http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/ en-us Jewish Book Week Jewish Book Week 2012 Jewish Book Week Relive the buzz of Jewish Book Week with these recordings of talks and performance from London's largest literature festival. We look forward to seeing you again at Jewish Book Week 2013, 23 February to 3 March at Kings Place. Relive the buzz of Jewish Book Week with these recordings of talks and performance from London's largest literature festival. We look forward to seeing you again at Jewish Book Week 2013, 23 February to 3 March at Kings Place. Jewish Book Week hester@jewishbookweek.com http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/wallis-simpson.php Jewish Book Week Wallis Simpson Twenty five years after her death, Wallis Simpson exerts a more powerful fascination than ever. That Woman is the first full scale biography written by a woman about the Duchess of Windsor, one of the most glamorous and vilified women of the last century and a key character in the recent blockbuster film, The King's Speech. In order to understand the real person behind the iconic image, historian Anne Sebba explores the mind and motivations of this enigmatic American divorcee who nearly became Queen of England. Her new material reveals the Jewish roots of her second husband Ernest Simpson and provides a fresh interpretation of what really happened during the abdication crisis. Anne Sebba also gives us a fascinating insight into the painstaking job of the biographer as investigator. Twenty five years after her death, Wallis Simpson exerts a more powerful fascination than ever. That Woman is the first full scale biography written by a woman about the Duchess of Windsor, one of the most glamorous and vilified women of the last century and a key character in the recent blockbuster film, The King's Speech. In order to understand the real person behind the iconic image, historian Anne Sebba explores the mind and motivations of this enigmatic American divorcee who nearly became Queen of England. Her new material reveals the Jewish roots of her second husband Ernest Simpson and provides a fresh interpretation of what really happened during the abdication crisis. Anne Sebba also gives us a fascinating insight into the painstaking job of the biographer as investigator. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/That-Woman-Anne-Sebba-Sunday-11am_01.mp3 Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:10:00 GMT 60:11 Anne Sebba, Jane Ridley http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/taha-muhammad-ali.php Jewish Book Week Adina Hoffman Adina Hoffman's Jewish Quarterly-Wingate-Prize-winning biography of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali is a moving account of the ways "ordinary" individuals are swept up by the floodtides of both war and peace. Hoffman's beautifully written book, My Happiness Bears No Relation to Happiness, tells the story of an exceptional man and the culture from which he emerged. It also reflects on the often alchemical means by which experience is transformed into art. Adina Hoffman's Jewish Quarterly-Wingate-Prize-winning biography of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali is a moving account of the ways "ordinary" individuals are swept up by the floodtides of both war and peace. Hoffman's beautifully written book, My Happiness Bears No Relation to Happiness, tells the story of an exceptional man and the culture from which he emerged. It also reflects on the often alchemical means by which experience is transformed into art. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/Taha-Muhammad-Ali-Adina-Hoffman_01.mp3 Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:59:00 GMT 58:37 Adina Hoffman, Palestine http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/masterclass.php Jewish Book Week Peter Cole Whether or not Robert Frost ever said it, just about everyone assumes that poetry is in fact what is lost in translation. MacArthur-winning poet and translator Peter Cole puts his head into the lion's mouth of assumptions like this one, as he conducts a master class on literary translation and looks at what is actually going on behind the translation of certain poems. Whether or not Robert Frost ever said it, just about everyone assumes that poetry is in fact what is lost in translation. MacArthur-winning poet and translator Peter Cole puts his head into the lion's mouth of assumptions like this one, as he conducts a master class on literary translation and looks at what is actually going on behind the translation of certain poems. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/Masterclass-Peter-Cole_01.mp3 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:39:00 GMT 66:32 Peter Cole, Poetry http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/eli-sarah.php Jewish Book Week Elli Sarah, David Goldberg, Hester Abrams Navigating the boundaries of sacred and profane David Goldberg and Elli Sarah are two rabbis who have stuck by their convictions, approaching Judaism with boldness, passion and unfailing intellectual rigour. Their books offer templates for 'trouble-making Judaism', drawing on a wide range of sources, each in their own way. Although the two have divergent opinions on many issues, both struggle to redefine the more radical aspects of Jewish heritage, rendering Judaism a rich and potent tool in shaping the future. Navigating the boundaries of sacred and profane David Goldberg and Elli Sarah are two rabbis who have stuck by their convictions, approaching Judaism with boldness, passion and unfailing intellectual rigour. Their books offer templates for 'trouble-making Judaism', drawing on a wide range of sources, each in their own way. Although the two have divergent opinions on many issues, both struggle to redefine the more radical aspects of Jewish heritage, rendering Judaism a rich and potent tool in shaping the future. