This week, Norma Clarke explores the world of 18th-century chameleon Mary Robinson; and Devoney Looser on a soccer player's passion for Virginia Woolf. 'Mary Robinson: Actress, mistress, writer, radical', Chawton House, Chawton, Hampshire, until April 21, 2025 'The Striker and the Clock: On Being in the Game', by Georgia Cloepfil Produced by Charlo…

This week, Mary Beard reports on the American election from her billet on Pennysylvania Avenue; plus Regina Rini opens a can of temporal worms in a quest to cure worry. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special interview, Lucy Dallas meets artist William Kentridge to explore his new set of films. 'Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot', by William Kentridge, available on Mubi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Oonagh Devitt Tremblay is intrigued by the multiple voices in Sarah Moss's new memoir; and Lucy Dallas speaks to artist William Kentridge. 'My Good Bright Wolf', by Sarah Moss 'Self-Portrait as a Coffee-Pot', by William Kentridge, streaming on Mubi Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

This week, Yoojin Grace Wuertz celebrates this year’s Nobel Laureate in literature, South Korea’s Han Kang; and David Morley reads his new poem, and discusses the link between birds, music and poetry. ‘The Vegetarian’, ‘Human Acts’ and ‘Greek Lessons’, by Han Kang ‘Beethoven’s Yellowhammer’, by David Morley Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Aca…

This week, Lisa Hilton on the truth behind life as a 'grand horizontale'; and Juliette Bretan explores why Virginia Woolf served up boeuf en daube in To the Lighthouse. 'Kingmaker: Pamela Churchill Harriman’s astonishing life of seduction, intrigue and power', by Sonia Purnell 'Europe in British Literature and Culture', edited by Petra Rau and Will…

This week, Larry Wolff admires an opera propelled by drone warfare; and Edward Carey describes how a love of theatre inspired his new novel. 'Grounded', by Jeanine Tesori, libretto by George Brant, Metropolitan Opera, New York, until October 19 'Edith Holler', by Edward Carey Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo…

This week, we start with Donna Summer and finish with a Scotch Woodcock, as Milo Nesbitt goes in search of the future of music, and Roger Domeneghetti sings the praises of a little fish with a big flavour. 'Futuromania: Electronic dreams, desiring machines and tomorrow's music today', by Simon Reynolds 'A Twist in the Tail: How the humble anchovy f…

This week, Toby Lichtig previews the season’s fictional highlights; and Ann Manov on Sally Rooney’s latest gambit. ‘Creation Lake’, by Rachel Kushner ‘Intermezzo’, by Sally Rooney Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, typographer Tom Cook on the fonts of all knowledge; and Graham Daseler explores Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler's firecracker relationship. 'Albertus: The Biography of a Typeface', by Simon Garfield 'Baskerville: The Biography of a Typeface', by Simon Garfield 'Comic Sans: The Biography of a Typeface', by Simon Garfield 'From the Momen…

This week, Mary Beard joins us to explain why two recently discovered fragments of Euripides are big news; and an interview with director James Macdonald and actor Lucian Msamati on their new production of Waiting for Godot. 'Ino' and 'Polyidus', by Euripides 'Waiting for Godot', by Samuel Beckett, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, until Dece…

This week, medieval spells and modern cures, as we look back at some podcast highlights with Mary C Flannery and Charles Foster. 'Textual Magic: Charms and Written Amulets in Medieval England', by Katherine Storm Hindley 'Ten Trips: The new reality of psychedelics', by Andy Mitchell 'Psychedelics: The revolutionary drugs that could change your life…

This week, Lucy and Alex are joined by Amber Massie-Blomfield, who discusses her new book about the connections between art and protest. 'Acts of Resistance: The Power of Art to Create a Better World', by Amber Massie-Blomfield Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

This week, Lucy and Alex are joined by the novelist David Peace, who explains what drew him to writing about the 1958 Munich Air Disaster. 'Munichs', by David Peace Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we take a look back at Fintan O'Toole's pre-election assessment of Keir Starmer; and revisit a conversation with William Boyd. 'Keir Starmer: The Biography', by Tom Baldwin 'November 1942: An Intimate History of the Turning Point of World War II’, by Peter Englund', translated by Peter Graves Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. …

This week, Philip Ball assesses the anxiety about AI - and provides some reassurance; and Jane Robinson on Emily Davies, the woman who founded Girton College, Cambridge. 'Moral AI: And how we get there', by Jana Schaich Borg, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Vincent Conitzer 'The AI Mirror: How to reclaim our humanity in an age of machine thinking', by…

This week, Isaac Nowell takes us out in all weathers, Sean O'Brien reads a new poem, and Norma Clarke on a fascinating story of exile and doomed love. 'In All Weathers: A Journey Through Rain, Fog, Wind, Ice and Everything in Between', by Matt Gaw 'Fingerpost', by Sean O'Brien 'In Pursuit of Love: The Search for Victor Hugo's Daughter', by Mark Bos…

This week, Anna Katharina Schaffner on a top-to-tail exploration of deportment; and Toby Lichtig in conversation with novelist Hari Kunzru at the Hay Festival. 'Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America', by Beth Linker 'Blue Ruin', by Hari Kunzru Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

This week, Lily Herd on a child's-eye view of rockstar royalty; and Toby Lichtig talks to novelist Chigozie Obioma at the Hay Festival. 'My Family and Other Rock Stars', by Tiffany Murray 'The Road to the Country', by Chigozie Obioma Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

This week, Heather O'Donoghue puzzles over the locked rooms and red herrings of the crime genre; and Josh Raymond on an animated attempt to understand teenage turmoil. 'The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators', by Martin Edwards 'Inside Out 2' Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo…

