Arts & Ideas Folgen

What does a nineteenth century Swedish play have to say about post-apartheid South Africa? Samira Ahmed talks to director Yael Farber about her re-working of Strindberg's Miss Julie. Why are we compelled to explore our physical and physiological limits and how may that benefit us - doctor of medicine Kevin Fong, and philosopher Andy Martin discuss. Also poet John Agard talks about being awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. And Samira talks to the Mexican film maker, Carlos Reygadas who won the best director award at Cannes last year.

Matthew Sweet talks to Booker-nominated novelist Julia O’Faolain about her new memoir and growing up with her father, a celebrated writer and a radical dissident. Helen Wallace reviews George Benjamin’s and Martin Crimp’s new opera, ‘Written on Skin’. Professor Nora Crook explains how she discovered who really censored Shelley’s notorious poem, ‘The Revolt of Islam’. Marcus Chown reviews The Challenger, a new docu-drama about the investigation into the 1986 space shuttle disaster. And we debate whether the use of words like ‘unacceptable’ and ‘inappropriate’ are part of a tendency to avoid casting strong moral judgements.

Anne McElvoy meets Hilary Mantel, the winner of the David Cohen Prize for literature. Mantel also defends her comments about the Duchess of Cambridge. The writer and former priest Mark Vernon discusses his latest book on love with the philosopher and economist Jamie Whyte, and the novelist and academic Eva Hoffman. The artistic team that created War Horse re-unite for Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream which opens this week at the Bristol Old Vic. Anne McElvoy discusses the new production with co-director Tom Morris. Revolutionary Iran - a new book explores the unique history of the Islamic republic. Anne McElvoy speaks to Michael Axworthy, one of the world's principle experts on the country.