175 Episodes

  1. Nature in Crisis: ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson

    Published: 12/01/2026

  2. Who's afraid of realism?: 'Madame Bovary' by Gustave Flaubert (part one)

    Published: 06/01/2026

  3. The Man Behind the Curtain: ‘Don Quixote’ by Miguel de Cervantes

    Published: 31/12/2025

  4. Novel Approaches: ‘New Grub Street’ by George Gissing

    Published: 29/12/2025

  5. Novel Approaches: 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens

    Published: 24/12/2025

  6. Love and Death: Samuel Johnson, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Mick Imlah

    Published: 22/12/2025

  7. Fiction and the Fantastic: A Taxonomy

    Published: 18/12/2025

  8. Conversations in Philosophy: 'To the Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf

    Published: 08/12/2025

  9. Novel Approaches: ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ by Thomas Hardy

    Published: 01/12/2025

  10. Next Year on Close Readings: Realism, Nature, Narrative Poems and a history of London

    Published: 29/11/2025

  11. Love and Death: Thom Gunn and Paul Muldoon

    Published: 24/11/2025

  12. Fiction and the Fantastic: Two Novels by Ursula K. Le Guin

    Published: 17/11/2025

  13. Conversations in Philosophy: 'The Sovereignty of Good' by Iris Murdoch

    Published: 10/11/2025

  14. Novel Approaches: ‘Kidnapped’ by Robert Louis Stevenson

    Published: 03/11/2025

  15. Love and Death: Elegies for Poets by Auden, Arnold and Schuyler

    Published: 27/10/2025

  16. Fiction and the Fantastic: J.G. Ballard and Angela Carter

    Published: 19/10/2025

  17. Conversations in Philosophy: 'The Fall' by Albert Camus

    Published: 13/10/2025

  18. Novel Approaches: ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ by Henry James

    Published: 05/10/2025

  19. Love and Death: 'Surge' by Jay Bernard and 'In Nearby Bushes' by Kei Miller

    Published: 29/09/2025

  20. Fiction and the Fantastic: ‘The Hearing Trumpet’ by Leonora Carrington

    Published: 21/09/2025

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Close Readings is a new multi-series podcast subscription from the London Review of Books. Two contributors explore areas of literature through a selection of key works, providing an introductory grounding like no other. Listen to some episodes for free here, and extracts from our ongoing subscriber-only series. How To Subscribe In Apple Podcasts, click 'subscribe' at the top of this podcast feed to unlock the full episodes. Or for other podcast apps, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadings STARTING IN 2026 'Who's Afraid of Realism?' with James Wood and guests 'Nature in Crisis' with Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith 'Narrative Poems' with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford 'London Revisited' with Rosemary Hill and guests Bonus Series: 'The Man Behind the Curtain' with Tom McCarthy and Thomas Jones RUNNING IN 2025: 'Conversations in Philosophy' with Jonathan Rée and James Wood 'Fiction and the Fantastic' with Marina Warner, Anna Della Subin, Adam Thirlwell and Chloe Aridjis 'Love and Death' with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford 'Novel Approaches' with Clare Bucknell, Thomas Jones and other guests ALSO INCLUDED IN THE CLOSE READINGS SUBSCRIPTION: 'Among the Ancients' with Emily Wilson and Thomas Jones 'Medieval Beginnings' with Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley 'The Long and Short' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry 'Modern-ish Poets: Series 1' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry 'Among the Ancients II' with Emily Wilson and Thomas Jones 'On Satire' with Colin Burrow and Clare Bucknell 'Human Conditions' with Adam Shatz, Judith Butler, Pankaj Mishra and Brent Hayes Edwards 'Political Poems' with Mark Ford and Seamus Perry 'Medieval LOLs' with Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley Get in touch: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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