This week, we accompany Stephen Sawyer on a speeded-up saunter through the arrondissements; and Toby Lichtig in conversation with Rory Stewart at the Hay Festival. 'Impossible City: Paris in the Twenty-First Century', by Simon Kuper 'The Zone: An Alternative History of Paris', by Justinien Tribillon 'Politics on the Edge', by Rory Stewart Produced …

This week, TLS editors and writers guide you through a summer of reading; and Sarah Watling explores the extraordinary story of an artistic double act. 'Dorothy Hepworth and Patricia Preece: An Untold Story', Charleston, Lewes, Sussex 'The Secret Art of Dorothy Hepworth, aka Patricia Preece', by Denys J. Wilcox Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on…

This week, Ben Hutchinson on the making of Franz Kafka, a century after the writer's death; and an interview with Roz Dineen about her vision of climate catastrophe and societal collapse. 'Kafka: Making of an icon', Weston Library, Bodleian, Oxford, until October 27 Accompanying book edited by Ritchie Robertson 'Briefly Very Beautiful', by Roz Dine…

Join us for at the Hay Festival for a conversation encompassing portals to other worlds, rock bands, improbable giraffes and the travails of the M4. 'Impossible Creatures', by Katherine Rundell 'One Ukrainian Summer: A Memoir About Falling in Love and Coming of Age in the Former USSR', by Viv Groskop Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See…

This week, we hear from two international prize-winning authors, Jenny Erpenbeck and Mircea Cărtărescu. 'Kairos' by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann 'Solenoid' by Mircea Cărtărescu, translated by Sean Cotter Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

This week, writers including Andrew O'Hagan, Rose Tremain, Ayobami Adebayo and Marian Keyes select their most memorable sporting moments; and we drop in on the European Writers' Festival at the British Library. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we look at the busy afterlives of two canonical characters: Nathalie Olah on Tom Ripley and Emelyne Godfrey on Sherlock Holmes. 'Ripley', on Netflix 'The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes: The inspiration behind the world’s greatest detective', by Andrew Lycett Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati…

This week, Susan Owens explores the surreal and vivid life of the artist Eileen Agar; and Rosie Goldsmith, curator of the European Writers' Festival, joins us to explain what's on the bill. 'A Look at My Life', by Eileen Agar The European Writers' Festival, the British Library, London, 18-19 May 2024 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See…

This week, Oxford Professor of Poetry AE Stallings explores the elliptical brilliance of Anne Carson; and an interview with writer, filmmaker and artist Miranda July about her forthcoming novel. 'Anne Carson: The Glass Essayist', by Elizabeth Sarah Coles 'Wrong Norma', by Anne Carson 'All Fours', by Miranda July Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted o…

This week, Kathryn Hughes introduces her new book on the cat craze that swept Edwardian England; and she also tells us about an exhibition of the work of Julia Margaret Cameron and Francesca Woodman. Plus a review of Sunjeev Sahota's The Spoiled Heart. 'Catland: Feline Enchantment and the Making of the Modern World', by Kathryn Hughes 'Portraits to…

As the TLS celebrates all things Shakespeare, Emma Smith goes to see Ian McKellen's larger-than-life Falstaff; plus Rana Mitter on the immense impact and lasting legacy of the Tokyo Trial. 'Player Kings: Henry IV Parts 1 and 2', by William Shakespeare, adapted by Robert Icke, Noël Coward Theatre, London, until June 22, then touring 'Judgement at To…

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…

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 Matar Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast.…

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', edit…

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 2024 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted o…

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 Gristwood Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf…

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 Wo…

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 the Almeid…

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 Select…

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 the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British novel', by Nora Gilbert Produced by Charlotte P…

The distinguished sociologist and cultural thinker Richard Sennett was once a professional cellist and his new book, The Performer, examines the links between artistic performance, politics and the public-sphere. We were delighted to talk to him about his own experiences asa musician and about prominent figures from Leonard Bernstein and Roland Bar…

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: Meeti…

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 L…

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 and Arturo Perez Jr 'The Brothers Karamazov', by Fyodor Dostoevsky Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See…

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 …

This week, Charles Foster explores how psychedelic drugs are changing lives; and Alan Jenkins on the lure of the open seas. 'Ten Trips: The new reality of psychedelics', by Andy Mitchell 'Psychedelics: The revolutionary drugs that could change your life – a guide from the expert', by David Nutt 'I feel love: MDMA and the quest for connection in a f…

The acclaimed novelist and her musician daughter on the joys of reading in trees, childhood gardens and what it's like to have a David Austin rose named after you. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A special seasonal highlights show, with contributions from novelists Anne Enright and Samantha Harvey; and James Marcus on partygoers Susan Sontag and George Steiner. 'The Wren, The Wren', by Anne Enright 'Orbital', by Samantha Harvey 'Maestros and monsters: Days & nights with Susan Sontag & George Steiner', by Robert Boyers Produced by Charlotte …

This week, Toby Lichtig goes to see the latest Roald Dahl adaptations, junior critic in tow; and Dinah Birch celebrates the enduring power of Ebenezer Scrooge. 'The Witches', at the National Theatre, London, until 27 January 2024 'Wonka', on general release 'A Christmas Carol', by Charles Dickens Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See aca…

This week, Lauren Elkin takes an artistic stroll in the footsteps of Gertrude Stein; and Maria Margaronis goes in search of Willa Cather deep in the Midwest. 'Gertrude Stein et Pablo Picasso: L'invention du langage', at the Musée du Luxembourg, Paris, until 28 January 2024 'Chasing Bright Medusas: A life of Willa Cather', by Benjamin Taylor Produce…