Summary
Diana Athill joins Matthew Parris to explore the life of the Spanish painter, Francisco de Goya, who has been called the last old masters and the first of the moderns.
The literary editor and memoirist praises Goya for bearing witness truthfully to the horrors of war, for the tenderness of his observations as a painter, his unorthodox style and his desire to keep learning, even in old age.
We know more about Goya thanks to his letters, which have been edited by Dr Sarah Symmons, who also contributes to this programme. They reveal a passionate and playful man, who was fascinated by people and every incarnation of human life and behaviour - including royalty, prostitutes and the elderly. He also wrote openly about professional humiliation and shared intimate details about his private life.
Diana Athill helped establish the publishing company Andre Deutsch, worked with some of the 20th century's greatest writers in her long career, and her six volumes of memoirs include Somewhere Towards the End, an examination of what it means to be old.
Reader Javier Marzan.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Once you've wrapped up this podcast, how about trying a very British cult? |
| 0:06.0 | What happens if the person you trust with your future isn't what you think they are? |
| 0:10.0 | I did feel the whole time he was watching me Yeti. I saw a footprint and that really gave me gusmas. |
| 0:16.4 | Or people who knew me. Emme, I remember every secret, every lie. I'm the only one who knows the truth. |
| 0:23.0 | Discover more of our biggest podcast from 2003. |
| 0:27.0 | Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:29.0 | Thank you for downloading this great lives podcast from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:34.0 | For more information and details of other podcasts just visit BBC. |
| 0:38.0 | co-dot UK slash radio 4. |
| 0:41.0 | Fronfisco Jose de Goya I Luciennes, the 18th century Spanish artist Goya, has inspired from critics |
| 0:49.6 | some of the boldest quotes in art, a mighty celebrant of pleasure whose depictions of |
| 0:55.0 | hell are always genuinely frightening. He's still unrivaled according to many |
| 0:59.3 | critics as an artist with an unflinching eye, making morally urgent art out of human disaster. |
| 1:06.2 | He's been called a revolutionary artist, subversive, imaginative, original, the last old master, |
| 1:12.4 | and the first of the moderns, and his work continues to draw crowds |
| 1:16.7 | in exhibitions all over the world. |
| 1:19.6 | Goya has been chosen by my guest today, the celebrated memoirist and literary editor, |
| 1:25.0 | Diana Attill, OBE. |
| 1:27.0 | Diana, you've spent your career busy with words, not pictures. |
| 1:31.0 | Why nominators your great life, a man who had nothing to do with |
| 1:34.9 | words but only images? I think the first thing of all was being absolutely flawed when I first saw the horrors of war. |
| 1:47.0 | I thought no one surely has ever been more absolutely care-sighted and honest about the shared whiskiness of war. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.