About this episode
The episode explores how societies create enduring myths through discussions with historians and philosophers at the Hay Festival.
In front of an audience at the Hay Festival, Tom Sutcliffe hosts Radio 4's discussion programme which starts the week, bringing together three thinkers who each, in different ways, examine the stories societies tell about themselves, and how those stories become enduring myths. Historian Antony Beevor investigates the life of Rasputin, a figure who has long hovered between fact and legend. His new work asks how a barely literate peasant from Siberia, the so-called ‘mad monk’, managed to bewitch the Romanovs, and how the wild stories that swirled around him, inexorably led to the Tsar’s downfall. Philosopher Susan Neiman turns to the moral narratives that underpin contemporary political life. Her work asks whether universal values can still guide societies when myths of division are so compelling. Classicist, broadcaster and performer Natalie Haynes brings the ancient world into sharp modern focus. Her retellings of Greek myths restore voice and agency to characters, particularly women, who have been sidelined or simplified by centuries of interpretation. Her latest novel, No Friend to This House, puts the abandoned Medea centre stage. Producer: Katy Hickman
People in this episode
Host: Tom Sutcliffe
Guests: Antony Beevor, Susan Neiman, Natalie Haynes
Topics covered
- mythmaking
- historical narratives
- political philosophy
- Greek mythology
- contemporary society
Keywords
- mythmaking
- Rasputin
- Medea
- political narratives
- Greek myths
- Hay Festival
- Antony Beevor
- Susan Neiman
- Natalie Haynes
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: No Friend to This House
Places: Romanovs, Siberia, Tsar, Hay Festival
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