The spring had been befouled, obviously on purpose, so that it was impossible to take water from it. Hungry cattle who had nothing to eat, also bellowed. The older children did not play, but looked at their elders with frightened eyes. It was not hatred, but a refusal to recognize these russian dogs as human beings. And such loathing, disgust and bewilderment before the absurd cruelty of these beings, that the wish to exterminate them was as natural as a sense of self preservation. Like dickens, tolstoy was very interested in geography, an specifics of place, and indeed, in nature. Nature wis a real ator.
Dickens. Tolstoy. Their names and reputations shake the ground – and so do their books, if you drop one. But whose legacy is more enduring? Whose vision truer and more relevant today? Should you embark on War and Peace or Our Mutual Friend? To battle it out, in 2018 Intelligence Squared brought two celebrated writers, John Mullan for Dickens and Simon Schama for Tolstoy, to our stage. They called on a cast of star actors, including Tom Hiddleston, to bring their arguments to life with readings from the authors’ finest works. The debate was chaired by author, playwright and broadcaster Bonnie Greer. This is the first instalment of a three-part episode.
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