Close Readings

On Satire: 'A Far Cry from Kensington' by Muriel Spark
In the final episode of their series, Colin and Clare arrive at Muriel Spark, who would never have considered herself a satirist though her writing was as bitingly satirical as any 20th-century novelist's. A Far Cry from Kensington has a deceptively simple plot: Agnes Hawkins, working for a publisher in London in the 1950s, insults Hector Bartlett, a would-be author, by calling him a ‘pisseur de copie’. Bartlett seeks revenge with the help of Hawkins’s fellow lodger, Wanda, with tragic results. Yet the true plot of any Spark novel is difficult to pin down, not least when the word ‘plot’ is deployed so frequently by her characters to imply conspiracy and misinformation. Colin and Clare discuss Spark’s kaleidoscopic view of reality and the ways in which both Catholicism and Calvinism play through her work.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4dbjbjGIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsRead more in the LRB:Jenny Turner:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v14/n15/jenny-turner/she-who-can-do-no-wrongFrank Kermode:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v31/n17/frank-kermode/mistress-of-disappearancesSusan Eilenberg:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v27/n24/susan-eilenberg/complacent-bountyJames Wood:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v22/n17/james-wood/can-this-be-what-happened-to-lord-lucan-after-the-night-of-7-november-1974 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Political Poems: ‘Station Island’ by Seamus Heaney
As an undergraduate, Seamus Heaney visited Station Island several times, an ancient pilgrimage site traditionally associated with St Patrick and purgatory. Decades later, Heaney worked through competing calls for political engagement and his long-lapsed Catholicism in ‘Station Island’, a poem he described as an ‘exorcism’.A dreamlike reworking of Dante’s Purgatorio, ‘Station Island’ describes Heaney’s encounters with the ghosts of childhood acquaintances, literary heroes and victims of the Troubles. Seamus and Mark explore Heaney’s unusually autobiographical poem, which wrestles with the inescapability of politics.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe: Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4dbjbjG In other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadings Further reading in the LRB:Paul Muldoon: Sweaney Peregrainehttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v06/n20/paul-muldoon/sweaney-peregraineSeamus Perry: We Did and We Didn’thttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n09/seamus-perry/we-did-and-we-didn-tJohn Kerrigan: Hand and Foothttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v21/n11/john-kerrigan/hand-and-foot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Among the Ancients II: Apuleius
Apuleius’ ‘Metamorphoses’, better known as ‘The Golden Ass’, is the only ancient Roman novel to have survived in its entirety. Following the story of Lucius, forced to suffer as a donkey until the goddess Isis intervenes, the novel includes frenetic wordplay, filthy humour and the earliest known version of the Psyche and Cupid myth. In this episode, Tom and Emily discuss Apuleius’ anarchic mix of the high and low brow, and his incisive depiction of the lives of impoverished and enslaved people.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsFurther reading in the LRB:Peter Parsons: Ancient Greek Romanceshttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v03/n15/peter-parsons/ancient-greek-romancesLeofranc Holford-Strevens: God’s Willhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v25/n10/leofranc-holford-strevens/god-s-will Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Medieval LOLs: 'Tales of Count Lucanor' by Juan Manuel
If you’re looking for advice on sustaining a marriage, or robbing a grave, or performing liver surgery, then a series of self-help stories by a 14th-century Spanish prince is a good place to start. Tales of Count Lucanor, written between 1328 and 1335 by Prince Juan Manuel of Villena, is one of the earliest works of Castilian prose. The tales follow the familiar shape of many medieval stories, presented as a kind of medicine to improve the lives of its readers by example. Yet in his preface Manuel makes an unusual assertion about the individuality of all people, a philosophy that, as Mary and Irina discuss in this episode, leads to bizarre and opaque moral messages intended more to make the reader think for themselves than reach a universal conclusion.Find a translation of the Tales here: https://elfinspell.com/CountLucanor1.htmlNon-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series including Mary and Irina's twelve-part series Medieval Beginnings, sign up:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://lrb.me/medlolapplesignupIn other podcast apps: https://lrb.me/medlolscsignupGet in touch: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Human Conditions: ‘Black Music’ by Amiri Baraka
In 'Black Music', a collection of essays, liner notes and interviews from 1959 to 1967, Amiri Baraka captures the ferment, energy and excitement of the avant-garde jazz scene. Published while he still went by LeRoi Jones, it provides a composite picture of Baraka’s evolving thought, aesthetic values and literary experimentation. In this episode, Brent and Adam discuss the ways in which Baraka tackled the challenge of writing about music and his intimate connections to the major players in jazz. Whether you’re familiar with the music or totally new to the New Thing, 'Black Music' is an essential guide to a period of political and artistic upheaval.Non-subscribers will only hear an extract from this episode. To listen to the full episode, and all our other Close Readings series, subscribe:Subscribe to Close Readings:Directly in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pJoFPqIn other podcast apps: lrb.me/closereadingsBrent Hayes Edwards is a scholar of African American and Francophone literature and of jazz studies at Columbia University.Get in touch: [email protected] reading in the LRB:Adam Shatz: The Freedom Principlehttps://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2014/may/the-freedom-principleAdam Shatz: On Ornette Colemanhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v37/n14/adam-shatz/diaryPhilip Clark: On Cecil Taylorhttps://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2018/april/cecil-taylor-1929-2018Ian Penman: Birditishttps://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v36/n02/ian-penman/birditis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Close Readings is a new multi-series podcast subscription from the London Review of Books. Two contributors explore areas of literature through a selection of key works, providing an introductory grounding like no other. Listen to some episodes for free here, and extracts from our ongoing subscriber-only series.How To SubscribeIn Apple Podcasts, click 'subscribe' at the top of this podcast feed to unlock the full episodes.Or for other podcast apps, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsRunning in 2024:On Satire with Clare Bucknell and Colin BurrowHuman Conditions with Adam Shatz, Judith Butler, Pankaj Mishra and Brent Hayes EdwardsAmong the Ancients II with Emily Wilson and Thomas JonesPolitical Poems with Seamus Perry and Mark FordMedieval LOLs with Irina Dumitrescu and Mary WellesleyFour new series starting in January 2025:CONVERSATIONS IN PHILOSOPHY with Jonathan Rée and James WoodFICTION AND THE FANTASTIC with Marina Warner, Anna Della Subin and other guestsLOVE AND DEATH with Seamus Perry and Mark FordNOVEL APPROACHES with Clare Bucknell, Thomas Jones and other guestsGet in touch: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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