logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
54m 10s

Splendid Isolation

THE TLS
About this episode

This week, Sinéad Gleeson delights in the byways of Maeve Brennan's New York; and Costica Bradatan explores the enduring appeal of Henry David Thoreau.


'The Long-Winded Lady', by Maeve Brennan, with an introduction by Sinéad Gleeson

'Thoreau's Axe: Distraction and Discipline in American Culture', by Caleb Smith

'Henry at Work: Thoreau on Making a Living', by John Kaag and Jonathan van Belle

'Henry David Thoreau: Thinking Disobediently', by Lawrence Buell


Produced by Charlotte Pardy


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

Up next
May 31
May Highlights
May has flown by — here's a listen back at some of the conversations we've had this month on The TLS Podcast.We hear from Merlin Holland on the afterlife of his grandfather Oscar Wilde, David Horspool on the luscious world of the lido, Samantha Ellis on Charlotte Brontë's relatio ... Show More
19m 49s
May 28
Antidotes to doomscrolling
This week, Dinah Birch finds solace in letters and diaries from the past, whether they be joyous, heartbreaking or down-to-earth; John Talbot reads us his poem of a very specific corner of London. A Literary Letter for Every Day of the Year, edited by Liz Ison The Writer’s Room: ... Show More
35m 59s
May 21
Fabrications
This week, David Streitfeld takes us to Earthsea and the wonderful imagination of Ursula K. Le Guin; and Samantha Ellis on Charlotte Brontë's relationship with material reality.'The Word for World: The maps of Ursula K. Le Guin', edited by So Mayer and Sarah Shin'Searoad: Chronic ... Show More
53m 24s
Recommended Episodes
May 2019
Thoreau: the writer who went to the woods
Rajan Datar and guests explore the life and legacy of the American thinker Henry David Thoreau and his famous work 'Walden', which describes the young writer's experiment in living simply at Walden Pond in Massachusetts, for two years, two months and two days in the 1840s. A land ... Show More
39m 58s
Dec 2023
Was Jane Austen Gay? And other questions from the LRB archive
Tom Crewe, Patricia Lockwood, Deborah Friedell, John Lanchester, Rosemary Hill and Colm Tóibín talk to Tom about some of their favourite LRB pieces, including Terry Castle’s 1995 essay on Jane Austen's letters, Hilary Mantel’s account of how she became a writer, and Alan Bennett’ ... Show More
41m 17s
Aug 2023
Anatomie du fait divers : le fait culturel
<p>À en voir le nombre d’œuvres culturelles qui s’en inspirent, les faits-divers sont plus que jamais un réservoir d’intrigues et une source inépuisable pour la fiction. Au point que ces histoires finissent par former un socle commun et fassent partie de notre culture populaire, ... Show More
35m 1s
Dec 2019
Cats, Susan Hill's Ghost Story, Martin's Close, Nora Ephron's I Feel Bad About My Neck, Gypsy
The much-anticipated film of Cats with its stellar and fur-enhanced cast including Judi Dench and Taylor Swift finally reaches the big screen. Catnip or catastrophe?Spooky offerings in the Christmas TV schedule this year include Martin's Close by Mark Gatiss on BBC 4 and Susan Hi ... Show More
49m 39s
Jan 2019
Mary Queen of Scots, Approaching Empty, Leila Slimani, Fausto Melotti, Ride Upon The Storm
A new film telling the story of Mary Queen of Scots and her relationship with Elizabeth I, stars Saiorse Ronan and Margot Robbie as the 2 queens Approaching Empty is a new play by Ishy Din just opened at The Kiln Theatre in London. Set in a run-down minicab office in the north of ... Show More
50m 9s
Jun 2022
82* Zadie Smith in Focus (JP)
In this 2019 episode, John interviews the celebrated British writer Zadie Smith. The conversation quickly moves through Brexit (oh, the inhumanity!) and what it means to be a London–no, a Northwest London–writer before arriving at her case against identity politics. That case is ... Show More
53m 28s
Jul 2022
Super Soul Special: Oprah Winfrey: The Path Made Clear
Original Air Date: April 1, 2019On a special edition of “Super Soul Conversations,” Oprah Winfrey discusses her book, “The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose,” featuring some of the most profound insights and Aha! moments. In this follow-up to her New ... Show More
40m 13s