The Essay Podcast
Leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond, themed across a week - insight, opinion and intellectual surprise.
Episodes to download
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The Beaver—Highland Tails
Thu 2 Nov 2023
An Essay and reflection in poetry on the reintroduction of wild animals into the Highlands
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The Wallabies—Highland Tails
Wed 1 Nov 2023
An Essay and reflection in poetry on the reintroduction of wild animals into the Highlands
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The Sea Eagle—Highland Tails
Tue 31 Oct 2023
An Essay and reflection in poetry on the reintroduction of wild animals into the Highlands
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The Reindeer—Highland Tails
Mon 30 Oct 2023
An Essay and reflection in poetry on the reintroduction of wild animals into the Highlands
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The Flat-Pack Cello—Five Cellos: Lost and Found
Fri 20 Oct 2023
Kate Kennedy reflects on a reimagined cello whose story is yet to begin.
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The Shipwrecked Cello—Five Cellos: Lost and Found
Thu 19 Oct 2023
The unlikely story of the reconstruction of the 'Mara' Stradivarius.
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The Auschwitz Cello—Five Cellos: Lost and Found
Wed 18 Oct 2023
How the cellist of Auschwitz, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch's life was saved by her cello.
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The Bee Cello—Five Cellos: Lost and Found
Tue 17 Oct 2023
The story of an abandoned cello that a physicist has filled with 400,000 bees.
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The Soul of Music—Five Cellos: Lost and Found
Mon 16 Oct 2023
Kate Kennedy reflects on her quest to find Pal Hermann's cello, and his soul.
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Frida Kahlo's Broken Column—The Little Secrets of Great Works
Fri 29 Sep 2023
Art historian Katy Hessel on the symbolism of the spine in Frida Kahlo's Broken Column.
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Field of Dreams—The Little Secrets of Great Works
Thu 28 Sep 2023
Writer Sarfraz Manzoor discusses one moment in the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams.
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The Tiger Who Came to Tea—The Little Secrets of Great Works
Wed 27 Sep 2023
Sam Leith on his fascination with a background figure in Judith Kerr's classic book.
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Joan Williams—Controversies: American Writing of the 1960s
Fri 30 Jun 2023
Novelist Joan Williams, after a promising start, just disappeared. Why?
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Philip Roth—Controversies: American Writing of the 1960s
Thu 29 Jun 2023
How Philip Roth's writing alienated him from the Jewish community in America.
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Norman Mailer—Controversies: American Writing of the 1960s
Wed 28 Jun 2023
Michael Goldfarb looks at how Norman Mailer's misogyny eventually caught up with him.
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Amiri Baraka—Controversies: American Writing of the 1960s
Tue 27 Jun 2023
How poet and playwright Amiri Baraka cancelled himself in a single public appearance.
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William Styron—Controversies: American Writing of the 1960s
Mon 26 Jun 2023
Should a white man write about a black revolutionary?
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Roy McFarlane on Bilston—Black Country Secrets
Fri 16 Jun 2023
Writers choose a Black Country scene to reveal something of this strangely hidden region.
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R.M. Francis on Wren’s Nest, Dudley—Black Country Secrets
Thu 15 Jun 2023
Writers choose a Black Country scene to reveal something of this strangely hidden region.
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Brendan Hawthorne on Toll End Road, Tipton—Black Country Secrets
Wed 14 Jun 2023
Writers choose a Black Country scene to reveal something of this strangely hidden region.
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Emma Purshouse on St Bart’s Church, Wednesbury.—Black Country Secrets
Tue 13 Jun 2023
Writers choose a Black Country scene to reveal something of this strangely hidden region.
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Liz Berry on Gorge Road, Sedgley—Black Country Secrets
Mon 12 Jun 2023
Writers choose a Black Country scene to reveal something of this strangely hidden region.
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Geoff Dyer on DH Lawrence—Journeys to the Grave
Fri 9 Jun 2023
Five more writers go in search of the final resting places of their literary heroes.
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Brandon Taylor on Langston Hughes—Journeys to the Grave
Thu 8 Jun 2023
Series 2. Five writers go in search of the final resting places of their literary heroes.
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Helen Mort on Sylvia Plath—Journeys to the Grave
Wed 7 Jun 2023
Five more writers go in search of the final resting places of their literary heroes.
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Tracy Chevalier on Thomas Hardy—Journeys to the Grave
Tue 6 Jun 2023
Series 2. Five writers go in search of the final resting places of their literary heroes.
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Naomi Alderman on Mary Wollstonecraft—Journeys to the Grave
Mon 5 Jun 2023
Five more writers go in search of the final resting places of their literary heroes.
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Emilia Lanyer—We Other Tudors
Fri 5 May 2023
10/10 Jerry Brotton looks at those from around the world who made their homes in Tudor England.
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Mohammed al-Annuri—We Other Tudors
Thu 4 May 2023
9/10 Jerry Brotton looks at those from around the world who made their homes in Tudor England.
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Roderigo Lopez—We Other Tudors
Wed 3 May 2023
8/10 Jerry Brotton looks at those from around the world who made their homes in Tudor England
Death in Trieste
A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.
Watch: My Deaf World
Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.
The Book that Changed Me
Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.
Download The Essay
Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.
