As February draws to a close, we’re taking a listen back at some of the conversations we’ve had over the past month on The TLS Podcast.

We listen back to Nick Enfield exploring the benefits of playing games, Mary Hitchman on the history of humanity's fascination with the moon, Peter Filkins, winner of the inaugural Freudenheim Translation Prize, joins us with chair of the judges Boyd Tonkin and Darra Goldstein on the hidden properties of kimchi and sourdough.

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, novelist Francis Spufford explains why the Blitz proved fertile territory for fantasy and the occult; and Darra Goldstein on the hidden properties of kimchi and sourdough. 

'Nonesuch', by Francis Spufford

'Adventures in Fermentation: From ancient origins to culinary frontiers, an exploration of the microbes that shape the world we live in', by Johnny Drain

'Ferment: The life-changing power of microbes', by Tim Spector

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Peter Filkins, winner of the inaugural Freudenheim Translation Prize, joins us with chair of the judges Boyd Tonkin to talk about the mercurial genius of Elias Canetti; and a poem in praise of Tuesdays by Jamie McKendrick.

'The Book Against Death', by Elias Canetti, translated by Peter Filkins

'Mardi Gras', by Jamie McKendrick

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Mary Beard dons her VR set to experience a Roman cataclysm; and Mary Hitchman on the history of humanity's fascination with the moon.

'The Last Days of Pompeii: The immersive exhibition', Immerse LDN, Excel, London, until March 15

'The Medieval Moon', by Ayoush Lazikani

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Nick Enfield explores the benefits of playing games - whether or not you keep score; and Mike Jakeman on how the football World Cup has got bigger and bigger.

'The Score: How to stop playing someone else's game', by C Thi Nguyen

'World Cup Fever: A footballing journey in nine tournaments', by Simon Kuper

'The Power and the Glory: A new history of the World Cup', by Jonathan Wilson

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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As January draws to a close, we take a look back through some of the conversations we have had so far in 2026. 

First, publisher Alessandro Gallenzi joined us to reveal how he turned literary detective and uncovered Dylan Thomas's youthful plagiarism, then Joanna Kavenna explains why she invented a game to write her new novel, Tristram Fane Saunders surveys the poetic landscape and Maria Scott talks us through her discovery of photographs of Jeanne Duval, muse and lover of Charles Baudelaire.

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Maria Scott on recently discovered photographs of Jeanne Duval, muse and lover of Charles Baudelaire; and Pratinav Anil weighs up the case for and against reparations.

'Reparations: Slavery and the tyranny of imaginary guilt', by Nigel Biggar

'The big payback: The case for reparations for slavery and how they would work', by Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Tristram Fane Saunders surveys the poetic landscape; and Toby Lichtig on a rediscovered slice of life in 1930s Berlin.

'A History of England in 25 Poems', by Catherine Clarke

'Rhyme and Reason: A short history of poetry and people (for people who don't usually read poetry)', by Mark Forsyth

'Endless Present: Selected articles, reviews and dispatches, 2010-23', by Rory Waterman

'The Privatisation of Poetry', by Andy Croft

'Beautiful Feelings of Sensitive People: Screen grabs of British poetry in the 21st century', by Andrew Duncan

'Berlin Shuffle', by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz, translated by Philip Boehm

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Joanna Kavenna explains why she invented a game to write her new novel; how to survive life online; and a new poem.

'Seven', by Joanna Kavenna

'This Is for Everyone', by Tim Berners-Lee with Stephen Witt

'Enshittification: Why everything suddenly got worse and what to do about it', by Cory Doctorow

'How to Save the Internet: The threat to global connection in the age of AI and political conflict', by Nick Clegg

'The Future', by Jesse Nathan

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, publisher Alessandro Gallenzi reveals how he turned literary detective and uncovered Dylan Thomas's youthful plagiarism; and Norma Clarke on the stunning work of two 18th-century women portrait artists.

'Mrs Kauffman and Madame Le Brun: The entwined lives of two great eighteenth-century women artists' by Franny Moyle 

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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