Stephen Frears talks to Andrew O’Hagan about making movies in America, to mark the publication of a new collection of LRB essays on Hollywood. He describes being protected by Scorsese, learning from Billy Wilder, and why films often had budgets of $39 million.

Buy the collection here: lrb.me/hollywood

Find more on the episode page: https://lrb.me/frearspod

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John Lanchester talks to Thomas Jones about ‘visible’ cheating in sport, that is, the kind which is against the rules but within the ethos of the game, from diving in football to bodyline bowling in cricket.

Read John's piece in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/lanchestersportpod

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Pooja Bhatia talks to Thomas Jones about the assassination of President Moïse in Haiti, the recent history of US involvement in the country, and the difference between elections and democracy.

Find Pooja Bhatia's writing on Haiti in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/seizeduppod

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James Meek talks to Thomas Jones about the connected fates of two wind tower factories, one in Scotland, the other in Vietnam, and asks why the determination to achieve a green future isn’t matched by a determination to ensure fair wages and good conditions for the workers who will make it possible.

Meek also describes the challenges of reporting on the story remotely during the pandemic. You can find his piece and watch some of the video shot by his researcher, Chi Mai, of the CS Wind factory in Phu My, here: https://lrb.me/windfarmspod

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Toril Moi talks to Joanna Biggs about the French philosopher Simone Weil, whose short and uncompromising life became a workshop for her revolutionary ideas about labour, human suffering and the power of paying attention.

Read Toril Moi on Simone Weil in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/weilpod

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Deborah Friedell talks to Thomas Jones about the Rosenbergs, from their early years on the Lower East Side of New York to their executions for conspiracy to commit espionage in 1953, and the significance of their trial in American public life, not least as a platform for Donald Trump’s future lawyer, Roy Cohn.

Read Deborah's piece on the Rosenbergs and more here: https://lrb.me/rosenbergspod

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Niamh Gallagher talks to Thomas Jones about the history of the Irish border, from its origins in the 1920s to today, the way it has shaped Irish politics in both the south and north, and why the Troubles can’t be repeated.

Find Niamh Gallagher's piece in the LRB and more here: https://lrb.me/irishborderpod

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Tariq Ali talks to Thomas Jones about a newly reissued biography of the Prophet by Maxime Rodinson, and the historic prevalence of Arabic culture in the West, from Don Quixote to Trafalgar Square.

Find Tariq Ali's review and other related pieces in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/muhammadcervantespod

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The legendary cartoonist talks to Thomas Jones about his latest book, Street Cop, a collaboration with Robert Coover, and looks back on previous work including Maus and In the Shadow of No Towers, which was originally published in the LRB.

Find related pieces in the LRB here: https://lrb.me/spiegelmanpod

Buy Street Cop here: https://isolarii.com/

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Alan Bennett reads selections from his diary from March 2020 to March 2021.

Read more Alan Bennett in the LRB here: lrb.me/alanbennettpod

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