Arts & Ideas Folgen

Matthew Sweet talks to the Artistic Director of the South Bank Centre, Jude Kelly and the cultural historian, Peter Conrad about The Rest is Noise, a year-long festival at the Southbank Centre which maps the history of the 20th century through its music. We hear an appraisal, by Diane Roberts, of the Cuban-American and openly gay poet Richard Blanco chosen to read at Barack Obama's inauguration next week. One of this year's New Generation Thinkers Adriana Sinclair discusses rape with the historian Joanna Bourke. And Ian Christie discusses the life and legacy of the Japanese filmmaker Nagisa Oshima who has died.

In this edition of weekly highlights, David Benedict reviews the New Year Blockbuster Les Misérables. Philip Dodd is joined by Professors Michael King and Linda Woodhead, and theologian Mark Vernon, to explore whether we can make any sense of the idea of ‘spirituality’ without religion. And Anne McElvoy and guests discuss the life and work of the Russian director Konstantin Stanislavski, born 150 years ago this month.

Django Unchained, the newest Quentin Tarantino film causing controversy, is reviewed by Philip Dodd with cultural commentator Kit Davis and film critic Tim Robey. Author Lucy Hughes-Hallett joins Philip to discuss the life of Italian writer Gabriele D'Annunzio, the subject of her new book The Pike. We explore the complex code of English manners with Henry Hitchings, whose new book tells their history, and Chinese writer Xiaolu Guo. And Philip interviews Sharon Olds, winner of this year’s T S Eliot prize for Poetry.