This week, Nicola Shulman is staggered by Sarah Vine's account of Westminster rivalry; and James Clackson on the irresistible rise of Indo-European.

'How not to be a political wife: A memoir', by Sarah Vine

'Proto: How one language went global', by Laura Spinney

'The Indo-Europeans rediscovered: How a scientific revolution is rewriting their story', by JP Mallory

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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... thinking about tomorrow. This week, Michael Caines on a musical inspired by a classic album; and Toby Lichtig talks to Mike Berners-Lee about the future of cliimate action at the Guernsey Literary Festival.

'Sterophonic', by David Adjmi, Duke of York’s Theatre, until October 11

'A Climate of Truth: Why We Need It and How to Get It', by Mike Berners-Lee

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, what TLS contributors are reading this summer; and Catherine Taylor on a trio of novels highlighting the growing pains of adolescence.

'Back in the Day', by Oliver Lovrenski, translated by Nichola Smalley

'Fun and Games', by John Patrick McHugh

'Girl, 1983', by Linn Ullmann, translated by Martin Aitken

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Sara Lodge counts the ways that mathematics influenced writers from Byron to Trollope; and Russell Williams on the transformative power of rites and rituals.

'The Number Sense of Nineteenth-Century British Literature', by Stefanie Markovits

'The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic', by Alan Moore and Steve Moore

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, a special podcast from the Hay Festival ranges from the ancient world to the 16th-century, taking in the art of criticism, the centrality of religion and eco-catastrophe. With Stephanie Merritt, Edith Hall, Toby Lichtig and a guest appearance from TLS crossword compiler Praxiteles.

'Traitor's Legacy', by SJ Parris

'Epic of the Earth: Reading Homer's "Iliad" in the Fight for a Dying World', by Edith Hall

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Magna Carta experts David Carpenter and Nicholas Vincent tell us how they discovered a rare original of the document; and Michael Caines on a spritely new staging of a Shaw play starring mother and daughter Imelda Staunton and Bessie Carter.

'Mrs Warren's Profession', by George Bernard Shaw, Garrick Theatre, London, until August 16

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Eimear McBride is captivated by the life and work of Joyce's biographer; and Mark Nayler is hot on the trail of the wolf who walked alone.

'Ellmann's Joyce: the biography of a masterpiece and its maker', by Zachary Leader

'Lone wolf: walking the faultlines of Europe', by Adam Weymouth

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Vanessa Curtis celebrates a century of Mrs Dalloway; and Claire Lowdon on the capacious diaries of Helen Garner.

'Mrs Dalloway', by Virginia Woolf

'Monkey grip', 'The children's Bach', 'This house of grief', 'How to end a story: collected diaries', by Helen Garner

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Nicola Shulman salutes the memoirs of an old-school editor and socialite; and Rebecca Fraser on an unexpectedly peaceful transition of power in 17th-century America.

'When the going was good: an editor’s adventures during the last golden age of magazines', by Graydon Carter

'Taking Manhattan: the extraordinary events that created New York and shaped America', by Russell Shorto

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Toby Lichtig travels to Oslo to interview Nobel laureate Jon Fosse; meanwhile, Natasha Lehrer heads to Zurich for a compelling new play by Deborah Levy.

Jon Fosse is published in English by Fitzcarraldo Editions

'50 Minutes', by Deborah Levy, Neumarkt Theatre, Zurich, until May 7

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.