Arts & Ideas Folgen

Matthew Sweet examines our current and past attitudes to childhood and asks whether nurturing children is something that we should deregulate or attempt to reform. He’s joined by Jay Griffiths, author of Kith - in which she argues that children in Brazilian rain forests are happier than those in Western cities, Hugh Cunningham, historian and author of the Invention of Childhood, sociologist Frank Furedi, who coined the phrase paranoid parenting, Gabriel Gbadamosi, Irish-Nigerian poet, playwright and Carnegie medal winner Meg Rosoff who writes fiction for children and young adults.

With Anne McElvoy. It is of course 200 years this week since the birth of the composer who perhaps excites more strong opinions about his life and work than any other. Professor Paul Rose, Barry Emslie and Dr Barbara Eichner discuss Wagner and antisemitism. What about Prague as a capital of the 20th century? Defending this thought is Derek Sayer and discussing it with him is Andrew Lass and Dr Rajendra Chitnis. And Anne speaks to Michael Landy about his new exhibition at the National Gallery, Saints Alive.

Former physician and best-selling author, Khaled Hosseini talks to Rana Mitter about his latest novel - And the Mountains Echoed - his charity relief work in Afghanistan, and his thoughts on writing a sympathetic Taliban character. As the Man Booker International Prize is announced, Night Waves is first to speak to the winner and discuss the body of their work. What is the way forward for psychiatry? Rana is joined by Lucy Johnstone, Tom Burns and Matthew Smith to discuss. And a first night review by Susannah Clapp of the winner of this year's Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Digraced.