I first encountered Constantine Cavafy in Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet, where ‘the old poet’ represented the ghostly voice of the city.

I was immediately attracted to the dreamlike quality of his poems, and the way he captured a sense of melancholy that I’ve always felt.

Cavafy wrote about human desire, inglorious epochs of Greek history, and civilizations in decline, using plain factual descriptions undressed by metaphor.

But how did a writer who showed little promise in his youth find a place in the literary canon and become ‘the poet of Alexandria’?

I’m joined by Gregory Jusdanis, co-author of Constantine Cavafy: A New Biography.

We spoke about Cavafy’s childhood of faded aristocratic grandeur, the Mediterranean Greek world he grew up in, and his lifelong poetic preoccupations.

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Peter Matthiessen is a towering figure of twentieth-century American letters, and the only writer to win the National Book Award in both fiction and nonfiction.

He’s also a difficult man to pin down because he accomplished so much in so many different areas.

He co-founded The Paris Review and spied for the CIA. He was best known for 'nature' books like The Snow Leopard, but thought of himself as a novelist. He was also a spiritual seeker who reached the highest ranks of Zen Buddhism. How do you come to grips with a life as varied as this?

I'm joined by biographer Lance Richardson, the author of True Nature: The Pilgrimage of Peter Matthiessen.

We spoke about Matthiessen’s privileged background, his life-changing journey to Nepal, his serial womanizing, and his greatest books.

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This drive to discover is deeply human, and as today’s guest will tell you, it might even be encoded in our genes.

Alex Hutchinson is the author of The Explorer's Gene. He draws on the latest insights from neuroscience and behavioural psychology to show how the urge to explore shaped our species, and how it continues to direct our actions, even when we’re sitting on the sofa.

We spoke about the explore-exploit dilemma, memorizing a route versus mapping a landscape, and how to find the sweet spot between predictability and chaos in your own exploring life.

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Film noir is is my favourite silver screen genre. I’ve seen every A-list film noir multiple times, and most of the B-movies, too. I’ve wanted to do a podcast conversation about it since I started Personal Landscapes.

These downbeat stories of ordinary lives gone hopelessly astray crackle with hard-boiled dialogue. They're set in modern urban wastelands, usually at night, in claustrophobic rooms where the actors are framed in tight shots that create a mood of entrapment.

The classic period only lasted from 1941 until the mid-1950s, but their visual style continues to influence movies today.

Who better to guide us through it than Foster Hirsch, film historian and author the definitive study, Film Noir: The Dark Side of the Screen. 

We spoke about film noir’s roots in hard-boiled fiction, how German Expressionism shaped its aesthetic, and what was happening in 1950s Hollywood as noir — and the studio system — came to an end.

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When his doctor told him to walk or die, Peter Carpenter transformed a health crisis into a feat of urban archaeology.

In wandering the streets where David Bowie honed his craft, Carpenter uncovered hidden dimensions and new connections to pivotal Bowie narratives, shining a light on the legendary artist’s conscious and subconscious influences.

Peter Carpenter is the author of Bowieland: Walking in the Footsteps of David Bowie, and of several volumes of poetry, including Just Like That and After the Goldrush.

We spoke about Bowie’s Berlin years, how the suburbs shaped his sound, and the Growth Arts Lab in Beckenham.

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The Atlantic slave trade began in the 15th century and was abolished in the United States in 1865, but slavery was practiced in the Muslim world for much longer. It dates back to the 7th century, and endured openly until late in the 20th century.

Why do we know so little about this? And what forms did it take?

Today’s guest set out to answer these questions — and more — in a compelling new book that traces the extraordinary variety of slavery in the Islamic world and brings life to voices of enslaved people, from 8th century concubines to 20th century pearl divers.

Justin Marozzi is the author of Captives and Companions: A History of Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Islamic World.

We spoke about courtesans and slave soldiers, the trans-Saharan slave trade, and how the Quran addressed slavery.

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Europe By Rail is a beautifully-published guidebook that covers 50 key rail routes across Europe, blending practical advice with narrative storytelling, and a focus on slow travel by local trains.

This wonderful resource has been inspiring travel dreams for over 30 years. The 18th edition was published in October 2024. It’s one of my favourite guidebooks, and I’m happy to be able to share it with you today.

Co-author Nicky Gardner joined me to talk about spontaneity versus pre-planning, the pros and cons of rail passes, and the return of night trains.

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In his mid-twenties, city-bound and restless, Louis D. Hall decided to make an uncharted journey on horseback.

He found his horse, Sasha, in Italy’s Apennine Mountains and headed west for ‘the end of the land’.

In Green is a classic adventure story and a wonderful travel writing debut. I think you’ll enjoy it.

We spoke about crossing the Ligurian Alps, the mysteries of the horse, and the kindness of strangers.

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If you grew up in the 80s like I did, you know Andrew McCarthy from Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire.

But Andrew is more than an actor and director. He’s also an award-winning travel writer.

His writing is introspective, vulnerable and self-deprecating. He weaves memoir with vivid descriptions of people and place, and grapples with questions like how to balance a solitary nature with the desire for intimacy.

I reached out to ask him about walking across Spain, a journey he made twice: first alone, and then with his teenaged son.

I thought he might give me some insights and inspiration as I prepare for a long farewell-to-Europe hike.

We spoke about Andrew's Brat pack years, walking the Camino with his son, and how a hike can change your life.

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Germany’s post-war recovery was an economic miracle.

The country was on the rise in a good way. And then it all started going wrong.

The signs of trouble were visible long before the covid pandemic pushed us over the brink.

Journalists Will Wilkes and Chris Reiter have spent decades reporting on Germany’s problems, and they lay it all out in their new book Broken Republik.

We spoke about Germany’s worrying lack of national identity, its reliance on structure to manage interpersonal relations, and why it has Europe’s worst social mobility.

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