Books Mentioned Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (2012) [44:16] Black Dahlia, Red Rose by Piu Eatwell (2017) [45:56]  I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (2018) [46:27]  One Book He DIDN'T Love The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:44]  One NEW RELEASE He's Excited About High Road by Hank Idsinga (Apr 28) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:39]  Other Books Mentioned Homicide by David Simon (1991) [48:52] 

There is a line from Samuel Beckett that a friend whispered to Stephen outside the hospital room where his wife Kate was dying. I can't go on. I'll go on. It became, as Stephen says in his memoir, a pretty accurate summary of his life after Kate and Anna. Anna came home from China at seven months old, a charming, sweet, luminously happy little girl who had a gift for drawing people to her. Children would flock to her on the playground, sensing something in her they could not name. She loved music, loved to sing, loved every meal she was ever given. She also had a rare and devastating neurogenetic disorder called Niemann-Pick Type C, diagnosed when she was five, after a fall and a head bleed led doctors to notice her enlarged liver and spleen. They told Stephen and Kate she would likely not live past thirteen. She lived to be twenty. Kate died of lung cancer in March of 2012, three years before Anna. She walked into the hospital on her own, refused to let Stephen call an ambulance, would not let him help her through the door. Doctors were puzzled by how a woman with a tumor wrapped around her lung could still be walking around. It was, Stephen says quietly, very much on brand for her. He was left to grieve his wife while watching his daughter continue her slow decline, and to hold his younger daughter Jane together through all of it. He did not do it gracefully. He did it the only way anyone does it. Imperfectly. One foot, then the other. I recognized something in Stephen's words that I have carried in my own grief. There were so many days when I turned to my dear friend and said, I can't do this. And every time, she looked right back at me and said, Marcy, you are doing this. That is the whole of it, right there. You feel like you cannot, and somehow, impossibly, you do. Stephen's memoir, A Ribbon for Your Hair, captures that truth with a writer's precision and a father's aching heart. He reflects on the weather of grief, how you live in it, how sometimes you notice it and sometimes it is just there. He shares the grief advice he received over the years, much of it well-meaning, almost none of it useful. And he stands on a sidewalk outside the apartment where he and Kate were once happy, weeping, while strangers walk past him as if nothing in the world has changed. Because for them, nothing has. That is grief's loneliest truth. He survived it because he had to. Because Jane needed him. Because that is what we do. I can't go on. I'll go on. A Ribbon for Your Hair is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

Today is Bastille Day in France, marking the establishment of the French republic, as well as other moments in the country's history, such as the efforts of the French Resistance.So, what role did Irish people like Samuel Beckett have in helping them during WW2?Joining Seán to discuss is Oliver O'Hanlon, Researcher on Franco Irish Relations in the Department of French at UCC.

Today is Bastille Day in France, marking the establishment of the French republic, as well as other moments in the country's history, such as the efforts of the French Resistance.So, what role did Irish people like Samuel Beckett have in helping them during WW2?Joining Seán to discuss is Oliver O'Hanlon, Researcher on Franco Irish Relations in the Department of French at UCC.

Alex Grech is a singularly accomplished and versatile Australian artist whose career as an actor, playwright, director, and stunt coordinator unites physical precision, classical inspiration, and a profound engagement with the absurdities and uncertainties of the human condition. Born in Sydney and raised in Melbourne, he began performing at the age of six with the Victorian Youth Theatre and continued developing his craft through high school productions including The Lion King, Legally Blonde, and Beauty and the Beast. After completing his secondary education, Grech worked as a paralegal, labourer, and bartender to finance an eleven-month solo backpacking journey in 2019 that took him through India, Switzerland, Prague, and Budapest, experiences that deepened his appreciation for global perspectives and personal resilience. In 2020 he relocated to New York City, where he trained at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in the Experimental Theatre Wing, graduating in 2024.Grech achieved his screen breakthrough in 2025 as Tommaso, Romeo's younger cousin, in the musical feature film Juliet & Romeo, a modern adaptation directed by Timothy Scott Bogart and featuring Rebel Wilson as Lady Capulet, Jason Isaacs as Lord Montague, Rupert Everett as Lord Capulet, and Derek Jacobi as the Friar. In preparation for the role, he undertook rigorous training with stunt and equestrian teams, ultimately performing all his own stunts and serving as the stunt double for the character of Romeo during production on location in Italy. His additional screen credits include Tommi's New Voice (2025) and The Demon of Parce Manor.Equally distinguished in theatre, Grech wrote the absurdist comedy Awaiting Evaluation in 2017 during his senior year at an international boarding school in regional Australia, drawing inspiration from Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and late-night explorations in a campus black box theatre. The play centres on two high school students, Sid and Ali, who find themselves suspended in an administrative limbo, confronting questions of identity, purpose, and affection while awaiting a principal who never arrives. Grech served as writer and director of the production's professional premiere as part of the New York Theatre Festival in June 2026 at Teatro LATEA, where he also portrayed Ali opposite Carson S. Davis as Sid. The 60-minute work, which explores the Sisyphean nature of waiting, the value of companionship amid uncertainty, and the precipice of life's major transitions, concluded its New York engagement on 27 June 2026 and makes its European debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2026 at the Thistle Theatre, Greenside @ Riddles Court.Beyond the stage and screen, Grech maintains an exacting physical practice rooted in his background as a competitive gymnast and state-level participant in soccer, water polo, and rugby union. His disciplines encompass martial arts including Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Krav Maga, as well as acrobatics, climbing, weightlifting, running, swimming, calisthenics, surfing, hiking, camping, skiing, and horse riding. He is a committed environmental advocate who uses his platform to champion the preservation of wilderness and wildlife, and he actively supports marginalised, community-run theatres in New York that employ performance as a means of addressing social and political injustice. He is equally passionate about advancing medical research into preventative measures and treatments for cancers and neurological conditions such as

