Free Thinking

Medieval illuminated manuscripts are our key to European art for hundreds of years but also to political and social movements. Christopher de Hamel, keeper of possibly the oldest gospel in the Latin world, talks to Matthew about the stories these books can tell beyond their glowing illustrations.

Emma Donoghue's novel is called The Wonder.

Pulitzer prize winning American dramatist Suzan-Lori Parks talks to Philip Dodd about putting on stage the story of a slave fighting against those seeking to abolish slavery. Journalist Gary Younge discusses American violence, gun culture and the Black Lives Matter movement. Plus Abstract Expressionism at the Royal Academy - how does this art which was used by the CIA to promote American power look today ?

Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by Suzan-Lori Parks is at the Royal Court Theatre in London 15 Sep - 22 Oct

Abstract Expressionism is on show at the Royal Academy of Arts in London from September 24th to January 2nd.

Gary Younge's book is called Another Day In The Death of America

Frances Stonor Saunders is the author of Who Paid the Piper?: CIA and the Cultural Cold War

William Boyd is the author of many novels including one which presents a fictional biography Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928–1960

Shelina Janmohamed on the modern Muslims whom she calls "Generation M". New novels by Amos Oz, Jonathan Safran Foer and Ayelet Gundar-Goshen explore aspects of Jewish identity and the history of Israel. Jonathan Freedland discusses these with Ayelet Gundar-Goshen. Plus Alan Powers and Christianna Ardizzone, the daughter of the artist who created the "Little Tim" series of books, talk to Anne McElvoy about his war art, ceramic figures and murals for ocean liners and his illustrations for both adult and children’s' books.

The new novel from Amos Oz is called Judas. A film A Tale of Love and Darkness directed by and starring Natalie Portman from his memoir is also being released in cinemas in the USA.

Ayelet Gundar-Goshen's Waking Lions has just been published in paperback.

Jonathan Freedland is the author of Jacob’s Gift: A journey into the heart of belonging and of a series of thrillers published under his own name and the name Sam Bourne.

Shelina Janmohamed's book is called Generation M: Young Muslims Changing the World

Ardizzone: A Retrospective runs at the House of Illustration in London from 23 September 2016 – 15 January 2017. Alan Powers has co-curated the exhibition and is the author of an illustrated monograph Edward Ardizzone - Artist and Illustrator.

Producer: Eliane Glaser

Large-scale photographs showing the impact of humans on urban and natural environments are discussed by Canadian artist and 2005 TED prize winner Edward Burtynsky. Ella Hickson's new play Oil, directed by Carrie Cracknell, explores the politics of this natural resource from 1889 to present day. She's in conversation with Joe Douglas, director of a Dundee Rep production of John McGrath's drama The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black Black Oil which is on tour this autumn. Plus, presenter Philip Dodd is joined by analysts Peter Atherton and Jeremy Leggett to consider how we meet energy demands in the face of climate change and a rapidly rising global population.

Producer: Craig Templeton Smith

Essential Elements by Edward Burtynsky is published in hardback. His photographs Salt Pans | Essential Elements can be seen at the Flowers Gallery in Kingsland Road London from 16 September – 29 October 2016

Ella Hickson's play Oil, directed by Carrie Cracknell, runs at London's Almeida Theatre from October 7th to November 26th.

The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black Black Oil is the the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh from 14th - 24th September; at Aberdeen Performing Arts from October 4th- 6th, Eden Court October 11th - 15th, at Glasgow Citizens Theatre from 18th - 22nd.

From Dickens, through wartime defences to Doctor Who - as a new festival looks at the landscape of the Thames Estuary, Matthew Sweet is joined by the author Rachel Lichtenstein and photographer Chloe Dewe Mathews. Jatinder Verma explains why a novel by Abdul Halim Sharar written in 1899 about the cult of the Assassins is relevant to put on stage now. And as the writings of Arne Næss are republished in English what was the influence of this Norwegian ecologist?

Producer: Luke Mulhall

Rachel Lichtenstein's book is called Estuary: Out from London to the Sea. She is curator of the Shorelines Literature Festival which is part of Estuary 2016.

Paradise of the Assassins is the opening production at the newly refurbished Tara Arts Theatre in Earlsfield, South London where Jatinder Verma is Artistic Director. It runs from September 15th to October 8th.

The Ecology of Wisdom by Arne Næss is out now.

Judges Ian McMillan - poet and presenter of The Verb, Jackie Kay - Scottish Makar and Judith Palmer - director of The Poetry Society are joined on stage by the winning poets whose writing has been prompted by music from this year's Proms. The reader is Stella Gonet.

Winner over 18 Category: Anna Kisby Runners-up: Graham Burchell and John Scrivens

Producer: Fiona McLean

Playwright, poet, spy. Anne McElvoy discusses Aphra Behn with Professor Elaine Hobby and director Loveday Ingram who has given Behn's play The Rover a South American carnival setting at the RSC. Plus Iain Sinclair and Professor David Bates on the events of 1066 which changed the course of English history. And an interview with Mark Thompson, former Director General of the BBC and current Chief Executive Officer of The New York Times Company.

The Rover runs in rep at The Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon from September 8th until February 11th 2017.

Producer: Torquil MacLeod

On the 300th anniversary of the birth of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, garden writer Anna Pavord talks about his work and his legacy. Author of many books , her most recent is called Landskipping. She is interviewed by Ian McMillan, presenter of Radio 3’s The Verb and judge of the Proms Poetry competition.

On this day 350 years ago the capital was in ruins after the Great Fire of London. Historian Adrian Tinniswood describes the massive clearing-up operation, and talks to New Generation Thinker Thomas Charlton of Dr Williams’s Library.

Producer: Katy Hickman

Tonight’s Prom features a setting by Zemlinsky of ‘The Gardener’ by the great Bengali poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Novelist Tahmima Anam and New Generation Thinker Preti Taneja, from the University of Cambridge, discuss the poem and Tagore’s place in both Bengali and world culture. The discussion is chaired by Rana Mitter who is a regular presenter of Radio 3’s Arts and Ideas programme Free Thinking and of Sunday Features.

Producer: Jacqueline Smith