Share
The TLS Podcast
The Barbara Comyns revival
•
This week, Thea Lenarduzzi and Lucy Dallas are joined by Avril Horner, author of a biography of Barbara Comyns whose quirky, menace-laced novels, long championed by Graham Greene, are finding their way back to us; a new poem by John Kinsella, 'Villanelle of Star-Picket-Hopping Red-Capped Robin'; and En Liang Khong describes the powerful pull – particularly difficult to resist during lockdown – of the fantasy urban landscapes portrayed in video games and anime
Several novels by Barbara Comyns, including: 'Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead', 'Mr Fox', 'Sisters by a River', 'The House of Dolls' and 'The Vet's Daughter'
Virtual Cities: An atlas and exploration of video game cities, by Konstantinos Dimopoulos
Anime Architecture: Imagined worlds and endless megacities, by Stefan Riekeles
More episodes
View all episodes
Regeneration Games
46:48This 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 LycettProduced by Charlotte Pardy
How to Dress for Bouillabaisse
46:28This 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 AgarThe European Writers' Festival, the British Library, London, 18-19 May 2024Produced by Charlotte Pardy
Better to Travel Hopefully
50:56This 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 JulyProduced by Charlotte Pardy
Super Furry Animals
42:14This 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 Dream In', at the National Portrait Gallery, London, until 16 June, 2024'The Spoiled Heart', by Sunjeev SahotaProduced by Charlotte Pardy
Power Plays
50:04As 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 Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia' by Gary J. Bass.Produced by Charlotte Pardy
Unjust Deserts
45:49This 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 Mbougar Sarr, translatedby Lara Vergnaud'The Extinction of Irena Rey, by Jennifer CroftProduced by Charlotte Pardy
Time Past and Time Future
56:14This 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 MatarProduced by Charlotte Pardy
Illustrated Men
53:04This 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', edited by Jonathan R. EllerProduced by Charlotte Pardy
O Pioneers!
46:56This 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 2024Produced by Charlotte Pardy