Charms: Madeline Miller; Zoe Gilbert; Kirsty Logan
Arts & Ideas
BBC
4.2 • 599 Ratings
🗓️ 9 May 2018
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Each generation creates its own myths and in Free Thinking, Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough talks to three writers whose novels and stories spring bright and fresh from a compost of classical legend and British folk stories. Madeline Miller, the American writer who re-created Achilles for the 21st century, now turns her attention to Circe, nymph, lowest-of-the-low goddess or witch, who possesses a unique sympathy for humanity. Zoe Gilbert's obsession with folk stories where strange things happen and no-one asks why has led her to create a new island replete with a population of selkies and hares, water bulls and human happiness and tragedy. Kirsty Logan's novel of The Gloaming, takes us to an island somewhere-sometime-never off the West Coast of Scotland where turning to stone and the mermaid life are all part and parcel of daily existence. Together they discuss the enduring nature of certain kinds of stories, why they still matter and so often enjoy a surge in popularity at times of social stress and confusion. Madeline Miller: Circe is out now Zoe Gilbert: Folk is out now Kirsty Logan: The Gloaming is out now Producer: Jacqueline Smith
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome back to the home of the oxymoron. Evil genius. He asked the newspaper to print his obituary early so he'd enjoy it. That's like hiding at your own funeral. Yeah, a big, great gig. I'm Russell Kane. Join me to weigh in on whether the biggest players in history are more evil or genius. Becoming that rich, I'd say that is some level of genius. It also helps that it's a long time ago, right? |
| 0:23.3 | It's like the podcast version of telling your kids the ice cream van plays music when it's out of ice cream. |
| 0:28.8 | Listen to evil genius on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:32.0 | Hello, I'm Eleanor Rosamond Barracloff. |
| 0:34.5 | Welcome to BBC Radio 3's Arts and Discussion Program, which brings together leading artists, writers and thinkers in conversations and debate. |
| 0:43.8 | If you enjoy what you hear, do subscribe. Search for the Arts and Ideas podcast, wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:50.0 | And while you're there, please rate and review us. It'll help other people find us. |
| 0:54.8 | This is the BBC. |
| 1:01.5 | Sing, goddess of the rage of Achilles, black and murderous, |
| 1:06.3 | that cost the Greeks incalculable pain, |
| 1:09.6 | pitched countless souls of heroes into Hades' dark, |
| 1:13.2 | and left their bodies to rot as feasts for dogs and birds, as Zeus will was done. |
| 1:23.7 | Tell me, O muse, of the man of many devices, |
| 1:28.5 | who wandered full many ways after he had sacked the sacred citadel of Troy, |
| 1:33.5 | and of Circe, the dread goddess who speaks like a mortal, |
| 1:38.3 | when she was born, the name for what she was did not exist. |
| 1:42.9 | They called her, |
| 1:46.0 | Nymph. |
| 1:51.3 | Long, long ago and far away, |
| 1:53.1 | there was a village on an island where, in early twilight, |
| 1:55.5 | the opening between last sun and first star, |
| 1:58.9 | boys with bare feet |
... |
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