Eduardo Souto de Moura recebeu esta terça-feira, em Barcelona, a Medalha de Ouro da União Internacional dos Arquitectos (UIA), a mais alta distinção mundial atribuída a um arquitecto em vida. O prémio reconhece uma carreira de mais de cinco décadas e faz do vencedor do Prémio Pritzker o segundo português a alcançar esta distinção, depois de Álvaro Siza, a quem representou recentemente na inauguração de uma exposição na UNESCO, em Paris. A cerimónia, integrada no Congresso Mundial dos Arquitectos, decorreu na Basílica da Sagrada Família e marcou um dos pontos altos da presença portuguesa em Barcelona, onde a Ordem dos Arquitectos e a Casa da Arquitectura organizaram vários momentos dedicados à projecção internacional da arquitectura portuguesa. Entre eles, um debate sobre o futuro da profissão e a inauguração da instalação "Ucronia", construída a partir de desenhos inéditos realizados por Souto de Moura nos anos 70. Dias antes de receber a distinção, o arquitecto contou-nos que a honra ia além do prémio em si. A presença do Presidente da República na cerimónia foi recebida como um gesto de reconhecimento institucional que o emocionou. "Fui honradíssimo pela ida do Presidente da República. Fico muito, muito honrado sempre", afirmou. Apesar do prestígio da distinção, Eduardo Souto de Moura garante que aquilo que verdadeiramente aprecia nos prémios não é o estatuto que conferem, mas a forma como aproximam a arquitectura das pessoas. "A coisa que eu mais gosto dos prémios é quando ando pela rua e as pessoas me cumprimentam, me dão os parabéns", diz, afastando a ideia de que se trate de vaidade. Essa visão ajuda também a compreender a relação que mantém com Álvaro Siza, o primeiro português distinguido com a Medalha de Ouro da UIA. Entre os dois arquitectos nunca existiu competição, antes uma cumplicidade construída ao longo de décadas. "Somos muito diferentes e respeitamo-nos muito. Eu respeito imenso o Siza e penso que ele também me respeita", afirma. Essa amizade ficou igualmente evidente poucos dias antes, em Paris, quando Souto de Moura representou Álvaro Siza na inauguração da exposição "Álvaro Siza: O Tempo Desenha a Arquitectura", patente na UNESCO. Foi ali que explicou aquilo que mais admira no arquitecto de Matosinhos: não uma linguagem formal que possa ser imitada, mas um método de trabalho. "O que eu posso usar é a tenacidade e o método com que ele encontra os meios para resolver os problemas. Ser arquitecto é resolver problemas." Essa aprendizagem, acrescenta, fez-se sobretudo pela observação directa do processo de trabalho de Siza. Souto de Moura diz interessar-se menos pelas formas acabadas do que pelo percurso que leva até elas: "Interessa-me assistir desde o princípio à exposição do problema, à maneira como ele estabelece a estratégia, encontra os meios, resolve as questões e depois as formaliza em obra." É nesse processo, mais do que no resultado final, que identifica a verdadeira lição de Siza. Para Souto de Moura, a arquitectura de Siza é inseparável da persistência com que procura eliminar tudo o que é supérfluo. "A coisa mais complicada que há é a simplicidade", afirma. "Atingir a simplicidade exige persistência, continuidade e perseverança para eliminar o que não é essencial." Uma procura que reconhece também no seu próprio percurso, ainda que sem qualquer intenção de comparação. "Nem tenho o mínimo interesse em competir. Somos amigos, respeitamo-nos e somos felizes assim." A admiração por Siza é também ética. Souto de Moura diz ter aprendido talvez mais com a pessoa do que com o arquitecto. "Ele é uma pessoa de uma integridade rara", afirma, sublinhando que "atrás de um grande arquitecto está sempre um grande homem". No caso de Siza, acrescenta, ética e estética confundem-se quase como na tradição grega: não são dimensões separadas, mas duas formas de uma mesma exigência. Mais do que desenhar edifícios, Souto de Moura acredita que a arquitectura deve melhorar a vida das pessoas. "Quando faço uma casa quero imaginar-me a viver lá dentro", explica. E acrescenta que essa preocupação se estende à escala da cidade: "O resultado que se procura é a felicidade das pessoas." Recorda, por exemplo, a emoção que sente sempre que vê o Estádio Municipal de Braga cheio de adeptos. "Vejo as pessoas felizes e penso: se não fosse eu, elas não estavam ali." Essa ideia de utilidade atravessa a forma como olha para a profissão. Para Eduardo Souto de Moura, uma obra só funciona verdadeiramente quando passa no teste da vida quotidiana. "Se eu não fizer esse teste, não vai funcionar para os outros", diz. Por isso, quando projecta uma casa, pensa numa família; quando projecta um equipamento colectivo, pensa na cidade. A arquitectura, no seu entendimento, não se esgota na forma: deve ser útil, habitável e capaz de produzir bem-estar. Na mesma entrevista, deixou ainda uma reflexão sobre o próprio acto de desenhar, que considera inseparável do pensamento arquitectónico. "Desenhar é pensar", resume. E, citando Samuel Beckett, conclui: "Falhar uma vez, falhar outra vez, falhar melhor. É assim que se aprende." A exposição dedicada a Álvaro Siza, inaugurada na UNESCO, ajuda a compreender essa forma de pensar a arquitectura. A comissária Teresa Cunha Ferreira explica que a mostra reúne mais de 200 obras construídas em quatro continentes ao longo de sete décadas e procura revelar a capacidade de Siza Vieira para responder a culturas, geografias e comunidades muito distintas. Segundo a arquitecta, trata-se de uma obra "de importância não apenas portuguesa, mas mundial", razão pela qual a exposição pretende também contribuir para a futura classificação da sua obra como Património Mundial da UNESCO.

James Joyce believed language could capture reality; Samuel Beckett believed it exposed its absence. Super interesting stuff! And, a Wisdom Of update! ... Check out my new books! This one is called: The Last Human: How Technology is Changing What it Means to be Humanhttps://www.amazon.com/Last-Human-Technology-Changing-Means/dp/1069510831/   

"A surreal discovery in a deserted motorway service station in Lazio. Behind the gas pumps stands a small, post-modern chapel, empty and silent. Inside, hidden low-fi speakers broadcast a bizarre loop of farm animals and distorted Christmas carols. The recording captures the haunting reverb of this lonely, sacred space, where kitsch sounds and motorway melancholy collide in a glitchy, suburban liturgy."To respond to this recording, I wanted to preserve its surreal, absurd and almost filmic character. The scene felt like something from a strange theatre production or an abandoned movie set, where familiar sounds take on an unsettling, dreamlike quality against the hum of the road. To capture this feeling I used a piano-led approach, collaging harmonic and melodic sounds from the recording and using pauses and space. Rather than filling the sonic landscape, I wanted to create room for the atmosphere of the original recording. I was reminded of Samuel Beckett and his use of absurdity, repetition and space in writing this piece. I aimed to use the theatrical strangeness of the recording while leaving space for its strangeness and melancholy to linger."Italian autogrill nativity reimagined by Laura Hills.

Paul Gross is taking on Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot this year at Ontario's Stratford Festival. You may know Paul as Mountie Constable Benton Fraser from Due South, or from his roles in Slings and Arrows, Republic of Doyle and Passchendaele. The Governor General's Award-winning actor and director joins Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about Waiting for Godot and why he wanted to take on the co-leading role of Vladimir. Paul also discusses why he thinks that this Beckett play is one of the single greatest creative achievements in human history.

A Piece of Monologue, performed by Barry McGovern, directed by Daniel Reardon and introduced by Gerry Dukes, whose stage adaptation, with Barry McGovern, of Beckett's post-war trilogy of novels as I'll Go On has played around the world.

