Free Thinking

Rana Mitter & Susannah Clapp review a new production of Simon Gray's Quartermaine's Terms starring Rowan Atkinson. Rana also talks to Neil Shubin about his new book, the Universe Within, which traces the history of the cosmos in the human body. In another new book co-author Juan Pablo Cardenal along with Professor O.A. Westad discuss China's Silent Army and whether their investments abroad have sinister and disturbing implications? And Rana talks to Nihad Sirees and Malu Halasa about writing in Syria.

As the Tate Britain opens a new exhibition of the work of Kurt Schwitters, art critic Charlotte Mullins joins Matthew Sweet to review and to reassess the oeuvre of the German painter and sculptor. Dr Rupa Huq discusses her new book On The Edge, in which she argues that the English suburb has transformed from a paradise to a pressure cooker. As gender has been a topic for national debate recently, Julie Bindel, Jane Fae and Lynne Segal debate the concept of gender as a social category. And Lara Feigel discusses her new book The Love Charm of Bombs, a wartime biography of five writers.

With the publication of a new, updated version of The Rotten Heart of Europe, a book which caused outrage and delight on its first release, Anne McElvoy discusses the current situation in Europe with the book’s author Bernard Connolly and economist Anatole Kaletsky. Journalist Michael Goldfarb reviews Zero Dark Thirty, the new film which traces the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. Anne heads a debate on the shifting definition of the artist, with Tom Morris, poet Don Paterson and critic Sarah Kent. And photographer Juergen Teller takes Anne on a walk around his new exhibition at the ICA.

This Night Waves special explores ‘kitchen sink realism’, the cultural movement which gave urgent, vivid expression to the reality of post-war Britain. Samira Ahmed is joined by celebrated film maker Ken Loach, film historian Melanie Williams and theatre critic Michael Billington to discuss the aims and achievements of the movement. Composer Neil brand performs live, illustrating a brief history of how music is used in ‘kitchen sink’ films. And art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston explains the how the term was originally coined to describe the work of painters such as John Bratby.

Matthew Sweet with a review, from Lynda Neade, of the UK's first ever retrospective devoted to the portraiture of Edouard Manet. Maria Konnikova says that Sherlock Holmes can offer us the key to a world where we use our brains to their full potential. Alan Rusbridger and Matthew Taylor explore the status of the amateur in society and ask whether there has been a genuine shift in how we value the role of the non-professional. And Matthew Sweet talks to Norman Stone about his latest book: A Short History of World War II.

This Night Waves special is devoted to Abraham Lincoln. As Steven Spielberg's new biopic of Lincoln is released in the UK, the pioneering president remains a towering figure in American life. And yet his legacy is not without controversy. Was he really such a saintly figure? And why should Barack Obama feel such a strong connection with Lincoln? Rana Mitter and guests discuss the man, the politics and the legacy.

Anne McElvoy settles decorously into Regency England to celebrate the bicentenary of Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen's enduringly popular novel, of a single man in possession of a good fortune, was an immediate success - but it hasn't always inspired slavish admiration: critics have objected to the apparently narrow focus on affairs of the hearth and heart, while the Napoleonic wars raged and the industrial revolution brewed. Anne is joined by leading Austen-ologists Professors John Mullan and Janet Todd, novelist and screenwriter Natasha Solomons and the actress Susannah Harker.

Philip Dodd is joined by the playwright David Hare whose play, The Judas Kiss, is about to open in the West End starring Rupert Everett as Oscar Wilde. We review The Sessions, a new film based on the true story of a man confined to an iron lung who is determined, at age 38, to lose his virginity. Historian Carl Watkins joins Philip to discuss everything from memento mori to haunted moorland, along with philosopher and New Generation Thinker Timothy Secret. And Mark Binelli guides us as we venture into the heart of Detroit, once the very engine of American capitalism, but now an urban wilderness.

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.