Free Thinking. Bernard MacLaverty. Immigration. Christian destruction of Classical World

Arts & Ideas

BBC

Society & Culture

4.2 • 599 Ratings

🗓️ 21 September 2017

⏱️ 45 minutes

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Summary

The Northern Irish author of Cal and Grace Notes, Bernard MacLaverty talks to Anne McElvoy about his novel Midwinter Break plus Clair Wills on her research into post war immigration to Britain and the differing expectations and experience of migrants and European refugees. The daughter of Irish immigrants - she now teaches at Princeton University in USA. Joining in the discussion Will Jones, who researches the politics of migration and is working on developing the idea of matching markets which would match refugee preferences with state priorities. Anne also hears from Catherine Nixey a young historian with a tale to tell of who did for the pagans. Nixey claims that the old story of Roman paganism dying of its own accord and Christianity moving into a void is one told by the victors. The Christians in fact annihilated belief systems across the Empire in a concerted attack on their philosophy, buildings and artworks.

Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty is out now in hardback. Clair Wills book is called Lovers and Strangers: An Immigrant History of Post-War Britain. William Jones, Centre of International Public Policy, Royal Holloway University of London The Darkening Age by Catherine Nixey out now in hardback.

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	Thank you for downloading this program from the free-thinking team at the BBC.
0:36.2	I'm Anne McHelvoy.
0:37.5	This is the BBC. Hello'm Anne McHelvoy. This is the BBC.
0:40.7	Hello, coming up, three award winners, two historians and a novelist.
0:45.7	Shortly, I'll be talking to Bernard McLevety about his life in writing,
0:49.8	hearing from Claire Wills, stories of the immigration influx that followed the Second World War
0:55.0	and why that still informs attitudes today.
0:58.4	And Catherine Nixie's first book explains why there are two billion Christians in the world
1:02.9	and not so many pagans in her revival of the notion of the Dark Ages.
1:08.2	But first, Bernard McClavity has produced a novel this year. You may have
1:12.3	enjoyed Midwinter Break on Radio 4's book at bedtime recently. Midwinter break takes a retired
1:18.4	couple on a weekend trip to Amsterdam. Both are quietly, deeply disappointed by their lives,
1:24.2	but while Gerry is slowly committing suicide via the bottle, his wife is turning in a different direction.
1:32.1	Jerry smiled and dipped his biscotti. He leaned forward to bite off the softened end.
1:39.2	That place you went this morning, down the passageway. What's gone on there?
1:46.5	What do you want to see this woman about?
1:49.7	Stella looked at him.
1:51.6	She sipped her coffee.
1:53.2	I'm tired.
	...

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