Alex Von Tunzelmann in conversation with Dr Balázs Apor

Blood and Sand is essential to our understanding of the modern Middle East, and the problems of oil, religious fundamentalism and international unity that still face the world today. It is a tale of conspiracy and revolutions, spies and terrorists, kidnappings and assassination plots, the fall of the British Empire and the rise of American hegemony. The fascinating cast of characters includes Nasser, Anthony Eden, Eisenhower, Khrushchev and Ben-Gurion.

Alex von Tunzelmann is the author of Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End; Red Heat and most recently Blood and Sand. She also writes Reel History, a weekly column about historical movies for The Guardian Film Online.

Dr Balázs Apor is Assistant Professor in the Centre for European Studies at Trinity College Dublin.

Recorded at Printworks, Dublin Castle on 25 September 2016.