Shows / The TLS Podcast
The TLS Podcast
A weekly podcast on books and culture from the TLS.
Editors and writers join Lucy Dallas and Alex Clark to talk through the week’s issue.
To read more, welcome to the TLS.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
The TLS PodcastMurder Most Foul
This week, Frances Wilson plunges into two biographies of the self-mythologising mystery man Edgar Allan Poe; and Will Eaves joins us to read his poem 'The…
The TLS PodcastThe Wind/Yikes Dichotomy
This week, Tristram Fane Saunders praises the form-busting brilliance of new Nobel Laureate Anne Carson; and Lily Herd on shooting stars, shipwrecks and hubris…
The TLS PodcastCabbages and kings
This week, David E Cooper on a mammoth history of the garden; and Larry Wolff takes in Macbeth at the Met. 'The Garden: Our 4,000-year quest for paradise', by…
The TLS PodcastCostume Dramas
This week, Sophie Oliver on Rebecca West's struggle with her love of clothing; and Robert Poole introduces us to a dashing 19th-century radical. 'A Fable for…
The TLS PodcastOutsiders
This week, Patrick McGuinness delves into the moving and illuminating notebooks kept by Albert Camus; and Elizabeth Lowry on the untold lives of novelist Anita…
The TLS PodcastThe Cat's Whiskers
This week, Toby Lichtig on the six Booker hopefuls; and Kathryn Hughes joins us in an exploration of feline mysteries. 'Cats: A History', by Rod Phillips…
The TLS PodcastManderley Revisited
This week, Rohan Maitzen on Rose Tremain's reimagining of Rebecca, and a new way of seeing the terrifying Mrs Danvers; and Jamie McKendrick reads his poem…
The TLS PodcastWho's in Charge
This week, Anchit Sathi asks what an "author" is in the age of AI; and Keggie Carew on the world of symbiotic slime and friendly fungi. 'Togetherness…
The TLS PodcastNoses to the grindstone!
This week, Mary Beard gives us the inside track on what it's like to be a Booker Prize judge; and Russell Williams guides us through the highlights of a new…
The TLS PodcastLines of beauty
This week, we look back at the poets who've shared their work with us this year. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more…
The TLS PodcastChill out!
This week, we look back at some of the year's highlights, and illuminating conversations about rest, relaxation and reading with Emily Herring and Christy…
The TLS PodcastSummer Games
This week, we look back at some of the year's highlights, and illuminating conversations with Joanna Kavenna and Nick Enfield. Produced by Charlotte Pardy…
The TLS PodcastA wine-dark Western?
This week, A. E. Stallings takes stock of Christopher Nolan's Odyssey, a “thrilling combination of seemingly opposite tendencies”; and Sam Riviere reads us a…
The TLS PodcastJuly Highlights
Before we turn the page on July, here's a look back at some of the conversations from this month's episodes on The TLS Podcast. In this month's TLS Highlights…
The TLS PodcastMoving Pictures
This week, we meditate on childhood memories with TLS Ackerley Prize-winner Geoff Dyer; and Ben Street on the tricky business of artists at the cinema…
The TLS PodcastEarthing Emily
This week, Claire Harman explores the self-possession and vigour of the youngest of the Brontë clan; and Lily Herd on musical brothers at war in a new play…
The TLS PodcastThe Art of Chaos
This week, Carrie Cracknell joins us to talk about the delights and challenges of directing Tom Stoppard's Arcadia; and Hirsh Sawhney on the empathetic…
The TLS PodcastEconomies of Scale
This week, Scarlett Baron puzzles over an attempt to cut Joyce down to size; and Ian Sansom on the sobering realities of balancing the books if you want to be…
The TLS PodcastBeach bonanza!
This week, Toby Lichtig joins us to mull over what TLS writers are reading this summer; and Hannah Lowe reads a new poem with a botanical theme. 'Jamaican…
The TLS PodcastToby Lichtig in conversation with Nigel Planer
This week, we continue to enjoy festival season as we listen to Toby Lichtig's conversation with Nigel Planer live from the Hay Festival. Produced by Charlotte…
The TLS PodcastLive From the Hay Festival: Toby talks to Colm Tóibín
This week, we join Toby live from the Hay Festival where he talks to Colm Tóibín where they discuss exile and return, secrets and evasion, the avoidance of…
The TLS PodcastLive From the European Writers' Festival with Toby Lichtig
This week, we join Toby live from the European Writer's Festival where he spoke to novelists Beatriz Serrano and Sulaiman Addonia. Produced by Charlotte Pardy…
The TLS PodcastLive From the Hay Festival
This week, join us live from Hay Festival. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The TLS PodcastMay 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…
The TLS PodcastAntidotes 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…
The TLS PodcastFabrications
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…
The TLS PodcastExclusive: Ed Vulliamy in Full
Here is our exclusive conversation with Ed Vulliamy in full as he gives us a look at the letters between his Great-Aunt Gladys and Ezra Pound. Produced by…
The TLS PodcastSigned, Sealed, Delivered
This week, Ed Vulliamy gives us an exclusive look at the letters between his Great-Aunt Gladys and Ezra Pound; and David Horspool dips a toe into the luscious…
The TLS PodcastLooking at the Stars
This week, Toby Lichtig on a constellation of new fiction; and Merlin Holland on the afterlife of his grandfather, Oscar Wilde. 'The Palm House', by Gwendoline…
The TLS PodcastApril Highlights
April is behind us - here's a look back at some of the conversations we've had this month on The TLS Podcast. We hear from Fiona Stafford on encounters with…
The TLS PodcastStrike!
