Life and Art from FT Weekend

Life & Art presents an episode of History of Literature. After taking a look at Emily Dickinson's Poem #269 ("Wild Nights - wild nights!"), Jacke Wilson talks to novelist Anne Enright about growing up in Ireland, her writing career and her new book The Wren, The Wren. Plus, Dublin literary historian Christopher Morash (Dublin: A Writer's City) stops by to select the last book he will ever read.Episode link here. -------We love hearing from you! Write us. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com or message Lilah on Instagram @lilahrap. -------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Culture chat: Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet", a podcast featuring guest Timothée Chalamet, explores the family Christmas film 'Wonka' and its musical brilliance. They discuss Chalamet's portrayal of a young Willy Wonka as he sets up his first chocolate shop. The podcast touches on the reversal of Wonka's character, the combination of Santa Claus and CEO figures, and the themes of decency and originality in movies. They also reflect on childhood memories of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and express their holiday wishes to the listeners.

The podcast discusses predictions for 2024, including shorter films and the rise of primal scream therapy. They also explore the phenomenon of public figures transitioning from adoration to criticism, and touch on the potential comeback of crop-tops. The hosts delve into listener predictions, such as the popularity of cabbage and old school techno music. They discuss the 'disco anti aesthetic' and a desire for more colorful makeup. The role of therapy and differing opinions on its benefits are also covered, along with predictions for a big asteroid event in 2024.

In this Christmas music special, the hosts delve into the best and worst Christmas songs, discuss the changing genre, and explore the financial aspect of Christmas music becoming a big business. They also share their favorite songs, discuss their least favorite Christmas songs, and talk about the rise in popularity of Christmas music in recent years. Additionally, they touch on 'Dopamine decor' trend and the importance of preserving recipes to preserve culture and memory.

The FT's books team shares their personal recommendations for books of the year and answers listener questions. They discuss book trends, historical books, biographies, and gift recommendations. Topics include sad and introspective books, white male novelists, forgotten revolutions, China's cultural revolution, Martin Luther King's biography, alternative fiction books, and Claire Keegan's latest book.

Historian Simon Schama and film expert Raph Abraham discuss Ridley Scott's film 'Napoleon', exploring its portrayal of Napoleon's rise, battles, and relationship with Josephine. They compare it to other biopics, debate the humor in the film, and discuss the popularity of historical films and the impact on mainstream cinema. They also express annoyance with Spotify Wrapped lists and desire for more Beatles songs.

Host Lila introduces the annual tradition of discussing cultural predictions for 2024 and invites listeners to share their thoughts and predictions for 2024 through voicemail, email, or Instagram.

Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla came out in the US recently and will be out in the UK in January. The film, which follows Elvis Presley’s wife Priscilla through their relationship, is visually stunning, and today, Lilah speaks with its celebrated lead production designer, Tamara Deverell. To recreate Elvis’s homes, including the infamous Graceland, Tamara had to imagine it all from Priscilla’s perspective. Tamara tells Lilah about her creative process and why she sees Priscilla as the story of many women in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, as told through hair and makeup.-------We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap. You can email her at lilahrap@ft.com.-------Links (all FT links get you past the paywall): – ‘Priscilla’ is out now in the US and will be out in theatres in the UK on January 1. – Earlier this year, Sofia Coppola gave an exclusive interview to the FT’s HTSI: https://on.ft.com/412E2jU -------Special FT subscription offers for Life and Art podcast listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial, are here: http://ft.com/lifeandart-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The podcast discusses the final season of 'The Crown' and its controversial portrayal of Princess Diana's death. It evaluates the show's depiction of the royal family and explores the evolving perception of them. The hosts speculate on the future of 'The Crown' and provide cultural recommendations. They also encourage listeners to submit questions for a book recommendation episode.

Discover how AI technologies and advanced microphones are enabling scientists to interpret and understand the communication of animals through infrasound and ultrasound. Explore the communication patterns and vocal clans of sperm whales and the possibility of using AI technology to decode their language. Learn about transformers in AI and how they treat everything as a language, allowing for translation and image generation. Explore the potential of AI in analyzing animal communication and the challenges and future prospects of synthetic animal communication. Discuss the limitations of human understanding and the potential of AI to communicate with whales using synthesized voices.