Close Readings

London Review of Books

Episodes

Mentioned books

undefined
Nov 18, 2024 • 15min

Medieval LOLs: 'Tales of Count Lucanor' by Juan Manuel

If you’re looking for advice on sustaining a marriage, or robbing a grave, or performing liver surgery, then a series of self-help stories by a 14th-century Spanish prince is a good place to start. Tales of Count Lucanor, written between 1328 and 1335 by Prince Juan Manuel of Villena, is one of the earliest works of Castilian prose. The tales follow the familiar shape of many medieval stories, presented as a kind of medicine to improve the lives of its readers by example. Yet in his preface Manuel makes an unusual assertion about the individuality of all people, a philosophy that, as Mary and Irina discuss in this episode, leads to bizarre and opaque moral messages intended more to make the reader think for themselves than reach a universal conclusion.Find a translation of the Tales here: https://elfinspell.com/CountLucanor1.htmlNon-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series including Mary and Irina's twelve-part series Medieval Beginnings, sign up:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/medlolapplesignupIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/medlolscsignupGet in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
undefined
Nov 10, 2024 • 18min

Human Conditions: ‘Black Music’ by Amiri Baraka

In 'Black Music', a collection of essays, liner notes and interviews from 1959 to 1967, Amiri Baraka captures the ferment, energy and excitement of the avant-garde jazz scene. Published while he still went by LeRoi Jones, it provides a composite picture of Baraka’s evolving thought, aesthetic values and literary experimentation. In this episode, Brent and Adam discuss the ways in which Baraka tackled the challenge of writing about music and his intimate connections to the major players in jazz. Whether you’re familiar with the music or totally new to the New Thing, 'Black Music' is an essential guide to a period of political and artistic upheaval.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Subscribe to Close Readings:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsBrent Hayes Edwards is a scholar of African American and Francophone literature and of jazz studies at Columbia University.Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.ukFurther reading in the LRB:Adam Shatz: The Freedom Principlehttps://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2014/may/the-freedom-principleAdam Shatz: On Ornette Colemanhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v37/n14/adam-shatz/diaryPhilip Clark: On Cecil Taylorhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2018/april/cecil-taylor-1929-2018Ian Penman: Birditishttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v36/n02/ian-penman/birditis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
undefined
Nov 4, 2024 • 17min

On Satire: 'A Handful of Dust' by Evelyn Waugh

In 1946 Evelyn Waugh declared that 20th-century society – ‘the century of the common man’, as he put it – was so degenerate that satire was no longer possible. But before reaching that conclusion he had written several novels taking aim at his ‘crazy, sterile generation’ with a sparkling, acerbic and increasingly reactionary wit. In this episode, Colin and Clare look at A Handful of Dust (1934), a disturbingly modernist satire divorced from modernist ideas. They discuss the ways in which Waugh was a disciple of Oscar Wilde, with his belief in the artist as an agent of cultural change, and why he’s at his best when describing the fevered dream of a dying civilisation.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4dbjbjGIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsFurther reading in the LRB:Seamus Perry:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n16/seamus-perry/isn-t-london-hellJohn Bayley:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v16/n20/john-bayley/mr-toad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
undefined
4 snips
Oct 28, 2024 • 12min

Political Poems: 'The Prelude' (books 9 and 10) by William Wordsworth

Explore William Wordsworth's passionate reflections on the French Revolution in 'The Prelude.' Discover how his firsthand experiences shaped his poetic vision and commitment to republicanism. The discussion reveals his struggle with political zealotry amidst a backdrop of romance and imagination. Delve into Wordsworth’s evolution from observer to participant in the revolutionary fervor and the complexities of his engagement with revolutionary ideals. This journey highlights the unique blend of personal belief and broader societal movements influencing his art.
undefined
Oct 24, 2024 • 15min

Among the Ancients II: Juvenal

In this episode, we tackle Juvenal, whose sixteen satires influenced libertines, neoclassicists and early Christian moralists alike. Conservative to a fault, Juvenal’s Satires rails against the rapid expansion and transformation of Roman society in the early principate. But where his contemporary Tacitus handled the same material with restraint, Juvenal’s work explodes with vivid and vicious depictions of urban life, including immigration, sexual mores and eating habits. Emily and Tom explore the idiosyncrasies of Juvenal’s verse and its handling in Peter Green’s translation, and how best to parse his over-the-top hostility to everyone and everything.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsFurther reading in the LRB:Remembering Peter Greenhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2024/september/peter-green-1924-2024Claude Rawson: Blistering Attackshttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v02/n21/claude-rawson/blistering-attacksClare Bucknell & Colin Burrow: What is satire?https://www.lrb.co.uk/podcasts-and-videos/podcasts/close-readings/on-satire-what-is-satire Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
undefined
Oct 18, 2024 • 15min

