Charles Dickens was a master of managing his personal brand. In fact, almost everything we know about him comes from one biography, written by his friend John Forster. But, if you dig a little deeper, strange biographical inconsistencies begin to emerge. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Helena Kelly outlines her new theories on the truth behind the stories Dicke ... Show More
Yesterday
The devastating Jewish revolt against the Roman empire
It was under the rule of the infamous emperor Nero that the Great Revolt, the first of the Jewish-Roman wars, began, sparking many decades of continuous conflict. Speaking to James Osborne, historian and author Barry Strauss traces the story, following the the fate of the Jewish ... Show More
47m 37s
Mar 16
How Rasputin helped doom the Romanovs
The life of Grigori Rasputin, the Siberian peasant healer who wielded influence over the family of Russia’s last tsar, has fascinated the world for more than a century. Historian Antony Beevor speaks to Danny Bird about the man behind the myth and rumour, charting Rasputin’s humb ... Show More
44m 3s
Oct 2022
452 Charles and Mary Lamb | A Letter To My Transgender Daughter (with Carolyn Hays)
In this episode, Jacke takes a look at two topics. First, the story of Charles and Mary Lamb, whose children's book Tales from Shakespeare (1807) was published more than two hundred years ago and has never been out of print. Part of the literary circle that included Romantic-era ... Show More
59m 50s
Jan 2024
581 The Venerable Bede (with Michelle P. Brown) | My Last Book with Adrian Edwards
Jacke talks to author Michelle P. Brown about her new book, Bede and the Theory of Everything, which investigates the life and world of Bede (c. 673-735), the foremost scholar of the Middle Ages and the "father of English history." PLUS Adrian Edwards, Head of Printed Heritage Co ... Show More
46m 17s
Dec 2023
573 A Conversation with Anne Enright, Winner of the Man Booker Prize | My Last Book with Christopher Morash
After taking a look at Emily Dickinson's Poem #269 ("Wild Nights - wild nights!"), Jacke talks to novelist Anne Enright about growing up in Ireland, her writing career, and her new book The Wren, The Wren. PLUS Dublin literary historian Christopher Morash (Dublin: A Writer's City ... Show More
57m 56s