Over the last year, I have become a great fan of podcasts – I love the portable radio idea, the serendipitous selections provided by NPR , but my favourite podcast has got to be
in which British broadcasterelvyn Bragg invites three academics to talk about a single topic from the history of ideas. In a time of chatter, ephemeral wisdom and entertaining news (which I all enjoy), a 45-minute programme simply about ideas with contributors who are experts in the field is a bit of an oddity. If you’re a bit of a bluestocking yourself, however, it is sheer heaven. Out of 10 programmes, I am guaranteed to find 8 interesting.
Programmes I have loved:
Prime numbers (yes! as long as I don’t have to add them)
The Charge of the Light Brigade (the most iconic military disaster in British history)
The Riddle of the Sands (how the British thought of the Germans in the 19th century, highly fascinating)
There’s more. Browsing the archives, I keep wishing for more time to listen to all these fascinating discussions of scholars who are usually surprisingly entertaining. Had I but world enough and time…
This week, Bragg & friends are talking about the Metaphysical Poets, so while I was cycling through the park this morning, I let myself be reminded of why John Donne really is the greatest poet in the English language. And I applaud Bragge for posting the sexy-sultry portrait of Donne on his page.
