In A House for Mr Biswas, his 1961 comic masterpiece, V.S. Naipaul pays tribute to his father and the vanishing world of his Trinidadian youth. Pankaj Mishra joins Adam Shatz in their first of four episodes to discuss the novel, a pathbreaking work of postcolonial literature and a particularly powerful influence on Pankaj himself. They explore Naipaul’s frau ... Show More
Apr 27
Who’s afraid of realism? ‘The Death of Ivan Ilyich’ by Leo Tolstoy
In the late 1870s, shortly after the publication of Anna Karenina, Tolstoy experienced what might be described today as a midlife crisis. In his short autobiographical book A Confession, finished in 1880, he questioned what meaning there is in life that is not annihilated by the ... Show More
23m 23s
Apr 20
London Revisited: Plague, Rebellion and Guilds
If historians of medieval London had a patron saint, it might well be Edward I. While many English monarchs chose to leave London to its own devices, Edward decided from the start of his reign in 1272 to put pressure on the city to justify its liberties. The result was a profusio ... Show More
27m 44s
Sep 2023
Adolfo Kaminsky, Beyond Borders
Adolfo Kaminsky, a first-class forger while still a teenager, saved thousands of lives as an agent of the French Resistance. After the war, he turned his counterfeiting skills towards anticolonialist causes while building his reputation as a photographer. In this episode of the L ... Show More
32m 54s
Nov 2023
Next Year on Close Readings: Human Conditions
In the second of three introductions to our full Close Readings programme for 2024, Adam Shatz presents his series, Human Conditions, in which he’ll be talking separately to three guests – Judith Butler, Pankaj Mishra and Brent Hayes Edwards – about some of the most revolutionary ... Show More
26m 33s
Apr 2022
Manu Pillai, "False Allies: India’s Maharajahs in the Age of Ravi Varma" (Juggernaut, 2021)
It can be easy to think of the recent history of India—especially for those who aren’t from there—as a straight line, from the Mughal Empire, through the British Empire, to independent India.
That, of course, is hugely simplistic, missing the mess of competing polities, interests ... Show More
48m 25s
Oct 2021
Steven Pressfield: Battling The Resistance To Find Our Calling In Life
What an honour to be able to speak with Steven Pressfield.He's the author of three awesome books that we've covered on the podcast previously: The War of Art, Turning Pro, and Do The Work.Plus he's the author of MANY more books, both fiction and non-fiction, and was the screenwri ... Show More
35m 50s
May 2024
Democracy, Diplomacy, Discourse with S. Jaishankar
<p>In this episode of The Morning Brief podcast, external affairs minister <a href="https://twitter.com/drsjaishankar?lang=en">S. Jaishankar</a> talks about his role in the elections, Biden’s “xenophobic” remark, terror elements in Canada, problems in Pakistan and Myanmar, his cr ... Show More
34m 57s
Jul 2022
A Novel About Brilliant Young Game Designers
<p>Gabrielle Zevin’s new novel, “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,” is set in the world of video game design, and follows two friends named Sadie and Sam as they collaborate on what becomes a very successful game.</p><p>“A friend of mine described the book as being what it’s ... Show More
49m 24s
Feb 2023
"In the Presence of Agape, Battles for Life Ensue" - Joy James & K. Kim Holder, In Pursuit of Revolutionary Love
<p>In this episode, Joy James returns to the podcast and is joined by K. Kim Holder. </p> <p>Holder was a member of the Harlem Chapter of the Black Panther Party and his dissertation <em>The Black Panther Party 1966-1972: a curriculum tool for Afrikan-American studies</em> was th ... Show More
1h 45m