Today, I'm joined by an amazing friend, client, and graduate of The Big Talk Academy Mastery, Dr. Lía Roth.    Dr. Roth is a psychoanalyst and keynote speaker specializing in shame, betrayal, and relational dynamics. She is the bestselling author of Get In or Get Out, But Don't Stay in the Freakn' Middle. Known for her sharp, grounded insight, she is a speaker whose presence ignites possibility.   In this episode, we'll explore: What happens when we operate from shame How to offer yourself belonging, rather than waiting to receive it from others The steps to heal from shame and create new possibilities Her current favorites: Book: Endgame (Fin de partida) by Samuel Beckett and Speaker: Tricia Brouk More from Dr. Lía Roth Her big talk, given at The Triad in NYC Website: https://drliaroth.com/speakup    Listen to her podcast  Read her book, Get In or Get Out, But Don't Stay in the Freakn' Middle Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrLRoth  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drliaroth  Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlroth  Substack: https://substack.com/@drliaroth    More from Tricia  Get your copy of my latest book, Being Smart is Stupid Join me LIVE for my Complimentary Monthly Workshop Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com 

Portland’s Lloyd Center is scheduled to close Aug. 8 after more than 65 years in business.   The current owner, Urban Renaissance Group, plans to demolish the mall to make way for housing, businesses and a new music venue. Groups such as Save Lloyd Center Mall and the Save Lloyd Ice Coalition are holding out hope that a city hearing in June could prevent the mall’s closure, but it seems likely that the Lloyd Center is in its final days.   After its last anchor stores shuttered in 2021, the mall’s low rents and large usable space attracted a wide array of community groups and independent retailers. In its last incarnation, the mall became a hub for the kind of quirky community that Portland prides itself on.   We’ll listen back to three conversations that capture that recent era: Jason Leivian is the owner of Floating World Comics. We spoke with him in 2022, shortly after he relocated his store from Old Town to the Lloyd Center.   In 2023, we talked about a production of Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days” that was staged in a former Victoria’s Secret store in the Lloyd Center. It was put on by the Northwest Classical Theatre Collaborative, which aims to bring theater to nontraditional spaces. We were joined by director Patrick Walsh, the collaborative’s executive artistic director, and Portland actress Diane Kondrat, who starred as “Winnie” in the play.   Finally, Krista Catwood joined us last summer to talk about the Food Court 5000. That’s a 1980s-themed mall walk that Catwood leads every Sunday morning in the Lloyd Center.  

The Old Tune is Beckett's free adaptation of La Manivelle/The Crank, a radio play by French writer, Robert Pinget. The Beckett Season is made possible by the kind permission of the Estate of Samuel Beckett.

Jeni Jones is a director, actor, playwright, producer, and performer whose 30-year career spans theatre, film, music, and spoken word. Known for her work as a Beckettian actor and director, she has directed productions of Waiting for Godot, Krapp's Last Tape, NOT I, and ROCKABY, and has earned recognition including an NAACP Theatre Award. Her work combines classical theatre with contemporary approaches, including hip-hop and performance art. In this program, Jones explores Samuel Beckett's female-centered works, focusing on NOT I and ROCKABY. Through discussion and a hip-hop-infused demonstration, she examines Beckett's challenging texts and her process for bringing them to life. NOT I, Beckett's intense and rapid-fire monologue delivered by “Mouth,” and ROCKABY, a haunting meditation on memory and mortality, offer a different perspective on the playwright's work while exploring themes of identity, isolation, and human connection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A special programme curated from a brace of Bowman Sunday Eight Thirty programmes made in 2006 celebrating the centenary of Samuel Beckett's birth.

Le metteur en scène Ludovic Lagarde met en scène le texte du dramaturge Martin Crimp Des hommes endormis. Une pièce à voir à l'Athénée jusqu'au 24 mai.  Amour, boulot, pouvoir, désir : deux couples tâtonnent, tentent de faire le point, pour se dire… ou ne pas se dire des choses, le temps d'une nuit, une nuit propice à la parole et à la divagation.  Le texte de Crimp est fait de conversations, un peu hachées, un peu fragmentaires, où l'exploration du thème de la violence n'est jamais loin. La pièce démarre à deux heures du matin : Paul, qui crée de la danse, et Julia, critique d'art contemporain. Ce couple de quinquagénaires sans enfants mais qui a réussi socialement s'interroge sur son avenir quand surviennent Joséphine – assistante de Julia – et Tilman, jeune couple, futurs parents, invités par Julia. Invités : Ludovic Lagarde, metteur en scène. Il a mis en scène de nombreux auteurs du répertoire – Shakespeare, Tchékhov, Brecht –, mais aussi des auteurs plus contemporains tels que Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Sarah Kane ou encore Olivier Cadiot avec lequel il a beaucoup collaboré. Il met en scène Des hommes endormis.  Laurent Poitrenaux, comédien. Il travaille avec Ludovic Lagarde depuis près de 40 ans. Il joue le rôle de Paul dans la pièce.  Le texte Des hommes endormis a été écrit par Martin Crimp, un auteur britannnique contemporain né en 1956. Dans ses textes, il aborde, avec un humour grinçant, la question de la violence. Il est l'un des auteurs de théâtre vivants parmi les plus importants. La pièce Des hommes endormis a été créé en 2018 pour la troupe du Deutsche Schauspielhaus à Hambourg. Le texte a été traduit en français par Alice Zeniter, qui a consacré sa thèse à l'auteur britannique et publié aux éditions de l'Arche.  À voir au Théâtre de l'Athénée-Louis Jouvet jusqu'au 24 mai.  Programmation musicale : L'artiste Ofé et son titre Je sais que tu m'aimes.

Le metteur en scène Ludovic Lagarde met en scène le texte du dramaturge Martin Crimp Des hommes endormis. Une pièce à voir à l'Athénée jusqu'au 24 mai.  Amour, boulot, pouvoir, désir : deux couples tâtonnent, tentent de faire le point, pour se dire… ou ne pas se dire des choses, le temps d'une nuit, une nuit propice à la parole et à la divagation.  Le texte de Crimp est fait de conversations, un peu hachées, un peu fragmentaires, où l'exploration du thème de la violence n'est jamais loin. La pièce démarre à deux heures du matin : Paul, qui crée de la danse, et Julia, critique d'art contemporain. Ce couple de quinquagénaires sans enfants mais qui a réussi socialement s'interroge sur son avenir quand surviennent Joséphine – assistante de Julia – et Tilman, jeune couple, futurs parents, invités par Julia. Invités : Ludovic Lagarde, metteur en scène. Il a mis en scène de nombreux auteurs du répertoire – Shakespeare, Tchékhov, Brecht –, mais aussi des auteurs plus contemporains tels que Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Sarah Kane ou encore Olivier Cadiot avec lequel il a beaucoup collaboré. Il met en scène Des hommes endormis.  Laurent Poitrenaux, comédien. Il travaille avec Ludovic Lagarde depuis près de 40 ans. Il joue le rôle de Paul dans la pièce.  Le texte Des hommes endormis a été écrit par Martin Crimp, un auteur britannnique contemporain né en 1956. Dans ses textes, il aborde, avec un humour grinçant, la question de la violence. Il est l'un des auteurs de théâtre vivants parmi les plus importants. La pièce Des hommes endormis a été créé en 2018 pour la troupe du Deutsche Schauspielhaus à Hambourg. Le texte a été traduit en français par Alice Zeniter, qui a consacré sa thèse à l'auteur britannique et publié aux éditions de l'Arche.  À voir au Théâtre de l'Athénée-Louis Jouvet jusqu'au 24 mai.  Programmation musicale : L'artiste Ofé et son titre Je sais que tu m'aimes.

