Start the Week

Faith in the modern world


Listen Later

The prize-winning writer Marilynne Robinson and the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams discuss belief, community and self-knowledge with Andrew Marr.

The life and family of a Presbyterian minister in small-town Iowa is the focus in Marilynne Robinson’s quartet of Gilead novels. The latest, Jack, tells the story of the minister’s prodigal son and his romance with the daughter of a black preacher. Robinson’s work interrogates the complexities and paradoxes of American life, while exploring the power of our emotions and the wonders of a sacred world.

Rowan Williams was Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012. Since stepping down he has written widely on poetry and literature, from Auden to Dostoevsky. Earlier this year he wrote about the importance and influence of the rules of monastic life. In The Way of St Benedict, Williams explores the appeal and relevance of Benedict’s sixth-century Rule to present-day Christians and non-believers.

Producer: Katy Hickman

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

Start the WeekBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

154 ratings


More shows like Start the Week

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,807 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

299 Listeners

The Archers by BBC Radio 4

The Archers

1,111 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

377 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

891 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,074 Listeners

The Reith Lectures by BBC Radio 4

The Reith Lectures

194 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,469 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,817 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

304 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,825 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,047 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,062 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

482 Listeners

Profile by BBC Radio 4

Profile

109 Listeners

Moral Maze by BBC Radio 4

Moral Maze

63 Listeners

Front Row by BBC Radio 4

Front Row

125 Listeners

Daily Politics from the New Statesman by The New Statesman

Daily Politics from the New Statesman

140 Listeners

Private Passions by BBC Radio 3

Private Passions

44 Listeners

The Briefing Room by BBC Radio 4

The Briefing Room

71 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,219 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,044 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

117 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,081 Listeners