
The TLS Podcast
A weekly podcast on books and culture brought to you by the writers and editors of the Times Literary Supplement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes

Mar 14, 2024 • 47min
Between The Sheets
This week, Miranda France contemplates the final novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; and Nicola Shulman on what women write in their diaries.'Until August', by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, translated by Anne McLean'Secret Voices: A Year of Women's Diaries', by Sarah GristwoodProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 7, 2024 • 50min
A Worm’s-eye View
This week, novelist William Boyd praises a polyphonic account of a pivotal wartime moment; and Sarah Richmond explores how we may escape ceaseless toil.‘November 1942: An Intimate History of the Turning Point of World War II’, by Peter Englund, translated by Peter Graves‘Hijacked: How Neoliberalism Turned the Work Ethic Against Workers and How Workers Can Take it Back’, by Elizabeth Anderson‘After Work: A History of the Home and the Fight for Free Time’, by Helen Hester and Nick SrnicekProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 29, 2024 • 49min
Revivals
This week, Damon Galgut praises Diane Oliver's exceptional short stories, newly published over half a century after her death; and Rosemary Waugh on theatre director Yaël Farber's visceral engagement with Shakespearean tragedy.'Neighbors and Other Stories', by Diane Oliver'King Lear', by William Shakespeare, directed by Yaël Farber, at theAlmeida Theatre, London, until March 30, 2024Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 22, 2024 • 55min
Cometh the Hour
This week, Fintan O'Toole assesses what makes Labour leader Keir Starmer tick; and Linda Kinstler on the Ukrainian writer, musician and activist Serhiy Zhadan's chronicles of life during wartime. Plus John Kinsella reads his new poem, 'Rooks'.'Keir Starmer: The Biography', by Tom Baldwin'Rooks', by John Kinsella'How Fire Descends: New and Selected Poems', by Serhiy Zhadan, translated by Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps'Sky Above Kharkiv: Dispatches from the Ukrainian Front', by Serhiy Zhadan, translated by Reilly Costigan-Humes and Isaac Stackhouse WheelerProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 15, 2024 • 52min
Flights of Fantasy
This week, comedian and actor Tim Key introduces us to his new book of poetry; and Devoney Looser on the bold runaway women of early British novels.'Chapters', by Tim Key, designed by Emily Juniper'Gone Girls,1684–1901: Flights of feminist resistance in theeighteenth- and nineteenth-century British novel', by Nora GilbertProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 11, 2024 • 37min
In Conversation with Richard Sennett
Exploring sociologist Richard Sennett's analysis of how performers like Boris Johnson and Donald Trump use theatrics in politics. Evolution of audience engagement from ancient theaters to modern spectatorship. Influence of time pressure on art enjoyment. Challenges in music engagement. Nostalgic conversations on jazz and art.

Feb 8, 2024 • 41min
All the World's a Stage
This week, a special interview with the sociologist Richard Sennett takes us from Roland Barthes to Leonard Bernstein; and Hettie Judah on two memoirs inspired by a love of 17th-century art.'The Performer: Art, Life, Politics', by Richard Sennett'Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life & Sudden Death', by Laura Cumming'The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters', by Benjamin MoserProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 1, 2024 • 54min
Splendid Isolation
This week, Sinéad Gleeson delights in the byways of Maeve Brennan's New York; and Costica Bradatan explores the enduring appeal of Henry David Thoreau.'The Long-Winded Lady', by Maeve Brennan, with an introduction by Sinéad Gleeson'Thoreau's Axe: Distraction and Discipline in American Culture', by Caleb Smith'Henry at Work: Thoreau on Making a Living', by John Kaag and Jonathan van Belle'Henry David Thoreau: Thinking Disobediently', by Lawrence BuellProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 25, 2024 • 51min
Class Struggles
This week, Lamorna Ash goes back to school for the latest reboot of Tina Fey's Mean Girls; and Professor Eric Naiman on the challenges of teaching in the age of ChatGPT.'Mean Girls', screenplay by Tina Fey, directed by Samantha Jayne andArturo Perez Jr'The Brothers Karamazov', by Fyodor DostoevskyProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 18, 2024 • 47min
Energy Creation
This week, will George Berridge be convinced by the film adaptation of Alasdair Gray's Poor Things? And Peter Geoghegan explores how the climate emergency is being treated in Westminster.'Mission zero: The independent net zero review', by Chris Skidmore'Climate capitalism: Winning the global race to zero emissions', by Akshat Rathi'The price is wrong: Why capitalism won’t save the planet', by BrettChristophers'Poor things', directed by Yorgos LanthimosProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.