Share

cover art for The Iron Lady and the judo politician

The TLS Podcast

The Iron Lady and the judo politician

•

Norma Clarke considers the third and final volume of Charles Moore’s biography of Margaret Thatcher; having spent the past twenty years reporting on Russia, Owen Matthews tries to put his finger on why Vladimir Putin may prove to be one of the most successful political leaders of our era


Books

The Code of Putinism by Brian Taylor 

Putin’s World: Russia against the West and with the rest by Angela Stent 

The Putin System: An opposing view by Grigory Yavlinsky

Kremlin Winter: Russia and the second coming of Vladimir Putin by Robert Service

The Return of the Russian Leviathan by Sergei Medvedev, translated by Stephen Dalziel

We Need To Talk about Putin: How the West gets him wrong by Mark Galeotti

Dealing with the Russians by Andrew Monaghan

Putin v. the People: The perilous politics of a divided Russia by Samuel A. Greene and Graeme B. Robertson

Russia’s Crony Capitalism: The path from market economy to kleptocracy by Anders Åslund

More episodes

View all episodes

  • The Wind/Yikes Dichotomy

    43:53|
    This week, Tristram Fane Saunders praises the form-busting brilliance of new Nobel Laureate Anne Carson; and Lily Herd on shooting stars, shipwrecks and hubris through the ages.Produced by Charlotte Pardy
  • Cabbages and kings

    52:44|
    This week, David E Cooper on a mammoth history of the garden; and Larry Wolff takes in Macbeth at the Met.'The Garden: Our 4,000-year quest for paradise', by Jonathan Bate'Macbeth', by Giuseppe Verdi, Metropolitan Opera, New York, until October 20Produced by Charlotte Pardy
  • Costume Dramas

    47:49|
    This week, Sophie Oliver on Rebecca West's struggle with her love of clothing; and Robert Poole introduces us to a dashing 19th-century radical.'A Fable for Christians', by Rebecca West'Mad Tom's Rising: The revolutionary mystic Sir William Courtenay and the last battle fought on English soil', by Ian BreckonProduced by Charlotte Pardy
  • Outsiders

    01:03:16|
    This week, Patrick McGuinness delves into the moving and illuminating notebooks kept by Albert Camus; and Elizabeth Lowry on the untold lives of novelist Anita Brookner.'The Complete Notebooks', by Albert Camus, translated by Ryan Bloom'Anita Brookner: Art and life', by Hermione LeeProduced by Charlotte Pardy
  • The Cat's Whiskers

    53:49|
    This week, Toby Lichtig on the six Booker hopefuls; and Kathryn Hughes joins us in an exploration of feline mysteries.'Cats: A History', by Rod PhillipsProduced by Charlotte Pardy
  • Manderley Revisited

    35:15|
    This week, Rohan Maitzen on Rose Tremain's reimagining of Rebecca, and a new way of seeing the terrifying Mrs Danvers; and Jamie McKendrick reads his poem, 'The Importance of Time'.'The Housekeeper', by Rose Tremain'The Importance of Time', by Jamie McKendrickProduced by Charlotte Pardy
  • Who's in Charge

    47:32|
    This week, Anchit Sathi asks what an "author" is in the age of AI; and Keggie Carew on the world of symbiotic slime and friendly fungi.'Togetherness: Symbiosis and the hidden story of life's greatest collaboration', by Rowan HooperProduced by Charlotte Pardy
  • Noses to the grindstone!

    51:23|
    This week, Mary Beard gives us the inside track on what it's like to be a Booker Prize judge; and Russell Williams guides us through the highlights of a new season in French publishing.Produced by Charlotte Pardy
  • Lines of beauty

    28:48|
    This week, we look back at the poets who've shared their work with us this year.Produced by Charlotte Pardy