The Essay

Ben Anderson


Listen Later

Ben Anderson, correspondent with Vice News, on how "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" led him to become a journalist. He discovered the book, ghost-written by Alex Haley, as "a skinny white kid living in Bedford". Yet the story of the American firebrand for the cause of black power became his touchstone. He was inspired by the way Malcolm X devoured every possible book while in prison. "Suddenly a fire was lit inside me. I had a path to follow," Anderson says. And Malcolm X's urge to see the world for himself was another source of inspiration. "This basic approach of just getting there and witnessing has become my job," he says. Malcolm X's " constant search, his relentless curiosity, his willingness to face unpleasant facts and reinvent himself, set an example that I?ve tried to follow ever since."

Producer: Smita Patel.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The EssayBy BBC Radio 3

  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2

4.2

82 ratings


More shows like The Essay

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,913 Listeners

Ask Penguin by Penguin Books UK

Ask Penguin

143 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,067 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,576 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,808 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

303 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,729 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,018 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,952 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

488 Listeners

Backlisted by Backlisted

Backlisted

585 Listeners

The Conversation by BBC World Service

The Conversation

70 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

410 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

306 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

756 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

841 Listeners

Front Row by BBC Radio 4

Front Row

129 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

62 Listeners

Bookclub by BBC Radio 4

Bookclub

241 Listeners

Word of Mouth by BBC Radio 4

Word of Mouth

55 Listeners

Private Passions by BBC Radio 3

Private Passions

52 Listeners

The TLS Podcast by The TLS

The TLS Podcast

181 Listeners

13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II by BBC World Service

13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II

4,186 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,245 Listeners