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, it's 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 at some level of genius. It also helps

that it's a long time ago, right? It's like the podcast version of telling your kids the ice cream

van plays music when it's out of ice cream. Listen to evil genius on BBC sounds.

This is a download from the BBC. For more information and our terms of use, go to BBC.co.uk slash radio three.

And tonight, the end of a journey across Europe that began in 1933. We'll open the covers of the final, long-awaited book from one of the last century's greatest travel writers, Patrick Lee Fermer.

Gas Boys. Gas boys, gas.

The clouds from chemical weapons have been floating across the headlines for weeks.

We'll ask why poison gas has become the byword for the ultimate battlefield horror.

But we begin with very good news for six particularly talented writers.

All right.

To the heart of the matter, I will announce the six novels shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize

2013 and I'll take them in alphabetical order of author.

First is no violet bouleweos, we need new names.

Second, Eleanor Katten, the Luminaries.

Third, Jim Crace's harvest.

Fourth is Jumpur-Lahiri's The Lowland.

Fifth is Ruth Zeki's A Tale for the Time Being.

And sixth is Colin Tobin's The Testament of Mary.

Robert McFarlane, the chairman of the Man Booker Prize judges announcing this year's shortlist.

And we'll be talking in a little while to Jumper Lahiri, whose book The Lowland is one of the

favourites for the prize. But I'm joined now by the critic Alex Clark, who's here to run her

critical pencil across that shortlist. And Alex, people now by the critic Alex Clark, who's here to run her critical pencil

...