The Prospect Podcast

What happens to vast, sprawling landscapes when the humans who live there suddenly leave? Cal Flyn set about to answer that question in her new book, Islands of Abandonment, visiting the forests of Chernobyl, the post-industrial bings of Scotland and abandoned factories in New Jersey to document the new forms of wildlife that have cropped up since. She joins the Prospect Interview to talk about theories of succession, what post-Soviet farmland has to do with global warming, and why she chose to write a book on nature shot through with hope.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prospect contributor Andrew Adonis and biographer Evan Osnos join the Prospect Interview to discuss the life and times of the incoming US President. They talk about Biden’s early life—and personal tragedies—and also what to expect from his presidency. Andrew profiled Joe Biden in the upcoming issue of Prospect magazine, and Evan is author of Joe Biden: American Dreamer.You can read Andrew's profile of Biden here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/can-joe-biden-save-america-inauguration-donald-trump Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Booker Prize-winning author George Saunders joins the Prospect Interview to discuss his experiences teaching the Russian short story and his new book, A Swim in the Pond in the Rain. What begins as a homage to the technical literary skill of Chekhov, Gogol, and Tolstoy soon becomes a broader reflection on the purpose of fiction, and the meaning of life. Saunders joins arts and books editor Sameer Rahim and talks about how he changed his mind on Chekhov, getting in the head of a Trump supporter, and the art of getting published.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who gets to write history—and which narratives win out? Historian and writer Stella Dadzie joins the Prospect Interview to discuss writing the lives of enslaved women in the Caribbean. She talks about the blind spots of history taught in British schools, the importance of foregrounding agency and resistance, and what she makes of the evolving conversation on race and empire in Britain.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over a year ago now in December, scientists first discovered a new virus that caused pneumonia-like symptoms. The rest is history. Science writer Phil Ball joins the Prospect Interview to discuss past lessons from the pandemic in 2020—which countries did well, and which failed—and how the vaccine will change the new normality in 2021.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

His teachings have been transmitted, interpreted, and some may say misappropriated, for centuries. But what did Jesus Christ really believe? Now, as organised religion declines in popularity, does he have anything to teach our secular age? Author Nick Spencer, who recently wrote an essay on the secularisation of Jesus, joins the Prospect Interview to discuss the many lives of Jesus Christ. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ascended to power in 2017, he was hailed among the west as a liberal reformer, and was welcomed by Hollywood celebrities and world leaders alike. But what’s happened to Saudi Arabia’s supposedly radical programme of reform? Saudi expert Madawi al-Rasheed joins the Prospect Interview and takes us behind the power struggles and social debates gripping the country.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the nation headed to the polls for the EU referendum in 2016, the result was almost split down the middle. So how come the Brexit deal that's coming will not be the moderate one of a 48-52 nation, but a hard exit? Leading think tankers Anand Menon and Jill Rutter join the Prospect Interview to talk about the long four years since June 2016, and who is to really to blame for killing soft Brexit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Booker Prize-winning author Douglas Stuart joins the Prospect Interview to discuss writing his powerful novel, Shuggie Bain, which tells the story of a young boy growing up in working-class Glasgow during the 80s. Douglas talks to Arts and Books editor Sameer Rahim—who sat on this year’s Booker judging panel and was captivated by Shuggie Bain—about the importance of diversity in literature, his non-chronological way of writing, and what he made of the other shortlisted novels.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What has the attention economy done to our attention spans—and our minds? Writer and academic Julia Bell joins the Prospect Interview to discuss her latest book, Radical Attention, an essay on the many hidden, and not-so-hidden, costs of today’s technological systems. In an age of infinite distraction, Julia makes a case for the importance of radical attention: a sharp, focused, and generous way of being in the world, which valorises nuanced, difficult thought. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.