durée : 00:59:46 - Les Nuits de France Culture - par : Albane Penaranda - réalisation : Mathias Le Gargasson, Antoine Dhulster, Rafik Zénine, Vincent Abouchar, Emily Vallat, Hassane M'Béchour, INA Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

Phil & David welcome back for seconds our beloved rock power trio who we now consider Naked Lunch's house band. This is a loose and lively conversation with Dogstar about their powerful upcoming new album All In Now which comes out May 29th, as well as  everything from doing Samuel Beckett on Broadway to touring the world as a band to overpriced tuna sandwiches from Mob relatives to acting alongside Steven Seagal to an unauthorized drive on to an old Paula Abdul video to why the hell there's only one "t" in Bret. For more answers about Dogstar, or to pre-order the album go to https://dogstarofficial.com/. To learn more about building community through food and "Somebody Feed the People," visit the Philanthropy page at ⁠philrosenthalworld.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

durée : 00:07:50 - Les Midis de Culture - par : Marie Labory - Les auteurs espagnols Jorge Carrión et Javier Olivares mettent en récit et en dessins la vie de Samuel Beckett, auteur entre autres d'"En attendant Godot". - réalisation : Laurence Malonda - invités : Catherine Robin Grand reporter et critique de BD à Elle; Joseph Ghosn Directeur adjoint de la rédaction de Madame Figaro

 The Great Fenian EscapeFor as long as the English have occupied Ireland there have been political prisoners. As long as there have been political prisoners there have been daring and ingenious escapes. In the most recent period of conflict it is estimated that around 100 republicans participated in escapes, including the great escape from the H-Blocks in 1983. That was the biggest ever in British penal history. Others tunnelled their way out; clambered over walls; escaped in a helicopter; shot their way out; blew a hole in a wall; hid in a bin lorry or dressed as priests or in one case as a woman. I was a Samuel Beckett type of escapee. I failed. But I never gave up. I failed better. Moore Street Trust calls on State to buy Moore St. TerraceThis Friday, 24 April, is the date 110 years ago when the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army launched the Easter Rising. They published the 1916 Proclamation and proclaimed a Republic. For six days a small band of Irish rebels took on the might of the British Empire.  Ard Fheis 2026 in BelfastThis weekend the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis will be held in the ICC Waterfront Hall in Belfast. Like hundreds more I will be there as the party debates policy, including how we can advance our core objective of Irish Unity. 

There's an animate quality to the biomorphic sculptures of the self-taught, Utah-born artist Alma Allen. His works, carved from wood, marble, and bronze—and informed by his deep appreciation for the natural world—appear as if they're living, breathing things, at once prehistoric and futuristic. Far from fixed objects, they eschew any overt symbolism or predetermined narratives. For this “site-specific” episode of Time Sensitive, our milestone 150th, we traveled to Mexico City to sit down with Allen inside his family's home there to discuss his highest-visibility exhibition yet: “Call Me the Breeze,” a solo presentation at the U.S. Pavilion for the 61st edition of the Venice Biennale, opening May 9 and on view through Nov. 22. In addition to his plans for Venice and how he's been navigating the noise and public debate around his selection for this year's U.S. Pavilion, he also delves into the hard-to-pin-down nature of his material-forward sculptures and his peripatetic path to art-world ascendancy.  Special thanks to our Season 13 presenting partner, Van Cleef & Arpels. Show notes:  Alma Allen [20:04] Issey Miyake [20:04] Todd Oldham [20:04] Julio Espada [26:06] "Call Me the Breeze" (2026) [29:00] Mauricio Rocha [29:00] Isamu Noguchi [32:02] The Sound and the Fury [32:02] Thomas Pynchon [32:02] Samuel Beckett [41:03] Clyfford Still [39:10] Pierre Soulages [50:13] Glenn Adamson [53:00] J.J. Cale [55:41] JB Blunk [57:42] Constantin Brâncuși [57:42] Lynda Benglis [57:42] Louise Bourgeois [57:42] Thaddeus Mosley [59:24] Museo Anahuacalli [1:04:38] Alma Allen on Park Avenue (2025)

En Irlande, les artistes reçoivent 325 euros par semaine, par l'État. Le Basic Income for the Arts, en français, « le revenu de base pour les artistes », est un programme pilote, qui avait été lancé par le gouvernement pour aider le secteur à se relever après la pandémie de Covid-19. Ainsi, depuis octobre 2022, 2 000 artistes, tirés au sort, perçoivent ce revenu garanti et ont donc pu dire adieu aux jobs alimentaires. Et bonne nouvelle, le programme vient d'être prolongé ! Parmi ces 2 000 chanceux, le peintre Gearoid O'Dea. Dans son atelier, au sud de Dublin, il respire enfin. « Ce dispositif m'a offert de l'espace mental : ça te permet de vivre avec beaucoup moins de stress, et je n'ai plus besoin d'accepter des projets qui ne me ressemblent pas ! La plupart des œuvres ici ont été réalisées grâce au programme ! Je dirais que ça m'a permis d'élargir le champ de mon travail : car aujourd'hui, j'essaie vraiment d'explorer des formats plus ambitieux ».  Tandis que Gearoid peint de beaucoup plus grandes toiles, le compositeur Michael Gallen a lui imaginé un tout nouvel opéra, qui lui a valu le Prix Fedora 2025 ! « Avant, j'avais toujours l'impression de vivre au bord du précipice, sans savoir si je pourrais enchaîner un nouveau projet. Je pensais qu'être artiste, c'était forcément sacrifier sa vie personnelle : fonder une famille me semblait impensable… Mais aujourd'hui, je suis papa ! Et ce programme m'a redonné confiance, le sentiment que mon travail compte vraiment pour la société, a de la valeur ! », dit-il. Et une valeur économique tangible : selon un récent rapport, le dispositif aurait déjà généré plus de 100 millions d'euros de bénéfices pour la société irlandaise. Avec ses quatre prix Nobel de littérature et ses icônes musicales - U2, Sinead O'Connor… On pourrait croire l'Irlande paradis des artistes !  Une chance unique pour l'Irlande Mais c'est tout l'inverse : l'Irlande est le pays européen qui consacre le moins à la culture, avec seulement 0,2 % de son PIB. Beaucoup d'artistes créent donc malgré un contexte difficile. « Samuel Beckett avait dû quitter l'Irlande pour s'épanouir en tant qu'artiste ! Sans revenu de base, d'autres talents risquent d'en faire autant, attirés par d'autres pays ou contraints de changer de voie. Ce programme est une chance unique pour l'Irlande d'affirmer sa place comme pays de créativité et d'expression artistique », explique Maria Fleming, présidente de la Campagne Nationale pour les Arts. Le Basic Income for the Arts devait durer trois ans, de 2022 à 2025, mais fort de son succès, il vient d'être prolongé et élargi à 2 000 artistes supplémentaires. Un véritable coup de pouce pour le secteur, qui donnerait même des idées à d'autres pays, comme l'Australie, le Canada ou encore la Corée du Sud, qui se renseignent sur ce dispositif inédit ! 

