Born near Colchester, England in 1623, Margaret Cavendish was a writer blazing a trail for women during a time when the world was dominated by men. Her writing ranges from philosophy to poetry, plays and also includes what is now considered to be a proto-science fiction novel, The Blazing World. So why do we rarely hear her name today? Looking to put that ri ... Show More
Sep 1
NYT’s Novel of the Century? Marlon James on The Disappearers
In 1988, eight men in Kingston, Jamaica, begin rehearsals for a play. Though strangers to one another, they share an inescapable truth: All of them are gay. And they live in a world that refuses to accept them. One night they are beaten and one of them is killed. In this episode, ... Show More
49m 24s
Aug 30
The Secret History in Our DNA: Adam Rutherford Meets David Olusoga (Part Two)
Adam Rutherford is a science broadcaster, and author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, which transformed the way we think about human history. By using genetics to uncover the story of our species, it offered a thrilling new perspective on who we are and where we cam ... Show More
38m 29s
Aug 29
The Secret History in Our DNA: Adam Rutherford Meets David Olusoga (Part One)
Adam Rutherford is a science broadcaster, and author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, which transformed the way we think about human history. By using genetics to uncover the story of our species, it offered a thrilling new perspective on who we are and where we cam ... Show More
42m 46s
Sep 2023
Margaret Cavendish: scandalous 17th-century writer
Margaret Cavendish has been largely forgotten and, when remembered, divides opinion. One of England’s first female philosophers, professional authors and scientists, the 17th-century writer challenged convention throughout her life with her proto-feminist writing and audacious be ... Show More
37m 26s
May 2022
Margaret Lucas Cavendish’s Blazing World
<p>Cavendish was a prolific poet, playwright, and natural philosopher. She published multiple works under her own name before that was common for a woman, and she published at least five major works on natural philosophy.</p> <p><strong>Research:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Boyle, Debo ... Show More
41m 23s
Aug 2021
Margaret Cavendish's "A Lady Dressed by Youth"
<strong>Margaret Lucas Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne</strong> (1623 – 15 December 1673) was an English philosopher, poet, scientist, fiction writer and playwright. She published in her own name at a time when most women writers remained anonymous.<br/><hr><p style="co ... Show More
6m 11s
May 2024
Forgotten women writers of the Renaissance
You've heard of Shakespeare, but have you heard of his contemporary Mary Sidney, the first person to translate the Book of Psalms into English poetry? Or what about Elizabeth Cary, who published the first original play known to be written by a woman in English? In her new book Sh ... Show More
42m 36s
Nov 2021
359 Forgotten Women of Literature 6 - Eliza Haywood and Fantomina | PLUS Keats's Letter on Shakespeare and "Negative Capability"
During her stormy and mysterious life, Eliza Haywood (1693?-1756) was one of the most prolific writers in England. Her "amatory fictions" were unapologetically sensationalistic, earning her the opprobrium of her mostly male critics. But in spite of being described (some might say ... Show More
53m 21s
Mar 2023
Margaret Atwood on Good, Evil and Stupidity
Margaret Atwood, famed author, poet and “dystopia prophet,” joins Offline to talk about fighting tyranny and finding hope. Much like her latest book, Old Babes in the Wood, Atwood’s conversation with Jon sandwiches her thoughts and fears on the present between poignant chapters o ... Show More
45m 43s
Nov 2024
Harriet Constable in “les Rencontres” — CHANEL Literary Rendezvous at Rue Cambon
Listen to author and critic Erica Wagner in conversation with Harriet Constable, writer of “The Instrumentalist”, her first novel published by Bloomsbury in 2024, in which she retraces the story of musical prodigy Anna Maria della Pietà, student of Antonio Vivaldi. Through this c ... Show More
39m 45s