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/Trouble-Making-Rabbis-7eqa_01-01.mp3 Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:10:00 GMT 60:17 Rabbis http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/portugal-at-war.php Jewish Book Week Lisbon and the Jewish Refugees in WW2 In Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light 1939-45, a gripping tale of high-stakes intrigue, betrayal, double-dealing, and survival, Neill Lochery tells the story of how Portugal, a relatively poor European country trying frantically to remain neutral amidst extraordinary pressures, survived WW2 not only physically intact but significantly wealthier. The country's emergence as a prosperous European Union nation would be financed in part, it turns out, by a cache of Nazi gold. In Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light 1939-45, a gripping tale of high-stakes intrigue, betrayal, double-dealing, and survival, Neill Lochery tells the story of how Portugal, a relatively poor European country trying frantically to remain neutral amidst extraordinary pressures, survived WW2 not only physically intact but significantly wealthier. The country's emergence as a prosperous European Union nation would be financed in part, it turns out, by a cache of Nazi gold. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/Portugal-at-War-NeilLochery_01.mp3 Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:26:00 GMT 55:26 World War Two http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/origin-of-violence.php Jewish Book Week Agnes Desarthe, Fabrice Humbert, Michael Arditti Both Agnes Desarthe and Fabrice Humbert have written novels about men embarking on a difficult investigation into their own past and the secrets that were kept from them, both taken back to the horrors of WW2. In Fabrice Humbert's novel, The Origin of Violence, the trigger is a photograph seen during a visit to Buchenwald concentration camp. In Agnes Desarthe's The Foundling, it is a fatal accident. The two novelists talk to Michael Arditti about their fascination with exploring the darkest hours of the twentieth century and their impact today. Both Agnes Desarthe and Fabrice Humbert have written novels about men embarking on a difficult investigation into their own past and the secrets that were kept from them, both taken back to the horrors of WW2. In Fabrice Humbert's novel, The Origin of Violence, the trigger is a photograph seen during a visit to Buchenwald concentration camp. In Agnes Desarthe's The Foundling, it is a fatal accident. The two novelists talk to Michael Arditti about their fascination with exploring the darkest hours of the twentieth century and their impact today. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/The-Origin-of-Violence_01.mp3 Sat, 17 Marc 2012 22:19:00 GMT 60:33 World War 2 http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/long-road-home.php Jewish Book Week Ben Shephard In The Long Road Home, Ben Shephard describes how for 8 million displaced persons the end of the Second World War didn't mean the end of their ordeal. Confronted by an entire continent starving and uprooted, Allied planners devised strategies to help all 'displaced persons', and repatriate the fifteen million people who had been deprived of their homes and in many cases forced to work for the Germans. But over a million Jews, Poles, Ukrainians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians and Yugoslavs understandably refused to go home. He tells the true and epic story of how millions ultimately found relief, reconciliation and a place to call home. In The Long Road Home, Ben Shephard describes how for 8 million displaced persons the end of the Second World War didn't mean the end of their ordeal. Confronted by an entire continent starving and uprooted, Allied planners devised strategies to help all 'displaced persons', and repatriate the fifteen million people who had been deprived of their homes and in many cases forced to work for the Germans. But over a million Jews, Poles, Ukrainians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians and Yugoslavs understandably refused to go home. He tells the true and epic story of how millions ultimately found relief, reconciliation and a place to call home. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/Mon-20th-STP-1pm-The-long-road-home-ben-shepard.mp3 Sun, 09 March 2012 15:08:23 GMT 58:49 Ben Shephard http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/what-the-grown-ups-were-doing.php Jewish Book Week Michele Hanson in conversation with Stephanie Calman Embark on an odyssey through 1950's suburbia –a Metroland of neat lawns, bridge parties and Martini socials through the eyes of an 'oddball tomboy. As well as the awkwardness of late childhood, Michele Hanson also has to contend with a mother who requires daily updates on bowel movements and remains loudly suspicious of the domestic and personal habits of all the neighbours. This is hilarious and intensely evocative storytelling which affectionately captures suburban Britain. But scratch the surface of the post-war austerity and you'll uncover a multitude of salacious goings-on. Embark on an odyssey through 1950's suburbia –a Metroland of neat lawns, bridge parties and Martini socials through the eyes of an 'oddball tomboy'. As well as the awkwardness of late childhood, Michele Hanson also has to contend with a mother who requires daily updates on bowel movements and remains loudly suspicious of the domestic and personal habits of all the neighbours. This is hilarious and intensely evocative storytelling which affectionately captures suburban Britain. But scratch the surface of the post-war austerity and you'll uncover a multitude of salacious goings-on. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/Tue-21st-13h-STP-What-the-Grown-ups-Were-Doing.mp3 Sat, 17 Marc 2012 20:48:00 GMT 54:21 Michele Hanson, Stephanie Calman http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/the-third-day.php Jewish Book Week Chochana Boukhobza In Chochana Boukhobza's moving novel, The Third Day, two cellists travel to Jerusalem for a concert. For Elisheva, this is above all an appointment with her past and the nightmares of the camps; for Rachel, her gifted pupil, the return home forces her to face the difficult choices she has made. Boukhobza talks about her gripping thriller set in the late 1980s, in a rich multicultural Israel fraught with tension. In Chochana Boukhobza's moving novel, The Third Day, two cellists travel to Jerusalem for a concert. For Elisheva, this is above all an appointment with her past and the nightmares of the camps; for Rachel, her gifted pupil, the return home forces her to face the difficult choices she has made. Boukhobza talks about her gripping thriller set in the late 1980s, in a rich multicultural Israel fraught with tension. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/Wed-22nd-13h-STP-The-Third-Day.mp3 Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:02:00 GMT 63:39 Chochana Boukhobza http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/friday.php Jewish Book Week Claudia Roden Claudia Roden talks about discoveries she made while researching her new book The Food of Spain. Until the mid 20th century 80 percent of the population in Spain lived and worked on the land which was owned, for the most part, by the Church and nobility, and the cooking reflects the old lives of the very poor peasantry, the clergy and the aristocracy. "In this country of extraordinary geographic diversity with a patchwork history, the gastronomy is also amazingly suffused by legacies from the past, especially the Muslim and Jewish past, which is a sensitive subject that arouses passions. Claudia Roden talks about discoveries she made while researching her new book The Food of Spain. Until the mid 20th century 80 percent of the population in Spain lived and worked on the land which was owned, for the most part, by the Church and nobility, and the cooking reflects the old lives of the very poor peasantry, the clergy and the aristocracy. "In this country of extraordinary geographic diversity with a patchwork history, the gastronomy is also amazingly suffused by legacies from the past, especially the Muslim and Jewish past, which is a sensitive subject that arouses passions. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/Fri-24th-13h-H2%20-The-Food-of-Spain.mp3 Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:04:00 GMT 59:47 Jewish Cookery http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/almighty-teenagers.php Jewish Book Week Bernard Kops, Meg Rosoff, Amanda Craig Make way for the almighty teenager. Long have we suspected that this awkward figure, lurking in the shadows is an underrated entity. Here are two novels which pull him into the limelight. In Meg Rossoff's There is No Dog the role of God has been designated to Bob, a typical teenage boy who approaches the task with all the expected sloth and reluctance, until he discovers one particular female human. In The Odyssey of Samuel Glass the north-London protagonist travels to late 19th century Russia to come of age, sexually and politically. Make way for the almighty teenager. Long have we suspected that this awkward figure, lurking in the shadows is an underrated entity. Here are two novels which pull him into the limelight. In Meg Rossoff's There is No Dog the role of God has been designated to Bob, a typical teenage boy who approaches the task with all the expected sloth and reluctance, until he discovers one particular female human.In The Odyssey of Samuel Glass the north-London protagonist travels to late 19th century Russia to come of age, sexually and politically. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/Sun-26th-STP-11am-Almighty-Teenagers.mp3 Sat, 17 Marc 2012 22:02:00 GMT 56:16 Bernard Kops, Meg Rosoff, Amanda Craig http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/get-real.php Jewish Book Week How to Tell it Like it is in a World of Illusions Oil companies advertise their green credentials. Billionaires orchestrate 'grassroots' political movements. Organic food is grown on vast industrial farms. Public spending cuts that target the poor are billed as progressive. To Eliane Glaser, these are all signs of the maddeningly surreal gap between appearance and reality in modern life. In her book Get Real: How to Tell it Like it Is in a World of Illusions, Eliane describes how PR and marketing have helped to create a looking-glass world in which reality is spun and vested interests appear in disguise. Only by spotting illusions and declaring agendas, she argues, can we improve our world for real. She is joined by Julia Hobsbawm, founder of the media networking business Editorial Intelligence, to debate whether PR is a modern scourge, a necessary evil or even a force for good. Oil companies advertise their green credentials. Billionaires orchestrate 'grassroots' political movements. Organic food is grown on vast industrial farms. Public spending cuts that target the poor are billed as progressive. To Eliane Glaser, these are all signs of the maddeningly surreal gap between appearance and reality in modern life. In her book Get Real: How to Tell it Like it Is in a World of Illusions, Eliane describes how PR and marketing have helped to create a looking-glass world in which reality is spun and vested interests appear in disguise. Only by spotting illusions and declaring agendas, she argues, can we improve our world for real. She is joined by Julia Hobsbawm, founder of the media networking business Editorial Intelligence, to debate whether PR is a modern scourge, a necessary evil or even a force for good. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/Sun-26th-15.30-H2-Get-Real.mp3 Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:11:00 GMT 61:32 Eliana Glaser Julia Hobsbawm http://www.jewishbookweek.com/2012/trieste.php Dasa Drndic, Amanda Hopkinson How to Tell it Like it is in a World of Illusions The Croatian novelist talks about her first novel to be translated into English, Trieste, the story of a mother who has waited over sixty years to be reunited with the son who was stolen from her by the Nazis. Mixing fiction and non fiction, this astonishing book shows new light on the occupation of northern Italy. The Croatian novelist talks about her first novel to be translated into English, Trieste, the story of a mother who has waited over sixty years to be reunited with the son who was stolen from her by the Nazis. Mixing fiction and non fiction, this astonishing book shows new light on the occupation of northern Italy. http://bookweek.alsonetworks.com/Sun-26th-15.30-STP-Trieste.mp3 Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:14:00 GMT 54:38 Nazis, World War 2