The TLS Podcast

This week André Aciman toasts the genius of Marcel Proust, a century after his death; and Richard Lea on the mesmerising multiverses of John Banville.The works of Marcel Proust‘The Singularities’ by John BanvilleProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Leith on Roald Dahl’s life of plane crashes, bunk-ups, secret agenting – and children’s writinghttps://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/teller-of-the-unexpected-roald-dahl-matthew-dennison-book-review-sam-leith/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we learn about the final years of the Napoleonic era, poke around the exclusive gentlemen’s watering holes of Pall Mall, and discover how Roy Orbison ended up meeting his wife in Batley Variety Club.’Napoleon: The decline and fall of an Empire, 1811-1821’ by Michael Broers’Napoleon at Peace: How to end a revolution’ by William Doyle‘Behind Close Doors: The secret life of London’s private members’ clubs’ by Seth Alexander Thévoz‘Clubland: How the working men's club shaped Britain’ by Pete Brown Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura Thompson on the much-married daughter of Barbara Cartland who became Lady Diana’s stepmotherhttps://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/three-times-a-countess-tina-gaudoin-book-review-laura-thompson/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Toby Lichtig interviews the new Booker laureate, Shehan Karunatilaka, and discovers why he killed off his protagonist; and we explore the latest developments in a Chaucerian controversy.‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ by Shehan KarunatilakaMary C Flannery on ChaucerProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michele Pridmore-Brown considers our quest for godlike immortalityhttps://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/hybrid-humans-harry-parker-the-price-of-immortality-peter-ward-book-review-michele-pridmore-brown/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richard Dunn joins Alex and Lucy to discuss how humanity began to measure the world around it; and Lauren Elkin illuminates the immense artistic contribution of Annie Ernaux, this winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature.‘Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement’ by James VincentThe work of Annie Ernaux, Nobel Prize laureate 2022Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bill McKibben considers the future of farming in a rapidly warming worldhttps://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/rooted-sarah-langford-sixty-harvests-left-philip-lymbery-regenesis-george-monbiot-review-bill-mckibben/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sofia Chelyak joins us to preview this weekend’s Lviv International Book Forum, in which guests including Margaret Atwood and Henry Marsh will join Ukrainian writers and thinkers in an online extravaganza; plus highlights of our live podcast on narrative arcs in fiction, history and politics and how to support a literary fundraiser for those affected by floods in Pakistan.Lviv International BookForum, 7-9 October 2022https://airauctioneer.com/books-for-pakistanProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charles Foster considers the extraordinary variety of animals’ sensory worldshttps://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/an-immense-world-ed-yong-book-review-charles-foster/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.