Today marks the 120th birthday of Samuel Beckett. Inspired both by this milestone anniversary and by the wonderful new exhibition of the work of photographer John Minihan in the National Gallery of Ireland, this episode explores sites that are important to the story of Beckett and Dublin. Some, like Trinity College Dublin, will be familiar. Others, like the family business on Clare Street where he wrote some of his collection More Pricks Than Kicks are unmarked today. Our journey brings us to places as diverse as Elvery's sport shop and Kennedy's pub, as we get to walk in Beckett's footsteps across a city he did love, despite the challenges it put before him.

Michael Boatman on Spin City, Hollywood Survival & UFO Encounters In this engaging episode of Reza Rifts, Keith Reza sits down with actor and writer Michael Boatman for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, career longevity, and the mysteries that keep life interesting. From his memorable work on Spin City, Arli$$, China Beach, and The Good Fight to his life as a novelist and storyteller, Michael reflects on the unpredictable path of building a lasting career in entertainment. The conversation explores his writing process, fascinating Hollywood encounters, the realities of working in television and film, and his longtime curiosity about space, UFOs, and the unknown. Funny, insightful, and surprisingly moving, this episode is packed with stories about resilience, identity, reinvention, and what it means to keep evolving as an artist in an industry that never stops changing. Guest Bio Michael Boatman is an American actor and writer best known for his roles as Carter Heywood on Spin City, Samuel Beckett on China Beach, Stanley Babson on Arli$$, Motown in Hamburger Hill, and Julius Cain on The Good Wife and The Good Fight. He has also built a respected career as a fiction writer, with books including God Laughs When You Die and The Revenant Road. Follow Michael Boatman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelboatman64/ IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0090225/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Comedy Special Announcement 02:04 Guest Introduction: Michael Boatman 11:18 The Journey of Writing Books 17:40 Experiences with Aliens and UFOs 24:20 Acting Career and Breakthrough Roles 32:28 Contrasting Styles: Spin City vs. Arli$$ 37:02 Breaking Boundaries in Television 40:01 The Impact of Celebrity on TV 43:01 Michael J. Fox's Journey with Parkinson's 48:08 The Resilience of the Human Spirit 52:02 Navigating the Transition from TV to Film 55:04 The Evolution of the Entertainment Industry 01:00:57 The Challenges of Being an Actor Today 01:05:47 The Fear of Impermanence in Acting 01:11:59 A Sweet Reflection on Identity   Support the show on https://patreon.com/rezarifts61  Follow Keith on all social media platforms: FB: https://www.facebook.com/realkeithreza IG:https://www.instagram.com/keithreza  ALT IG:https://www.instagram.com/duhkeithreza  X:https://www.twitter.com/keithreza  TT:https://www.tiktok.com/keithreza  Book Keith on cameo at www.cameo.com/keithreza Check out my website for dates at https://www.keithreza.com/  Subscribe - Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts - Tell a friend :) Be a Rifter!   Up Next on Reza Rifts Stay tuned for more candid, funny, and deeply human conversations with actors, comedians, writers, and entertainers from across the Hollywood universe. On Reza Rifts, every episode brings you closer to the people behind the performances and the stories you never saw coming.   #RezaRifts #KeithReza #MichaelBoatman #SpinCity #Arli$$ #ChinaBeach #TheGoodFight #Hollywood #Acting #Writing #Storytelling #UFOs #SpaceMysteries #EntertainmentPodcast #ComedyPodcast  

Today marks 120 years since the birth of Samuel Beckett. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1969, but he still remains to be more of a remote figure compared to the pantheon of Irish writers.Joining Seán to discuss his life and career is writer Dr. Fearghal Whelan.

Anne Enright has written eight novels, most recently The Wren, The Wren, for which she was on the show in 2023. She won the Man Booker Prize for The Gathering and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and was the inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction. In 2022, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Book Awards. Her latest collection of essays is Attention: Writing on Life, Art, and the World. These 24 essays cover a lot of ground, but one big theme is how Anne reads other writers, and specifically how she reads them today in contrast to how she's read them before. There are familiar names like Toni Morrison, James Joyce, Edna O' Brien, Samuel Beckett, and Alice Munroe. But some obscure writers, as well. Anne joins Marrie Stone to talk about reading, both for the joy of it and for the study of it, writing, attention, our waning attention spans, and how being a woman has played a role in every one of these topics. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It's stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you'll find an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It's perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. (Recorded March 31, 2026) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)

Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist by David Bather Woods An engaging biography of one of the most influential Western philosophers and a thought-provoking exploration of how to live with Arthur Schopenhauer's pessimism.Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) almost wasn't one of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century. Born in the Free City of Danzig to a family of shipping merchants, he was destined for a life of imports and exports until his father died in a suspected suicide. After much deliberation, the young Schopenhauer invested his inheritance in himself and his philosophical vocation. But the long road to recognition was a difficult one, with Schopenhauer spending all but the last decade of his life in total obscurity. Yet his ideas and style went on to influence great thinkers, including Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Sigmund Freud, as well as artists such as the composer Richard Wagner and writers Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann, Samuel Beckett, and many more.A singular and remarkably influential thinker, Schopenhauer is usually described as an extreme pessimist. He questioned the purpose of existence in a world where pain and suffering are inescapable and happiness is all too brief. In this engaging philosophical biography, David Bather Woods reevaluates Schopenhauer's pessimism in the context of his life experiences, revealing the philosopher's relentless fascination with the world and making a case for his contemporary relevance. Bather Woods weaves together Schopenhauer's ideas with the story of how he came to be, including such topics as love, loneliness, morality, politics, gender, sexuality, death, suicide, fame, and madness. In doing so, this book answers some of life's most challenging questions about how to deal with pain and loss, and how to live with ourselves and each other.Despite his pessimistic outlook on human existence, Schopenhauer didn't give up on life. Rather, he recognized that the question of how to live becomes even more pressing, and he worked to provide an answer. Bather Woods shows how Schopenhauer's life informed his ideas and how they still resonate today. David Bather Woods is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is coeditor with Timothy Stoll of The Schopenhauerian Mind. He has contributed chapters to The Proustian Mind, Schopenhauer's Moral Philosophy, and The Palgrave Schopenhauer Handbook. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist by David Bather Woods An engaging biography of one of the most influential Western philosophers and a thought-provoking exploration of how to live with Arthur Schopenhauer's pessimism.Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) almost wasn't one of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century. Born in the Free City of Danzig to a family of shipping merchants, he was destined for a life of imports and exports until his father died in a suspected suicide. After much deliberation, the young Schopenhauer invested his inheritance in himself and his philosophical vocation. But the long road to recognition was a difficult one, with Schopenhauer spending all but the last decade of his life in total obscurity. Yet his ideas and style went on to influence great thinkers, including Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Sigmund Freud, as well as artists such as the composer Richard Wagner and writers Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann, Samuel Beckett, and many more.A singular and remarkably influential thinker, Schopenhauer is usually described as an extreme pessimist. He questioned the purpose of existence in a world where pain and suffering are inescapable and happiness is all too brief. In this engaging philosophical biography, David Bather Woods reevaluates Schopenhauer's pessimism in the context of his life experiences, revealing the philosopher's relentless fascination with the world and making a case for his contemporary relevance. Bather Woods weaves together Schopenhauer's ideas with the story of how he came to be, including such topics as love, loneliness, morality, politics, gender, sexuality, death, suicide, fame, and madness. In doing so, this book answers some of life's most challenging questions about how to deal with pain and loss, and how to live with ourselves and each other.Despite his pessimistic outlook on human existence, Schopenhauer didn't give up on life. Rather, he recognized that the question of how to live becomes even more pressing, and he worked to provide an answer. Bather Woods shows how Schopenhauer's life informed his ideas and how they still resonate today. David Bather Woods is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is coeditor with Timothy Stoll of The Schopenhauerian Mind. He has contributed chapters to The Proustian Mind, Schopenhauer's Moral Philosophy, and The Palgrave Schopenhauer Handbook. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist by David Bather Woods An engaging biography of one of the most influential Western philosophers and a thought-provoking exploration of how to live with Arthur Schopenhauer's pessimism.Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) almost wasn't one of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century. Born in the Free City of Danzig to a family of shipping merchants, he was destined for a life of imports and exports until his father died in a suspected suicide. After much deliberation, the young Schopenhauer invested his inheritance in himself and his philosophical vocation. But the long road to recognition was a difficult one, with Schopenhauer spending all but the last decade of his life in total obscurity. Yet his ideas and style went on to influence great thinkers, including Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Sigmund Freud, as well as artists such as the composer Richard Wagner and writers Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann, Samuel Beckett, and many more.A singular and remarkably influential thinker, Schopenhauer is usually described as an extreme pessimist. He questioned the purpose of existence in a world where pain and suffering are inescapable and happiness is all too brief. In this engaging philosophical biography, David Bather Woods reevaluates Schopenhauer's pessimism in the context of his life experiences, revealing the philosopher's relentless fascination with the world and making a case for his contemporary relevance. Bather Woods weaves together Schopenhauer's ideas with the story of how he came to be, including such topics as love, loneliness, morality, politics, gender, sexuality, death, suicide, fame, and madness. In doing so, this book answers some of life's most challenging questions about how to deal with pain and loss, and how to live with ourselves and each other.Despite his pessimistic outlook on human existence, Schopenhauer didn't give up on life. Rather, he recognized that the question of how to live becomes even more pressing, and he worked to provide an answer. Bather Woods shows how Schopenhauer's life informed his ideas and how they still resonate today. David Bather Woods is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is coeditor with Timothy Stoll of The Schopenhauerian Mind. He has contributed chapters to The Proustian Mind, Schopenhauer's Moral Philosophy, and The Palgrave Schopenhauer Handbook. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/german-studies

Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist by David Bather Woods An engaging biography of one of the most influential Western philosophers and a thought-provoking exploration of how to live with Arthur Schopenhauer's pessimism.Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) almost wasn't one of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century. Born in the Free City of Danzig to a family of shipping merchants, he was destined for a life of imports and exports until his father died in a suspected suicide. After much deliberation, the young Schopenhauer invested his inheritance in himself and his philosophical vocation. But the long road to recognition was a difficult one, with Schopenhauer spending all but the last decade of his life in total obscurity. Yet his ideas and style went on to influence great thinkers, including Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Sigmund Freud, as well as artists such as the composer Richard Wagner and writers Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann, Samuel Beckett, and many more.A singular and remarkably influential thinker, Schopenhauer is usually described as an extreme pessimist. He questioned the purpose of existence in a world where pain and suffering are inescapable and happiness is all too brief. In this engaging philosophical biography, David Bather Woods reevaluates Schopenhauer's pessimism in the context of his life experiences, revealing the philosopher's relentless fascination with the world and making a case for his contemporary relevance. Bather Woods weaves together Schopenhauer's ideas with the story of how he came to be, including such topics as love, loneliness, morality, politics, gender, sexuality, death, suicide, fame, and madness. In doing so, this book answers some of life's most challenging questions about how to deal with pain and loss, and how to live with ourselves and each other.Despite his pessimistic outlook on human existence, Schopenhauer didn't give up on life. Rather, he recognized that the question of how to live becomes even more pressing, and he worked to provide an answer. Bather Woods shows how Schopenhauer's life informed his ideas and how they still resonate today. David Bather Woods is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is coeditor with Timothy Stoll of The Schopenhauerian Mind. He has contributed chapters to The Proustian Mind, Schopenhauer's Moral Philosophy, and The Palgrave Schopenhauer Handbook. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist by David Bather Woods An engaging biography of one of the most influential Western philosophers and a thought-provoking exploration of how to live with Arthur Schopenhauer's pessimism.Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) almost wasn't one of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century. Born in the Free City of Danzig to a family of shipping merchants, he was destined for a life of imports and exports until his father died in a suspected suicide. After much deliberation, the young Schopenhauer invested his inheritance in himself and his philosophical vocation. But the long road to recognition was a difficult one, with Schopenhauer spending all but the last decade of his life in total obscurity. Yet his ideas and style went on to influence great thinkers, including Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Sigmund Freud, as well as artists such as the composer Richard Wagner and writers Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann, Samuel Beckett, and many more.A singular and remarkably influential thinker, Schopenhauer is usually described as an extreme pessimist. He questioned the purpose of existence in a world where pain and suffering are inescapable and happiness is all too brief. In this engaging philosophical biography, David Bather Woods reevaluates Schopenhauer's pessimism in the context of his life experiences, revealing the philosopher's relentless fascination with the world and making a case for his contemporary relevance. Bather Woods weaves together Schopenhauer's ideas with the story of how he came to be, including such topics as love, loneliness, morality, politics, gender, sexuality, death, suicide, fame, and madness. In doing so, this book answers some of life's most challenging questions about how to deal with pain and loss, and how to live with ourselves and each other.Despite his pessimistic outlook on human existence, Schopenhauer didn't give up on life. Rather, he recognized that the question of how to live becomes even more pressing, and he worked to provide an answer. Bather Woods shows how Schopenhauer's life informed his ideas and how they still resonate today. David Bather Woods is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is coeditor with Timothy Stoll of The Schopenhauerian Mind. He has contributed chapters to The Proustian Mind, Schopenhauer's Moral Philosophy, and The Palgrave Schopenhauer Handbook. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist by David Bather Woods An engaging biography of one of the most influential Western philosophers and a thought-provoking exploration of how to live with Arthur Schopenhauer's pessimism.Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) almost wasn't one of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century. Born in the Free City of Danzig to a family of shipping merchants, he was destined for a life of imports and exports until his father died in a suspected suicide. After much deliberation, the young Schopenhauer invested his inheritance in himself and his philosophical vocation. But the long road to recognition was a difficult one, with Schopenhauer spending all but the last decade of his life in total obscurity. Yet his ideas and style went on to influence great thinkers, including Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Sigmund Freud, as well as artists such as the composer Richard Wagner and writers Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann, Samuel Beckett, and many more.A singular and remarkably influential thinker, Schopenhauer is usually described as an extreme pessimist. He questioned the purpose of existence in a world where pain and suffering are inescapable and happiness is all too brief. In this engaging philosophical biography, David Bather Woods reevaluates Schopenhauer's pessimism in the context of his life experiences, revealing the philosopher's relentless fascination with the world and making a case for his contemporary relevance. Bather Woods weaves together Schopenhauer's ideas with the story of how he came to be, including such topics as love, loneliness, morality, politics, gender, sexuality, death, suicide, fame, and madness. In doing so, this book answers some of life's most challenging questions about how to deal with pain and loss, and how to live with ourselves and each other.Despite his pessimistic outlook on human existence, Schopenhauer didn't give up on life. Rather, he recognized that the question of how to live becomes even more pressing, and he worked to provide an answer. Bather Woods shows how Schopenhauer's life informed his ideas and how they still resonate today. David Bather Woods is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is coeditor with Timothy Stoll of The Schopenhauerian Mind. He has contributed chapters to The Proustian Mind, Schopenhauer's Moral Philosophy, and The Palgrave Schopenhauer Handbook. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist by David Bather Woods An engaging biography of one of the most influential Western philosophers and a thought-provoking exploration of how to live with Arthur Schopenhauer's pessimism.Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) almost wasn't one of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century. Born in the Free City of Danzig to a family of shipping merchants, he was destined for a life of imports and exports until his father died in a suspected suicide. After much deliberation, the young Schopenhauer invested his inheritance in himself and his philosophical vocation. But the long road to recognition was a difficult one, with Schopenhauer spending all but the last decade of his life in total obscurity. Yet his ideas and style went on to influence great thinkers, including Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Sigmund Freud, as well as artists such as the composer Richard Wagner and writers Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann, Samuel Beckett, and many more.A singular and remarkably influential thinker, Schopenhauer is usually described as an extreme pessimist. He questioned the purpose of existence in a world where pain and suffering are inescapable and happiness is all too brief. In this engaging philosophical biography, David Bather Woods reevaluates Schopenhauer's pessimism in the context of his life experiences, revealing the philosopher's relentless fascination with the world and making a case for his contemporary relevance. Bather Woods weaves together Schopenhauer's ideas with the story of how he came to be, including such topics as love, loneliness, morality, politics, gender, sexuality, death, suicide, fame, and madness. In doing so, this book answers some of life's most challenging questions about how to deal with pain and loss, and how to live with ourselves and each other.Despite his pessimistic outlook on human existence, Schopenhauer didn't give up on life. Rather, he recognized that the question of how to live becomes even more pressing, and he worked to provide an answer. Bather Woods shows how Schopenhauer's life informed his ideas and how they still resonate today. David Bather Woods is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is coeditor with Timothy Stoll of The Schopenhauerian Mind. He has contributed chapters to The Proustian Mind, Schopenhauer's Moral Philosophy, and The Palgrave Schopenhauer Handbook. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a48266/videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

Daniel A. Olivas, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, is a fiction writer, poet, playwright, book critic, and attorney. In this episode, Jacke talks to Daniel about his lifelong devotion to literature and its ability to humanize the targets of anti-immigration sentiment. In the interview, Daniel recounts how his interest in literature led to his novel inspired by Mary Shelley, Chicano Frankenstein, and his play inspired by Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godínez: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts. PLUS Jane Austen expert Janet Todd (Living with Jane Austen) stops by to discuss her choice for the last book she will ever read. The music in this episode is by Gabriel Ruiz-Bernal. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gabrielruizbernal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WE HAVE MERCH, CHECK IT OUT: https://artistsonartistsonartistsonartists.com/shopOscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw, W. B. Yeats. Some of the most iconic playwrights across genres, from absurdism to pastoral stories. Nestled within sweeping hillsides and rocky cliffs, Irish playwrights's stories have been told across not just the continent but the world. This week we sat down with some modern Irish playwrights as they discuss their own legacies they hope to leave, how their Irish upbringing has influenced their work, and the last time they saw God. All in the most beautiful and accurate of accents. Grab a pint, sit down at the pub with us, and listen in!This episode was filmed in the beautiful Dynasty Typewriter Theater, and tech-produced by Samuel Curtis. For live shows and events you can find more about them at dynastytypewriter.com. To learn more about the BTS of this episode and to find a world of challenges, games, inside scoop, and the Artists being themselves, subscribe to our Patreon! You won't be disappointed with what you find. Check out patreon.com/aoaoaoapod Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists is an improvised Hollywood roundtable podcast by Kylie Brakeman, Jeremy Culhane, Angela Giarratana, and Patrick McDonald. Produced by Laservision Productions. Music by Gabriel Ponton. Edited by Conner McCabe. Thumbnail art by Josh Fleury. Logo designed by Lucy Tomkiewicz.Hollywood's talking. Make sure you're listening. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube! Please rate us five stars!

