The TLS Podcast

This week, George Berridge is at the theatre to see Brian Cox in a classic role; and Toby Lichtig on a literary scandal with tragic consequences.'Long Day's Journey into Night', by Eugene O'Neill, Wyndham's Theatre,London, until June 8'Bound to Violence', by Yambo Ouologuem, translated by Ralph Manheim'The Most Secret Memory of Men', by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, translatedby Lara Vergnaud'The Extinction of Irena Rey, by Jennifer CroftProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, environmentalist Bill McKibben joins us to talk about the latest in the fight to avert climate catastrophe; and a conversation with the brilliant novelist Hisham Matar about his new novel.'The Exhausted Earth: Politics in a Burning World', by Ajay Singh Chaudhary'My Friends', by Hisham MatarProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Suzi Feay sizes up the public intellectuals, deadbeat aristocrats, hedonistic oligarchs and hardened street soldiers of Andrew O'Hagan's panoramic new novel; and Michael Caines on the prolific and endlessly imaginative world of Ray Bradbury.'Caledonian Road', by Andrew O'Hagan'Remembrance: Selected Correspondence of Ray Bradbury', edited by Jonathan R. EllerProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Andrew Holter takes us into the extraordinary world of Helen Keller, in her own words; and Peter Maber hails a magnificent retrospective of Yoko Ono's radical art and music.'Autobiographies and Other Writings', by Helen Keller'Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind', Tate Modern, London, until 1 September 2024Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.