Medieval LOLs: Boccaccio’s ‘Decameron’, Part Two

Mary and Irina resume their discussion of Boccaccio’s Decameron, focusing on three stories of female agency, deception and desire. Alibech, an aspiring hermitess, is tricked into indulging her powerful sexual urges; Petronella combines business and pleasure at the expense of her husband and lover; while Lydia demonstrates her devotion by killing hawks and pulling teeth. As Mary and Irina discuss, these stories exemplify the ambiguous depiction of women in the Decameron, where the world is powered by rapacious female lusts, sex has no consequences and conventional morality is suspended.Read more on the Decameron in the LRB: https://lrb.me/decameronpodNon-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series including Mary and Irina's twelve-part series Medieval Beginnings, sign up:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/medlolapplesignupIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/medlolscsignupGet in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
undefined
Oct 10, 2024 • 14min

Human Conditions: ‘Discourse on Colonialism’ by Aimé Césaire

Brent Hayes Edwards talks to Adam about Aimé Césaire's 1950 essay Discourse on Colonialism, a groundbreaking work of 20th-century anti-colonial thought and a precursor to the writings of Césaire's protégé, Frantz Fanon. Césaire was Martinique’s most influential poet and one of its most prominent politicians as a deputy in the French National Assembly, and his Discourse is addressed directly at his country’s colonisers. Adam and Brent consider Césaire’s poetry alongside his political arguments and the particular characteristics of his version of négritude, the far-reaching movement of black consciousness he founded with Léopold Sédar Senghor and Léon Damas.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Subscribe to Close Readings:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsBrent Hayes Edwards is a scholar of African American and Francophone literature and of jazz studies at Columbia University.Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
undefined
Oct 4, 2024 • 15min

On Satire: 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde

Explore the lively yet tumultuous world of 1895, where Oscar Wilde's comedic masterpiece, 'The Importance of Being Earnest', premiered amidst scandal. The clash between Wilde and the Marquess of Queensbury marked a turning point in Wilde's life. Delve into the complexities of romance, finance, and deception in his characters' lives, as they navigate a society built on illusions. Discover parallels between Wilde's self-importance and his literary creations, highlighting the tension between societal expectations and personal identity in a whimsical yet critical reflection.
undefined
Sep 28, 2024 • 14min

Political Poems: 'Autumn Journal' by Louis MacNeice

In his long 1938 poem, Louis MacNeice took many of the ideals shared by other young writers of his time – a desire for relevance, responsiveness and, above all, honesty – and applied them in a way that has few equivalents in English poetry. This diary-style work, written from August to December 1938, reflects with ‘documentary vividness’, as Ian Hamilton has described, on the international and personal crises swirling around MacNeice in those months. Seamus and Mark discuss the poem’s lively depiction of the anecdotal abundance of London life and the ways in which its innovative rhyming structure helps to capture the autumnal moment when England was slipping into an unknowable winter.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4dbjbjGIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsRead more in the LRB:Samuel Hynes: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v11/n05/samuel-hynes/like-the-trees-on-primrose-hillIan Hamilton: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v17/n05/ian-hamilton/smartened-up Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
undefined
Sep 24, 2024 • 14min

Among the Ancients II: Tacitus

The Annals, Tacitus’ study of the emperors from Tiberius to Nero, covers some of the most vivid and ruthless episodes in Roman history. A masterclass in political intrigue (and how not to do it), the Annals features mutiny, senatorial backstabbing, wars on the imperial frontiers, political purges and enormous egos. Emily and Tom explore the many ambiguities that make the Annals rewarding, as well as difficult, reading and discuss Tacitus’ knotty style and approach to history.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsFurther reading in the LRB:Mary Beard: Four-Day Caesarhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v26/n02/mary-beard/four-day-caesarAnthony Grafton: Those Limbs We Admirehttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v33/n14/anthony-grafton/those-limbs-we-admireShadi Bartsch: Fratricide, Matricide and the Philosopherhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v37/n12/shadi-bartsch/fratricide-matricide-and-the-philosopherMark Ford: The Death of Petroniushttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v30/n24/mark-ford/the-death-of-petroniusEmily Wilson is Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jones is an editor at the London Review of Books.Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
 Get the app