London Review Podcasts

Daniel Soar talks to Thomas Jones about the sixth taste, variously translated as ‘mouthfulness’, ‘thickness’ and ‘lingeringness’, apparently discovered by the Japanese company Ajinomoto, and its origins in the twisty and opaque story of MSG in North America. Read Daniel Soar's piece here: https://lrb.me/kokumipod Subscribe to the LRB from just £1 per issue: https://mylrb.co.uk/podcast20b Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lydia Davis reads her essay on Arles, recorded for the Trilling Lecture at Columbia University in 2019. Read the piece here: https://lrb.me/lydiadavisarlespod Subscribe to the LRB and get a 79% discount: https://lrb.me/travel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Colm Tóibín reads his diary from November 2020, about visiting Venice during the pandemic. Read the piece here: https://lrb.me/aloneinvenicepod Subscribe to the LRB and save 79% on the cover price: https://lrb.me/travel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first of four summer readings visiting different places in Europe, Rosemary Hill explores the history of London's West End. Read the piece here: https://lrb.me/hillwestendpod Subscribe to the LRB and save 79% off the cover price: https://lrb.me/travel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Trotter talks to Joanne O’Leary about the novels and stories of Elizabeth Bowen, from her weird families and idiosyncrasies of style, to her mastery of atmospherics and prescient use of technology to shape her characters. Find David's piece and more on Elizabeth Bowen in the LRB: https://lrb.me/bowenpod Subscribe to the LRB from just £1 per issue: https://mylrb.co.uk/podcast20b Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen Frears talks to Andrew O’Hagan about making movies in America, to mark the publication of a new collection of LRB essays on Hollywood. He describes being protected by Scorsese, learning from Billy Wilder, and why films often had budgets of $39 million. Buy the collection here: lrb.me/hollywood Find more on the episode page: https://lrb.me/frearspod Subscribe to the LRB from just £1 per issue: https://mylrb.co.uk/podcast20b Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Lanchester talks to Thomas Jones about ‘visible’ cheating in sport, that is, the kind which is against the rules but within the ethos of the game, from diving in football to bodyline bowling in cricket. Read John's piece in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/lanchestersportpod Subscribe to the LRB from just £1 per issue: https://mylrb.co.uk/podcast20b Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pooja Bhatia talks to Thomas Jones about the assassination of President Moïse in Haiti, the recent history of US involvement in the country, and the difference between elections and democracy. Find Pooja Bhatia's writing on Haiti in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/seizeduppod Sign up to our Close Readings subscription: https://lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Meek talks to Thomas Jones about the connected fates of two wind tower factories, one in Scotland, the other in Vietnam, and asks why the determination to achieve a green future isn’t matched by a determination to ensure fair wages and good conditions for the workers who will make it possible. Meek also describes the challenges of reporting on the story remotely during the pandemic. You can find his piece and watch some of the video shot by his researcher, Chi Mai, of the CS Wind factory in Phu My, here: https://lrb.me/windfarmspod Sign up to our Close Readings subscription: https://lrb.me/closereadingspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Toril Moi talks to Joanna Biggs about the French philosopher Simone Weil, whose short and uncompromising life became a workshop for her revolutionary ideas about labour, human suffering and the power of paying attention. Read Toril Moi on Simone Weil in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/weilpod Sign up to our Close Readings subscription here: https://lrb.me/closereadingspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deborah Friedell talks to Thomas Jones about the Rosenbergs, from their early years on the Lower East Side of New York to their executions for conspiracy to commit espionage in 1953, and the significance of their trial in American public life, not least as a platform for Donald Trump’s future lawyer, Roy Cohn. Read Deborah's piece on the Rosenbergs and more here: https://lrb.me/rosenbergspod Sign up to our Close Readings subscription: https://lrb.me/closereadingspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Niamh Gallagher talks to Thomas Jones about the history of the Irish border, from its origins in the 1920s to today, the way it has shaped Irish politics in both the south and north, and why the Troubles can’t be repeated. Find Niamh Gallagher's piece in the LRB and more here: https://lrb.me/irishborderpod Sign up to our Close Readings subscription: https://lrb.me/closereadingspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tariq Ali talks to Thomas Jones about a newly reissued biography of the Prophet by Maxime Rodinson, and the historic prevalence of Arabic culture in the West, from Don Quixote to Trafalgar Square. Find Tariq Ali's review and other related pieces in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/muhammadcervantespod Sign up to our Close Readings subscription: https://lrb.me/closereadingspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The legendary cartoonist talks to Thomas Jones about his latest book, Street Cop, a collaboration with Robert Coover, and looks back on previous work including Maus and In the Shadow of No Towers, which was originally published in the LRB. Find related pieces in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/spiegelmanpod Buy Street Cop here: https://isolarii.com/ Subscribe to the LRB from just £1 per issue: https://mylrb.co.uk/podcast20b Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alan Bennett reads selections from his diary from March 2020 to March 2021. Read more Alan Bennett in the LRB here: lrb.me/alanbennettpod Sign up to our Close Readings subscription: https://lrb.me/closereadingspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Shatz talks to Tareq Baconi and Henriette Chacar about the crisis in Israel-Palestine, the significance of the ceasefire, the context of the war, the politics inside Israel and the Gaza Strip, and the response in Washington. Read Tareq Baconi on the LRB blog: https://lrb.me/afterceasefirepod Sign up to our Close Readings subscription: https://lrb.me/closereadingspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claire Hall talks to Thomas Jones about Ancient Greek horoscopy, the Ptolemaic model, the mysteries of the Antikythera mechanism, and why astrology was the first data science. Find Claire's LRB pieces and more here: https://lrb.me/perfectcirclespod Sign up to our Close Readings subscription: https://lrb.me/closereadingspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rosa Lyster talks to Thomas Jones about the global water crisis, from the severe droughts in her home city of Cape Town, to the sinking of Mexico City and the damming of the Nile, and the need for all countries to prepare for future shortages. Find Rosa Lyster's pieces (and listen ad free to this podcast) on our website here: https://lrb.me/waterpod Sign up to our Close Readings subscription: https://lrb.me/closereadingspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Geoghegan talks to Thomas Jones about the Greensill lobbying scandal, the refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s flat, the unhealthy relationship between successive British governments and the private sector, and what it might all mean for the future of the Union. Find Peter's pieces others in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/onebigpaydaypod Sign up to our Close Readings subscription: https://lrb.me/closereadingspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jesse McCarthy talks to Adam Shatz about his studies of Black diasporic culture, from Juan de Pareja to Audre Lorde, and his critique of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s case for reparations. Find related pieces in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/blindspotspod Subscribe to the LRB from just £1 per issue: https://mylrb.co.uk/podcast20b Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.