Close Readings
London Review of Books
Close Readings is a new multi-series podcast subscription from the London Review of Books. Two contributors explore areas of literature through a selection of key works, providing an introductory grounding like no other. Listen to some episodes for free here, and extracts from our ongoing subscriber-only series.
How To Subscribe
In Apple Podcasts, click 'subscribe' at the top of this podcast feed to unlock the full episodes.
Or for other podcast apps, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadings
STARTING IN 2026
'Who's Afraid of Realism?' with James Wood and guests
'Nature in Crisis' with Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith
'Narrative Poems' with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford
'London Revisited' with Rosemary Hill and guests
Bonus Series: 'The Man Behind the Curtain' with Tom McCarthy and Thomas Jones
RUNNING IN 2025:
'Conversations in Philosophy' with Jonathan Rée and James Wood
'Fiction and the Fantastic' with Marina Warner, Anna Della Subin, Adam Thirlwell and Chloe Aridjis
'Love and Death' with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford
'Novel Approaches' with Clare Bucknell, Thomas Jones and other guests
ALSO INCLUDED IN THE CLOSE READINGS SUBSCRIPTION:
'Among the Ancients' with Emily Wilson and Thomas Jones
'Medieval Beginnings' with Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley
'The Long and Short' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry
'Modern-ish Poets: Series 1' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry
'Among the Ancients II' with Emily Wilson and Thomas Jones
'On Satire' with Colin Burrow and Clare Bucknell
'Human Conditions' with Adam Shatz, Judith Butler, Pankaj Mishra and Brent Hayes Edwards
'Political Poems' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry
'Medieval LOLs' with Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley
Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How To Subscribe
In Apple Podcasts, click 'subscribe' at the top of this podcast feed to unlock the full episodes.
Or for other podcast apps, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadings
STARTING IN 2026
'Who's Afraid of Realism?' with James Wood and guests
'Nature in Crisis' with Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith
'Narrative Poems' with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford
'London Revisited' with Rosemary Hill and guests
Bonus Series: 'The Man Behind the Curtain' with Tom McCarthy and Thomas Jones
RUNNING IN 2025:
'Conversations in Philosophy' with Jonathan Rée and James Wood
'Fiction and the Fantastic' with Marina Warner, Anna Della Subin, Adam Thirlwell and Chloe Aridjis
'Love and Death' with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford
'Novel Approaches' with Clare Bucknell, Thomas Jones and other guests
ALSO INCLUDED IN THE CLOSE READINGS SUBSCRIPTION:
'Among the Ancients' with Emily Wilson and Thomas Jones
'Medieval Beginnings' with Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley
'The Long and Short' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry
'Modern-ish Poets: Series 1' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry
'Among the Ancients II' with Emily Wilson and Thomas Jones
'On Satire' with Colin Burrow and Clare Bucknell
'Human Conditions' with Adam Shatz, Judith Butler, Pankaj Mishra and Brent Hayes Edwards
'Political Poems' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry
'Medieval LOLs' with Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley
Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 14, 2023 • 11min
Among the Ancients: The 'Iliad'
In their first episode of Among the Ancients, Emily and Tom begin with a beginning, Homer's Iliad: its depictions of anger and grief, of capricious gods and warriors’ bodies, and the sheer narrative force of Homer’s epic of the Trojan War.Non-subscribers can only hear extracts from the rest of the episodes in this series. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsRead more in the LRB:James Davidson: Like a Meteoritehttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v19/n15/james-davidson/like-a-meteoriteEdward Luttwak: Homer Inc.https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v34/n04/edward-luttwak/homer-incColin Burrow: The Empty Bathhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v37/n12/colin-burrow/the-empty-bathEmily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and translator of the 'Odysse'y and the 'Iliad'. Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books and host of the LRB Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 4, 2023 • 12min
Medieval Beginnings: Beowulf
Dive into the world of Beowulf, where heroes clash with monsters in a rich tapestry of interwoven tales. Discover the enigmatic history of its manuscript, which survived a catastrophic fire. Unpack the complex themes of kingship and the coexistence of pagan and Christian elements throughout the narrative. This exploration highlights the intricacies of Anglo-Saxon culture while revealing the deeper moral and social questions woven into the fabric of this epic poem.
