logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
53m 46s

Animal Farm and Other Allegories

David Runciman
About this episode

This week David talks to novelists Adam Biles and John Lanchester about the timeless appeal of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Why has it retained its hold far longer than other political allegories? Do readers need to know about the Russian history it describes? What makes the animals so relatable? Plus we discuss other favourite political allegories, from The Wizard of Oz to WALL-E.

Adam Biles’s new novel – inspired by Animal Farm – is Beasts of England, available now.

Read John Lanchester in the current issue of the LRB.




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 6
The History of Bad Ideas: Value-Free Tech
For today’s episode in the history of bad ideas David talks to philosopher Shannon Vallor about the myth that technology can be value free. It’s easy to see why Silicon Valley is so keen on the idea that it’s never the fault of the tech, only of the people who use it. But why do ... Show More
1h 2m
Jul 3
The History of Bad Ideas: Monopoly
For today’s episode in the history of bad ideas David talks to economic historian Marc Palen about monopoly, an idea that has always had its defenders as well as its fierce critics. Why do monopolies arise even in supposedly competitive economies? How did the anti-monopoly moveme ... Show More
58m 11s
Jun 29
The History of Bad Ideas: Meritocracy
Today’s bad idea is one that started out as satire and ended as a political slogan. David talks to historian of ideas Ben Jackson about meritocracy and its origins in Michael Young’s book The Rise of the Meritocracy published in 1958. Young foresaw a populist revolt against the m ... Show More
1h 2m
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
George Orwell Part 1 – From Eton to Barcelona
Back for season five, Origin Story continues to explore the misunderstood ideas and people that shape our politics today. With Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey. In this opening two-parter Dorian bows to the inevitable and tells the story of the subject of his book, The Ministry of Tru ... Show More
1h 7m
Aug 2024
George Orwell: life of the week
From doublethink and thoughtcrime to coming face-to-face with our worst nightmares inside Room 101, few writers have had as much impact on the popular imagination as George Orwell. But what compelled the author of 'Animal Farm' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' to conjure up such dark, ... Show More
43m 38s
Oct 2022
ORWELL - LA FERME DES ANIMAUX
Pourquoi une révolution ne change-t-elle rien aux problèmes d'une société ? Qu'est-ce qu'une idéologie ? La dictature tient-elle à la volonté même du peuple ? C'est à ces questions que George Orwell répond dans La ferme des animaux. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/kos ... Show More
25 m
May 14
In the Soviet Archives: a conversation with Sheila Fitzpatrick
When Sheila Fitzpatrick first went to Moscow in the 1960s as a young academic, the prevailing understanding of the Soviet Union in the West was governed by the ‘totalitarian hypothesis’, of a system ruled entirely from the top down. Her examination of the ministry papers of Anato ... Show More
1h 8m
Apr 2020
Talking Politics: HISTORY OF IDEAS
A short trailer to introduce a new series of talks by David Runciman. In a series of twelve podcasts, he explores some of the most important thinkers and prominent ideas lying behind modern politics – from Hobbes to Gandhi, from democracy to patriarchy, from revolution to lock do ... Show More
2m 12s
Nov 2024
History behind the headlines: Trump's win – parallels with the past
In the latest episode of our monthly series charting the past behind the present, historians Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda explore the historical episodes that have most to tell us about Donald Trump's win in the US presidential election, and consider the political role of archbis ... Show More
45m 28s
Jul 2024
Soviet Ape-Human Hybrids
On today's episode, we discuss the very weird story about how the Soviet Union tried to cross-breed humans and apes. The craziest parts of this story are less about their failed attempt to create hybrids, and more about the ideals and sensibilities of the scientific community aro ... Show More
1h 16m
Apr 28
Papal elections and tariff troubles: history behind the headlines
In the latest episode of our monthly podcast series, regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter are joined by Frank Trentmann to discuss the historical parallels behind recent developments in the global trade war – plus the tumultuous history of papal elections, and the surp ... Show More
47m 14s
May 18
[BEST OF] "The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte" by Karl Marx
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Mar 19, 2024 Alyson and Breht explain and explore Karl Marx's classic work "The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte." Together, they discuss Marx’s incisive analysis of Louis Bonaparte’s rise to power, the complex interplay between historical events and class str ... Show More
1h 37m
Sep 2024
Stalin: Man of Steel, Episode 9
Joseph Stalin, feared by all, now clings to life, isolated and powerless. As his power-hungry rivals fight for control of the Soviet Union, Stalin’s henchmen begin to face the consequences of their actions. But even as Russia attempts to break free from Stalin’s legacy, history t ... Show More
46m 39s