Sean Williams

Death in Venice is Thomas Mann’s most famous – and infamous - novella. Published in 1912, it’s about the fall of the repressed writer Gustav von Aschenbach, when his supposedly objective appreciation of a young boy’s beauty becomes sexual obsession. It explores the link between creativity and self-destruction, and by the end Aschenbach’s humiliation is complete, dying on a deckchair in the act of ogling. Aschenbach's stalking of the boy and dreaming of pederasty can appal modern readers, even more than Mann expected. With Karolina Watroba, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Modern Languages at All Souls College, University of OxfordErica Wickerson, a Former Research Fellow at St Johns College, University of CambridgeSean Williams, Senior Lecturer in German and European Cultural History at the University of Sheffield Sean Williams' series of Radio 3's The Essay, Death in Trieste, can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001lzd4

Sean Williams, a journalist and host of the Underworld podcast, dives into the grim realities of North Korea's operation as a global crime syndicate. He discusses the regime's reliance on forced labor, human trafficking, and sophisticated cybercrime, like the notorious $1.5 billion cryptocurrency heist by the Lazarus Group. Williams also unpacks China's shadow economy, with the untraceable 'flying money' money transfer system being exploited by drug cartels. The intricate relationship between North Korea and China reveals surprising benefits for both nations amid a chaotic international landscape.

Sean Williams, founder of The Dad Gang, discusses challenges of fatherhood, building a supportive community for Black dads. They reflect on breaking generational patterns, different fatherhood experiences, and upcoming Father's Day march with Lego partnership.