Dec 10, 2022 • 1h 10min
Modern-ish Poets Live! T. S. Eliot
On the centenary of the publication of Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’ in book form, Mark and Seamus finish the second series of Modern-ish Poets by considering how revolutionary the poem was, the numerous meanings that have been drawn out of it, and its lasting influence.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingsFurther reading on Eliot in the LRB:Frank Kermode: https://lrb.me/kermodeeliotpodDan Jacobson: https://lrb.me/jacobsoneliotpodBarbara Everett: https://lrb.me/everetteliotpodMark Ford: https://lrb.me/fordeliotpodTerry Eagleton: https://lrb.me/eagletoneliotpodSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in December 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 9, 2022 • 1h 2min
Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Frank O'Hara and John Ashbery
Seamus Perry and Mark Ford discuss the lives and works of Frank O’Hara and John Ashbery, close friends and leading lights of the New York School, who sought to create an anti-academic, hedonistic poetry, freeing themselves from the puritan American tradition.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.Further reading on O'Hara and Ashbery in the LRB:C.K. Stead: https://lrb.me/steadashberypodJohn Bayley: https://lrb.me/bayleyashberypodStephanie Burt: https://lrb.me/burtashberypodJohn Kerrigan: https://lrb.me/kerriganashberypodThis episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in June 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 8, 2022 • 49min
Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Charlotte Mew
Seamus Perry and Mark Ford look at the life and work of Charlotte Mew, who brought the Victorian art of dramatic monologue into the 20th century, and whose difficult experiences are often refracted through her damaged and marginalised characters.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsFurther reading on Mew in the LRB:Matthew Bevis: https://lrb.me/bevismewpodPenelope Fitzgerald: https://lrb.me/fitzgeraldmewpodSusannah Clapp: https://lrb.me/clappmewpodSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in March 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 7, 2022 • 1h 3min
Modern-ish Poets Series 2: W. B. Yeats
Seamus Perry and Mark Ford continue their series with a look at the life and work of W.B. Yeats, from his early quest for a mythological Irish culture, to his shift towards the Modernist experiment, and preoccupation with the ‘murderousness of the world’.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.Read more in the LRB:Seamus Deane: https://lrb.me/deaneyeatspodMichael Wood: https://lrb.me/woodyeatspodColm Tóibín: https://lrb.me/toibinyeatspodThis episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in December 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 6, 2022 • 1h 4min
Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Emily Dickinson
Seamus Perry, Mark Ford and Joanne O’Leary discuss the life and work of Emily Dickinson—her dashes, death instinct and obliquity.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in June 2021.Further reading on Dickinson in the LRB:Joanne O'Leary: https://lrb.me/olearydickinsonpodMark Ford: https://lrb.me/forddickinsonpodDanny Karlin: https://lrb.me/karlindickinsonpodTom Paulin: https://lrb.me/paulindickinsonpodSusan Eilenberg: https://lrb.me/eilenbergdickinsonpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 5, 2022 • 58min
Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Derek Walcott
Seamus Perry and Mark Ford discuss the life and work of the Saint Lucian Nobel laureate Derek Walcott, the island poet and playwright surrounded by an oceanic consciousness, whose writing recognises at once the terrible gulfs between peoples and our common predicament.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in March 2021.Further reading on and by Walcott in the LRB:'Militia' by Derek Walcott: https://lrb.me/walcottmilitiapodIan Sansom: https://lrb.me/sansomwalcottpodNicholas Everett: https://lrb.me/everettwalcottpodStephen Brook: https://lrb.me/brookwalcottpodBlake Morrison: https://lrb.me/morrisonwalcottpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 4, 2022 • 58min
Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Louis MacNeice
Seamus Perry and Mark Ford discuss the life and work of Louis MacNeice, the Irish poet of psychic divisions and authoritative fretfulness, in the fourth episode of series two of Modern-ish Poets.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in November 2020.Further reading on MacNiece in the LRB:Ian Hamilton: https://lrb.me/hamiltonmacneicepodJohn Kerrigan: https://lrb.me/kerriganmacneicepodMarilyn Butler: https://lrb.me/butlermacneicepodNick Laird: https://lrb.me/lairdmacneicepod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 3, 2022 • 56min
Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Adrienne Rich
In the third episode of their second series of Modern-ish Poets, Seamus Perry and Mark Ford turn to the life and work of Adrienne Rich, in whose poems the personal becomes not only political, but epic.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in September 2020.Further reading on Rich in the LRB:Jacqueline RoseStephanie Burt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
