The TLS Podcast

This week, Toby Lichtig goes to see the latest Roald Dahl adaptations, junior critic in tow; and Dinah Birch celebrates the enduring power of Ebenezer Scrooge.'The Witches', at the National Theatre, London, until 27 January 2024'Wonka', on general release'A Christmas Carol', by Charles DickensProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Lauren Elkin takes an artistic stroll in the footsteps of Gertrude Stein; and Maria Margaronis goes in search of Willa Cather deep in the Midwest.'Gertrude Stein et Pablo Picasso: L'invention du langage', at the Musée du Luxembourg, Paris, until 28 January 2024'Chasing Bright Medusas: A life of Willa Cather', by Benjamin TaylorProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, TLS editor Martin Ivens and writer and broadcaster James O'Brien on the long decline of the Conservatives; and Muriel Zagha celebrates 75 years of Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes.'The Party's Over: The rise and fall of the Conservatives fromThatcher to Sunak', by Phil Barton-Cartledge'The Right to Rule: Thirteen years, five prime ministers and theimplosion of the Tories', by Ben Riley-Smith'The Case for the Centre Right', edited by David Gauke'All to Play For: The advance of Rishi Sunak', by Michael Ashcroft'The Red Shoes: Beyond the mirror', BFI Southbank, until January 7Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, our special interview with the newest winner of the Booker Prize, Paul Lynch; and Emily Kopley on new editions of Virginia Woolf's mesmerising diaries.'Prophet Song', by Paul Lynch'The Diary of Virginia Woolf', in five volumes.Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Mary C Flannery explores the spells and potions of medieval magic; and Jean Wilson on the trail of the ever elusive Anne Boleyn.‘Love spells and lost treasure: Service magic in England from the later Middle Ages to the early modern era’, by Tabitha Stanmore ‘Textual magic: Charm and written amulets in medieval England’, by Katherine Storm Hindley‘Hunting the falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and the marriage that shook Europe’, by John Guy and Julia Fox Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, the hosts discuss the best books of 2023 and the role of sport in the evolution of Britain. They explore the deep infiltration of sport into British life, including its impact on class, race, gender, and politics. They also discuss the political nature of cycling and its associations with both left-wing and conservative movements.

This week, Samantha Harvey joins us to talk about her voyage around the earth; and Miranda France on a fascinating tour of the British archipelago.‘Orbital’, by Samantha Harvey‘The Britannias: An island quest’, by Alice AlbiniaProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Susan Sontag and George Steiner's charismatic auras and intellectual force are explored. The hosts discuss Sontag's desire to be recognized as a fiction writer and the dynamics within a literary magazine. Laura Beers reviews Eileen O'Shaughnessy's sacrifices as George Orwell's wife. The challenges of her domestic labor and living conditions are discussed.

This week, Colin Jones explores the streets of Paris as the French Revolution grew pace; and an extract from a very special event at the British Library in celebration of Hilary Mantel.'The Revolutionary Temper: Paris, 1748-1789', by Robert Darnton'A Memoir of My Former Self: A Life in Writing', by Hilary MantelProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Ruth Scurr on a magnificent biography of Claude Monet; and Fiona Stafford explores how vital trees were to Wordsworth's work.'Monet: the restless vision', by Jackie Wullschläger'Versed in living nature: Wordsworth's trees', by Peter Dale and Brandon C YenProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.