Hello, I'm James Wood, and this year on the LRB's Close Reading's podcast, I'm asking,

Who's Afraid of Realism? I'll be taking a range of great novels and short stories,

from Flobe's Madame Bovary and Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground, up to more recent works

by Amit Chowdhury and Gwendolyn Riley. And I'll be examining what makes and makes

for the real. How does realism produce its effects? What's the difference between artifice

and artificiality? And who is and has been afraid of realism and why? The series starts with

two episodes on Madame Bovary, which you can listen to right now.

And in the third episode, I'll be talking to Adam Thurlwell about Dostoevsky.

You can find a link in the description or search close readings wherever you get your podcasts.

Hello, you are listening to On Politics, New Strand of the LRB podcast.

I am James Butler, a contributing editor at the London Review of Books.

And where else could we start a political show, but with the current government?

A year and two months ago, Kyr Starrma walked into number 10 with a majority of 174.

He looked unassailable. The commentariat was near unanimous in their expectation that he would govern for two, perhaps even three

terms. But so far, the government has proven a damp squib, alienating its natural supporters and

disclaiming its few real achievements.

A phase two relaunch just two weeks ago immediately ran aground after successive press

scandals involving Angela Rainer's tax affairs and Peter Mandelson's enduring friendship

with deceased American sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. Things look bad. Approval ratings are cratering,

and many of the same commentators who dreamed of a decade or more of Labour government

now wonder if Stama himself will even complete a full term in office.

Joining me to discuss Labour in Power are Chris Mullen, author, veteran journalist and former MP,

...