The LRB Podcast

Feverish, homesick, bored, awed and on rollerskates: Albert Camus’s travel diaries are a fascinating window into an easily mythologised life. Camus visited the New World twice, and a new translation of his journals reveals his struggle to make sense of his experiences. Adam Shatz joins Tom to explain the ways Camus’s ambivalence towards the Americas sheds light on his tumultuous personal life, his conflicted stance on colonialism and where his humanism deviates from his existentialist peers.Find further reading on the episode page: lrb.me/camuspodIf you want to join Adam Shatz, Judith Butler, Pankaj Mishra and Brent Hayes Edwards on revolutionary thinkers next year, and receive all the books under discussion, access to online seminars and the rest of the Close Readings audio, you can sign up to Close Readings Plus here: https://lrb.me/plusOr just sign up to the Close Readings podcast subscription:In Apple Podcasts: lrb.me/camusappleIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/camussc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In June, the pope invited dozens of artists to Rome for the 50th anniversary of the Vatican Museum’s contemporary art collection. Patricia Lockwood, the author of Priestdaddy and a contributing editor at the LRB, was one of them. She tells Tom more about the surreal experience and why irony, in the words of Pope Francis, is ‘a marvellous virtue’.Find further reading on the episode page: lrb.me/popepodRead John Lanchester’s pick from the archive: lrb.me/lanchesterpickSubscribe to the LRB here: lrb.me/nowFind out about the Colour Revolution exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum here:https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/colour-revolution-victorian-art-fashion-design Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Colin Burrow, an expert on Orwell's writing and his vision of socialism, joins Tom to explore the cultural conservatism and crackling violence in Orwell's works. They discuss his appeal to teenagers, the allegorical nature of 'Animal Farm,' his powerful imagery, his controversial list of suspected communists, and the portrayal of totalitarian behavior and satire in '1984'.

Emily Wilson, celebrated classicist and translator of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, returns for a second season of Among the Ancients with Thomas Jones. They explore truth and lies in Greek and Roman literature, discussing works by Herodotus, Tacitus, Plato, Apuleius, and Marcus Aurelius. They also highlight the relevance of stoicism in modern life and upcoming series.

Revolutionary thought experts Judith Butler, Pankaj Mishra, and Brent Hayes Edwards discuss arguments against racism and colonialism, artistic expression in oppressive conditions, and politically substantive language in the inner life of the 20th century. They explore works by Sartre, de Beauvoir, Fanon, Arendt, Naipaul, Nandy, Lessing, Mandelstam, Du Bois, Césaire, Baraka, and Lorde.

In this podcast series, the hosts explore satire in English literature, focusing on unruly, vulgar, hilarious works. They discuss the nature of satire, its efficacy, political orientations, and the challenge of following a linear thread in satirical works. Additionally, they delve into the concept of being a radical thinker while living conservatively. Listeners can expect explicit and humorous content in future episodes.

Florence Sutcliffe-Braithewaite, scandal researcher, joins the podcast to discuss the shocking Infected Blood Scandal in the UK. They explore the origins of the scandal, the government's role, and the impact on hemophiliac children. The need for truth, compensation, and accountability is emphasized, drawing lessons from the AIDS epidemic. The speakers also reflect on literary texts and share amusing anecdotes.

Former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried is found guilty of fraud. The podcast explores his early career in finance, embrace of Effective Altruism, audacious nature of his crime, and why he ended up in a US court. They also discuss the importance of underlying assets in investments, the rise of Alameda Research and FTX, and the extradition and trial process. The episode features a discussion on Little Roam Burk (LRB) and a review of Stevie Smith's work by Penelope Fitzgerald.

Anglophiles abroad love the British sense of humour – but what does that actually mean? In a recent review for the paper, Jonathan Coe takes a scalpel to the satire boom and its aftermath to find out what, if anything, sets British comedy apart. He joins Malin for a serious chat about comedy and its double-edged role in the UK’s political life.Further reading on the episode page: lrb.me/coecomedySubscribe to the LRB here: lrb.me/now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nineteenth-century Britain is often imagined as gloomy and dark, epitomised by Dickensian grime and Queen Victoria’s prolonged state of black-clad mourning. But in reality this period saw an explosion of colour, following a number of scientific discoveries.In this short discussion, Charlotte Ribeyrol, co-curator of Colour Revolution, a major new exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, talks about some of those technical advances and the dazzling objects visitors will find on display at the show, from jewel-like Pre-Raphaelite paintings to bookcases and socks, as well as some of the debates of the time – between Ruskin, Darwin and others – about the meaning of colour in nature and society.Colour Revolution runs at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford until 18th February 2024. Find out more here:https://www.ashmolean.org/exhibition/colour-revolution-victorian-art-fashion-design Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.