This week, Russell Williams on the French writers laying down their pens; and John-Paul Stonard hails a bravura production of Bertolt Brecht. The Resistible…
The TLS PodcastOn the Road
This week, Sara Wheeler reflects on monumental task of becoming Jan Morris's biographer; and Abigail Dembo reads us an intriguing new poem. 'Jan Morris: A…
The TLS PodcastGrief Work
Emma Smith on how Shakespeare scholarship grapples with gaps; and Muriel Zagha admires François Ozon's noir adaptation of Camus's classic novel 'Book Culture…
The TLS PodcastMarch Highlights
It's been quite a month on The TLS Podcast, here's a listen back at some of the conversations we've had in March. We hear from Christy Edwall on the joys of…
The TLS PodcastCool Your Jets!
This week, Emily Herring explains why we all need to take it a bit easier; and Ana Alicia Garza on the novelist whose ancestor inspired a Victorian classic…
The TLS PodcastThat Old Chestnut
This week, John Banville considers the work of a formidable Irish writer; and Fiona Stafford on meetings with remarkable trees. 'An Arrow in Flight', by Mary…
The TLS PodcastFood fights
This week, Julian Evans on two books exploring the link between food and war in Ukraine; and Lily Herd introduces this issue's In Brief reviews. 'Strong Roots…
The TLS PodcastIn Conversation with Michael Morpurgo
Here is the interview with Michael Morpurgo in full. Produced by Charlotte Pardu Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The TLS PodcastFrom trains to treaties
This week, an interview with the inspirational Michael Morpurgo; and David Horspool discusses the Second World War with Tim Bouverie, the winner of this year's…
The TLS PodcastRevolutionary Roads
This week, the extraordinary stories of two pioneering women: Francesca Wade on Rhoda Power, and Sarah Lonsdale on Clemence Dane. 'In the Storm: Caught in the…
The TLS PodcastFull Interview with Francis Spufford
Here is our full conversation with Francis Spufford, he joined us to talk about his new novel, Nonesuch. Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See…
The TLS PodcastEscape Artists
This week, Christy Edwall on the boon of being a bookworm; and Norma Clarke is impressed by a memoir of a childhood survived. 'Books: A manifesto, or, How to…
The TLS PodcastFebruary Highlights
As February draws to a close, we’re taking a listen back at some of the conversations we’ve had over the past month on The TLS Podcast. We listen back to Nick…
The TLS PodcastDarkness Visible
This week, novelist Francis Spufford explains why the Blitz proved fertile territory for fantasy and the occult; and Darra Goldstein on the hidden properties…
The TLS PodcastA Cortège of Snails
This week, Peter Filkins, winner of the inaugural Freudenheim Translation Prize, joins us with chair of the judges Boyd Tonkin to talk about the mercurial…
The TLS PodcastGreat Balls of Fire
This week, Mary Beard dons her VR set to experience a Roman cataclysm; and Mary Hitchman on the history of humanity's fascination with the moon. 'The Last Days…
The TLS PodcastThe Game's Afoot
This week, Nick Enfield explores the benefits of playing games - whether or not you keep score; and Mike Jakeman on how the football World Cup has got bigger…
The TLS PodcastJanuary Highlights: Conversations That Started 2026
As January draws to a close, we take a look back through some of the conversations we have had so far in 2026. First, publisher Alessandro Gallenzi joined us…
The TLS PodcastNow You See Me
This week, Maria Scott on recently discovered photographs of Jeanne Duval, muse and lover of Charles Baudelaire; and Pratinav Anil weighs up the case for and…
The TLS PodcastThis Be The Verse
This week, Tristram Fane Saunders surveys the poetic landscape; and Toby Lichtig on a rediscovered slice of life in 1930s Berlin. 'A History of England in 25…
The TLS PodcastMind Games
This week, Joanna Kavenna explains why she invented a game to write her new novel; how to survive life online; and a new poem. 'Seven', by Joanna Kavenna 'This…
The TLS PodcastExclusive: Doubting Thomas
This week, publisher Alessandro Gallenzi reveals how he turned literary detective and uncovered Dylan Thomas's youthful plagiarism; and Norma Clarke on the…
The TLS PodcastMerry Christmas!
This week, we introduce a very festive issue; and Toby Lichtig on the puppeteers pulling the strings of this season's big productions. 'The Pelican Child', by…
The TLS PodcastAltogether Elsewhere
This week, Lily Herd heads for outer space in the company of a prodigious imagination; and Andrew Motion joins us with a wonderful new poem. 'Collected…
The TLS PodcastBeyond the bonnet
This week, Devoney Looser on what we don't know about Jane Austen; and Peter Swaab introduces a previously unpublished story by the great Sylvia Townsend…
The TLS PodcastIn Transit
This week, Camille Ralphs confides the highs and lows of travelling by Greyhound bus; and Alev Adil boards a train to join current night owls and bygone…
The TLS PodcastFoundation course
This week, Damian Flanagan explores the complex history of the Japanese masterpiece The Tale of Genji; and Miranda France on the eventful life and enduring…
The TLS PodcastBooks of the Year
This week, TLS contributors select their favourites from 2025; plus an interview with CD Rose, winner of this year’s Goldsmiths Prize. ‘We Live Here Now’, by…
The TLS PodcastDevices and Desires
This week, how well does Alan Hollinghurst's novel The Line of Beauty translate to the stage? And Toby Lichtig interviews the newest winner of the Booker…
The TLS PodcastMotherload
This week, Terri Apter reviews a quartet of books exploring the impact of parenthood on identity, particularly for women; and we revisit Helen Garner, as she…