Reporting and analysis to help you understand the forces shaping the world - with Andrew Marr, Hannah Barnes, Kate Lamble and Tom Gatti, plus New Statesman writ...
Kazuo Ishiguro's most popular novel is as relevant today as when it was published 20 years ago.--When it was published in 2005, Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go was acclaimed by critics and shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Twenty years on – having been adapted for stage and screen and adopted as a set text for schools – it is Ishiguro’s most read work, and is considered a modern classic.Why does this profoundly settling book continue to absorb us? And what does it tell us about the role novels play in helping us grapple with the ethical dilemmas created by advances in science and technology?The critic David Sexton has been re-reading Never Let Me Go and joins Tom Gatti on the Culture from the New Statesman to discuss the impact of Ishiguro's most popular work.RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE: Winner of the 2025 Booker Prize, Samantha Harvey, on her novel Orbital - and how "political choices are sculpting the surface of the earth"https://www.newstatesman.com/podcasts/culture-podcast/2024/11/booker-prize-winner-samantha-harvey-political-choices-are-sculpting-the-surface-of-the-earthREADDavid's essay: Kazuo Ishiguro's everyday dystopiahttps://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/book-of-the-day/2025/03/kazuo-ishiguro-never-let-me-go-everyday-dystopiaGO AD-FREESubscribers can listen to all episodes ad-free in the New Statesman app: iOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/new-statesman-magazine/id610498525Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.progressivemediagroup.newstatesman&hl=en_GB&gl=US&pli=1SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERGet the best of our reporting direct to your inbox every weekend with The Saturday Read.Sign up at saturdayread.substack.comBECOME A SUBSCRIBERFull access from £8.99 per month: https://secure.newstatesman.com/offer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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29:22
Why can't the left be mobilised?
Are Labour on track for their target of 1.5million homes? What is NHS England? Why can't the Green's electrify the left in the same way that Reform has done for the right? What will the consequences be of cutting international aid?Hannah Barnes answers listener questions with the New Statesman's political editor, Andrew Marr, and associate political editor, Rachel Cunliffe.Read: Labour’s housing slumpSign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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15:55
Is Boris Johnson ... back?
The prospect of peace in Ukraine, Liz Kendall's welfare cut announcements, and while Kemi Badenoch flails as Conservative leader ... who's waiting around the corner for her job?Hannah Barnes is joined by Andrew Marr and Rachel Cunliffe to discuss this week in Westminster and beyond.Read: A Labour welfare revolt is still brewing, Diane Abbott rails against Keir Starmer, What went wrong for Kemi Badenoch?, Who could succeed Kemi Badenoch?Sign up to the New Statesman's daily politics newsletter: Morning Call Submit a question for a future episode: You Ask Us Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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28:26
Nato’s fragile future
Since Nato’s inception in 1949, the US has always formed a central part of the alliance and been the biggest contributor to its defensive strength.However, since his second term began, President Donald Trump has shifted the US’s allegiances towards Vladimir Putin’s Russia and away from Nato. Simultaneously, the US President has repeatedly criticised Europe’s defence spending and the continent’s reliance on the US.This radical shift from the Nato status quo has brought the alliance’s future into question.Katie Stallard is joined by David Reynolds and Max Bergmann. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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31:46
How The Beatles' love story shaped the 20th Century
A fateful meeting at a village fête "tilted" the 20th Century "on its axis"So argues Ian Leslie in his new book, John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs.In the book, Leslie argues that The Beatles didn't just dominate pop culture - they redefined how we see ourselves.He reframes the relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney as a kind of love story, which shaped the second half of the 20th Century and continues to influence us today.Leslie joins Kate Mossman on Culture from the New Statesman to discuss the book, The Beatles and their legacy.John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs is available from March 27 in book shops and online. Pre-order it here*The author Deborah Levy has reviewed the book for New Statesman. Her review is available to read online now, and will appear in the March 20 issue of the New Statesman magazine.Get full access to all the New Statesman's cultural reviews - as well as our leading politics and global affairs reporting - by becoming a subscriber from just £8.99 per month. Visit www.newstatesman.com/offer.Get the best of the New Statesman direct to your inbox every weekend for FREE by signing up to our newsletter, The Saturday Read. Visit saturdayread.substack.com.*Purchasing a book may earn the New Statesman a commission from Bookshop.org, who support independent bookshops. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Reporting and analysis to help you understand the forces shaping the world - with Andrew Marr, Hannah Barnes, Kate Lamble and Tom Gatti, plus New Statesman writers and expert contributors.WEEKLY SCHEDULEMonday: CultureTom Gatti & Kate Mossman explore what cultural moments reveal about society and the world.Wednesday: InsightOne story, zoomed out to help you understand the forces shaping the world. Thursday: PoliticsAndrew Marr and Hannah Barnes are joined by regulars Rachel Cunliffe and George Eaton, plus New Statesman writers and guests, to provide expert analysis of the latest in UK politics.Friday: You Ask UsOur weekly listener questions show, with Andrew Marr, Hannah Barnes and New Statesman writers.Submit your questions at https://www.newstatesman.com/youaskus--New Statesman subscribers can listen ad-free on the New Statesman app.Get your first two months' subscription for just £2 at https://www.newstatesman.com/save Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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