London Review Bookshop Podcast

Campaigning journalist Claud Cockburn – defiantly anti-establishment and proudly Communist – had as his watchword ‘believe nothing until it is officially denied’, a saying borrowed by his son Patrick, himself a legendary foreign correspondent, for his biography of his maverick father. Described by schoolfriend Graham Greene as the greatest journalist of the twentieth century, Cockburn was born at the heart of the establishment it became his life’s work to satirise, lampoon and undermine, with reports from Berlin during the rise of Fascism and Spain during the Civil War, as well as New York, Washington and Chicago, where he once conducted an interview with Al Capone. Patrick Cockburn spoke at the shop about Believe Nothing Until It Is Officially Denied (Verso), and its lessons for journalism then, now and in the future, with journalist Duncan Campbell. Find more events at the Bookshop: https://lrb.me/eventspod Listen to Neal Ascherson discuss Claud Cockburn: https://lrb.me/aschersonpod Get the book: https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/stock/believe-nothing-until-it-is-officially-denied-claud-cockburn-and-the-invention-of-guerrilla-journalism-patrick-cockburn

Building on his seminal lecture ‘The Shoah After Gaza’ (LRB 21 March 2024) and his earlier books From the Ruins of Empire and The Age of Anger, novelist and essayist Pankaj Mishra’s latest work The World After Gaza (Fern Press) seeks to place the current crisis in Gaza and Palestine within the broader context of the troubled and tragic history of colonialism and anticolonialism. ‘A brilliant book,’ writes William Dalrymple, ‘as thoughtful, scholarly and subtle as it is brave and original. The World After Gaza does what great writing is meant to do: to remind us of what it is to be human, to help us feel another's pain, to reach out and make connections across the trenches of race, colour and religion.’Mishra is in conversation with curator and producer Gareth Evans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marion Milner, across her long career as psychoanalyst, essayist and artist, thought deeply about creativity in all its forms, exploring fields as diverse as anthropology, folklore, education, literature, art, philosophy, mysticism, and psychology. In Marion Milner: On Creativity, David Russell, Professor of English at the University of California, uses these ideas as a starting-point for an exploration of Milner’s thought and its continuing relevance today. Russell was in conversation with psychoanalyst and essayist Adam Phillips, whose most recent book is On Giving Up (Hamish Hamilton, 2024). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebecca Solnit, a prolific writer and activist, joins investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr, known for her groundbreaking work on the Cambridge Analytica scandal. They discuss the interconnections between political turbulence, grassroots movements, and tech culture. Solnit's latest essay collection dives into the complex dynamics of gender and societal power, while both guests emphasize the importance of individual agency in effecting change. They critique the influence of Silicon Valley on culture and call for authentic human connections amidst rising technology.

Before she became a well-known novelist, Margaret Atwood was an award-winning poet. She has been publishing poetry for more than 60 years, from the self-published, hand-set Double Persephone in 1961 to its follow up The Circle Game which won the Governor General’s Award, to her latest, critically-acclaimed collection Dearly in 2020. Paper Boat (Chatto & Windus) draws on that impressive body of work, and expands on it with poems previously uncollected, revealing an artist who has somehow always managed to be at the height of her powers, and to have her finger on every pulse.Atwood appeared at Conway Hall to discuss her work with poet, editor and critic Sarah Howe. They were joined by poets Amy Key and Rachel Long who read poems from Paper Boat throughout the evening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Every morning, she wakes up to the 18th of November. She no longer expects to wake up to the 19th of November, and she no longer remembers the 17th of November as if it were yesterday.’Solvej Balle’s septology On the Calculation of Volume (Faber), thirty years in the making, was published in Danish by the author’s own press to huge and universal acclaim: ‘Absolutely, absolutely incredible’ (Karl Ove Knausgaard); ‘Unforgettable’ (Hernan Díaz); ‘A total explosion’ (Nicole Krauss). Now Faber has brought the first two volumes of her masterpiece to an anglophone readership in a vibrant translation by Barbara J. Haveland, the first of which has been nominated for this year’s International Booker Prize.Balle was joined in conversation by novelist and critic Chris Power.Get the books: https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/stock/on-the-calculation-of-volume-i-absolutely-absolutely-incredible.-knausgard-solvej-balleFind more events at the Bookshop: https://lrb.me/eventspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ali Smith, a celebrated Scottish author known for her experimental narrative style, joins Sarah Wood, an artist and filmmaker, for an engaging discussion. They dive into Smith's latest novel, Gliff, exploring how contemporary issues manifest in a dystopian landscape. The conversation highlights the significance of language during crises, the transformative power of storytelling, and the enduring connection between humans and nature. Personal anecdotes enrich their dialogue, emphasizing the vital role of art in confronting societal challenges.

Josh Cohen’s new book, All the Rage (Granta), explores anger, in all its permutations - social media arguments, political divides, road rage, passive aggression – in the words of Deborah Levy, ‘brilliantly investigating what it is when we are enraged’. What should we make of our anger; to what use can we put it? Cohen’s previous books include Not Working and The Private Life. He was in conversation with the sociologist and political economist William Davies, whose most recent book is Nervous States: How Feeling Took Over the World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In The Dead of Winter, Sarah Clegg – author of the HWA Crown Award-shortlisted Woman’s Lore - looks behind the tinsel and the turkey to explore the darker traditions of the Christmas season. At wassails, hoodenings and winter gatherings, attended by ghastly, grinning horses, snatching monsters and mysterious visitors, we discover how these customs and rituals originated and how they changed through the centuries, and ask ourselves: if we can't keep the darkness entirely at bay, might it be fun to let a little in?She was joined in conversation about all this and more with Ronald Hutton, historian, folklorist and professor of history at Bristol University.Find more events at the Bookshop: https://lrb.me/eventspodGet the book: https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/stock/the-dead-of-winter-the-demons-witches-and-ghosts-of-christmas-sarah-clegg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eileen Myles reads from their first collection of poetry since 2018’s Evolution. The poems in a “Working Life” evoke the joy and unease in the quotidian, moving ‘with call and response between perception and thought’, as Camille Roy writes in Brooklyn Rail magazine.Myles is in conversation with journalist and activist Amelia Abraham, whose Queer Intentions was published by Picador in 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.