Aujourd'hui, je reçois Maguy Marin, figure incontournable de la danse contemporaine. Avec « May B », créée en 1981 et inspirée de l'univers de Samuel Beckett, elle a profondément marqué l'histoire de la danse.En avril, plusieurs occasions permettront de découvrir ou redécouvrir ses œuvres : à la Mac Creteil avec « Les applaudissements ne se mangent pas » et à Chaillot qui lui consacre une première édition de Chaillot Expérience Iconiques autour de trois pièces majeures : « May B », « Singspiele » et « Les applaudissements ne se mangent pas. »L'occasion idéale de la rencontrer et de revenir avec elle sur son parcours.On l'écoute avec joie,❤️‍

Sam Leith's guest on this week's Book Club podcast is the historian Jane Rogoyska, whose new book Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War tells the bloody story of the Second World War through the lens of Paris's Hotel Lutetia – following a cast of exiled intellectuals through the febrile 1930s, the increasing horrors of the war and occupation, through to the devastating aftermath as waves of prisoners returned from the camps. She tells Sam how she came to this unusual approach, how the connections between her cast of characters proliferated, how close Samuel Beckett came to a concentration camp – and about falling a little bit in love with Walter Benjamin.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest on this week's Book Club podcast is the historian Jane Rogoyska, whose new book Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War tells the bloody story of the Second World War through the lens of Paris's Hotel Lutetia – following a cast of exiled intellectuals through the febrile 1930s, the increasing horrors of the war and occupation, through to the devastating aftermath as waves of prisoners returned from the camps. She tells me how she came to this unusual approach, how the connections between her cast of characters proliferated, how close Samuel Beckett came to a concentration camp – and about falling a little bit in love with Walter Benjamin. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcastsContact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Whats My Frame I'm joined by Director & Author, Rob Spera. Rob has a broad background in film, television, and theatre. His credits include the feature films The Sweet Life, Fathers and Sons, the cult classic Leprechaun in the Hood, and the TV shows Criminal Minds, Supernatural, Suspect Behavior, and Army Wives.During four seasons as Resident Director at the Tony Award-winning Actors Theatre of Louisville, he directed over 75 productions. His play Tracks enjoyed a successful run in Los Angeles, where it was hailed as “Chilling” by Variety, “Haunting long after leaving the theatre” by the Daily News, and “a comic horrific dance of death…in a world somewhere between Samuel Beckett and Full Metal Jacket” by The Los Angeles Times.Rob's teaching credits include 20 years at the American Film Institute Conservatory, as well as contributions to AFI's Directing Workshop for Women, the Sundance Collab, the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Brooklyn College, and numerous others. His students regularly earn top honors at festivals worldwide, as well as awards and nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He is currently the Head of Directing at Rideback RISE in Los Angeles, a fellowship program for mid-career filmmakers from POC and underrepresented groups.His recently published book, Film/TV Directors' Field Manual: Seventy Maxims to Change Your Filmmaking, has become an instant must-read for students and professionals and is available on Amazon. His other works include Actors Write For Actors, Encore, and The Field.robspera.com@robsperaofficial

 Remembering Frank StaggLast week marked 50 years of the death of Frank Stagg on hunger strike in Wakefield Prison, in England.  Events, including a black flag vigil and a march and rally were organised to remember the Mayo man. Gerry Kelly who was on hunger strike in England in the 1970s for over 206 days, during which he was force fed 167 times, gave the main oration in Ballina and spoke of Frank's great courage and commitment.I was in Long Kesh when Frank died on 12 February 1976 after 62 days on hunger strike. Britain's intransigence and in particular the obduracy of the then Home Secretary Roy Jenkins, ensured that Frank's fourth hunger strike would result in his death. As we walked around the Cage or sat in our cells the talk from when Frank embarked on his fast, was about his resolve and strength of character as on his own he faced the brutality of a British system determined to break him.Two years earlier we had watched as Frank's friend and comrade Michael Gaughan, another Mayo man, had died on hunger strike. Holy SmokeI used to smoke. I was very addicted to it. I smoked everything that was legal. I smoked a pipe for years. I liked the pipe. There is a certain ritual attached to pipe smoking. Filling your pipe requires special skills. It takes time. And care. Fill it too loosely and it will not last long. Too tightly and it will not burn at all. Most pipe smokers had a number of pipes. But there was always a favourite one. My favourites were invariably Kapp and Petersons. Particularly the bendy ones, favoured by Sherlock Holmes. Kapp and Peterson still have  a shop in Dublin. Kapp and Peterson gets honourable mention in Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot. In Belfast Miss Morans in Church Lane, which is still doing business, was a favoured supplier of pipes and good tobacco.Pipe tobacco is of course a matter of choice and taste. And addiction. I was inclined towards heavier brands like Condor. The I graduated to War Horse, particularly War Horse plug tobacco. The preparation of this type of pipe filler requires a pen knife for cutting off little slices of tobacco. These were then rubbed between your hands until they were reduced to the desired consistency. This added to the ritual. It was probably theraputic. If thats not a contradiction. Ditto  with the smell of pipe smoke. Back in the day pipe smokers were a fixed presence  in pubs and at most social gatherings. Many people, barely visible in the clouds of smoke, would declare how much they liked the smell. The death of Nora ComiskeyIt was with sadness that I heard of the death last week of Nora Comiskey. Many Dublin republicans and some of us from Belfast and other parts knew Nora over many years. She was a former president and long-time activist in the 1916-1921 Club. This was a unique institution founded in the 1940s whose aim was to try and bring together some of those who fought on the pro and anti- Treaty sides in the Civil War. Many did, including Nora who had been in Fianna Fáil. Its founding charter is the 1916 Proclamation and among its objectives are a commitment to honour those who fought for Irish Freedom and who work for its achievement. It also seeks to contribute to the cause of an Ireland — united, independent and sovereign 

Dave McArthur discusses the modern Bill and Ted adaptation of the 1952 play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett.

Week 44 takes us firmly into the 20th century, with a strong Irish lineup: James Joyce's “The Dead" from The Dubliners, the opening of Ulysses, and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.Joyce surprised me—in the very best way. “The Dead” is rich, intimate, and beautifully written, capturing married love, memory, and Dublin itself as if the city were another character. The opening of Ulysses was stranger and more dreamlike, but not impenetrable; I'm no longer afraid of it, even if I'm not sure the whole novel is in my future.Beckett, on the other hand, infuriated me. Waiting for Godot struck me as deliberately empty, a meditation on meaninglessness that simply wasn't for me, even while I understand its cultural impact.This week underscored how much I've grown as a reader: more patient, more persistent, and open to genres I never imagined loving. Eight weeks to go—and I'm grateful for every page.Oh, and the answer to that question? Well, you'll just have to listen to find out.The beautiful videos can be found in my substack post!LINKTed Gioia/The Honest Broker's 12-Month Immersive Humanities Course (paywalled!)My Amazon Book List (NOT an affiliate link)CONNECTThe complete list of Crack the Book Episodes: https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2rTo read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com.Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/ LISTENSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bdApple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321 Captivate - https://crackthebook.captivate.fm