Shows
The History of Literature695 Ten Indian Classics (with Sharmila Sen) | My Last Book with Adam SmythFor the past ten years, the Murty Classical Library of India (published by Harvard University Press) has sought to do for classic Indian works what the famous Loeb Classical Library has done for Ancient Greek and Roman texts. In this episode, Jacke talks to editorial director Sharmila Sen about the joys and challenges of sifting through thousands of years of Indic works and bringing literary treasures to the general public, as well as a new book, Ten Indian Classics, which highlights ten of the fifty works published in the collection so far. PLUS bookmaker and book historian Adam Smyth...2025-04-141h 03
100% LegalCopyright Law, Moral Rights and Artificial Intelligence with Doctor Mira T Sundara Rajan | S4E02In this month's episode of the 100% Podcast, Justine is joined by Doctor Mira T Sundara Rajan who gives her perspective on how Copyright Law can be developed considering Artificial Intelligence, and what AI means for us as humanity in both the legal and cultural sense. Doctor Sundara Rajan is the Canada Research Chair in Intellectual Property Law, a tenured associate professor at the University of British Columbia Law School, and a Professor of IP Law at Glasgow University. Highly accomplished in both the academic and artistic sense, Doctor Sundara Rajan offers an interesting perspective on AI and Copyright.2024-10-181h 42
Woman of CultureColors of India: India's Textile Heritage - with S. Ahalya, founder of KanakavalliMeet Ahalya, founder of design emporium Kanakavalli, and one of India's most distinguished and successful women entrepreneurs! In this interview, Ahalya takes us on a fascinating journey through the ancient towns and villages of South India, each with their temples and traditions, and many with their own, distinctive approaches to design, color, and cloth. Foremost among the notable sites of Indian textile heritage is Kanchipuram, in Tamil Nadu, home of South India's legendary silk, which is above all worn by women in a splendid traditional garment: the Kanjivaram sari. Ahalya discusses the weaver's craft and the continuing challenges of decolonization...2024-10-141h 07
Woman of CultureSubramania Bharati's 103rd Anniversary: Mahakavi Bharati as Musician and Composer - with Ghatam Maestro Suresh VaidyanathanSeptember 11th, 2021, "Mahakavi Day," marked the death centenary of Indian national poet, C. Subramania Bharati (1882-1921). Bharati, the greatest Tamil writer of the 20th century, is a legendary figure. He was a multifaceted personality - leading to the interesting situation that, even today, the full extent of the poet's artistic and intellectual contributions is not known. Much remains to be discovered! This podcast episode deals with a lesser-known aspect of Bharati's creativity: the music that the poet composed for his own poems to be sung. While the words of Bharati's songs are well-known to the...2024-09-121h 00
Woman of CultureAfter Alice Munro: What Happens When Good Writers are Bad People? - Episode 2 with Canadian writer Guy VanderhaegheAlice Munro, a Canadian writer who is considered a modern master of the short story form, was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 2013. She was 82 years old at the time, a formidable presence in Canadian letters, as described by Guy in this interview, and only one of a handful of women to have received this award. Her death in May of 2024 was a major event in world literature. In July, however, her daughter published an article in the Toronto Star revealing that she had been abused by Munro's husband - and that Munro was complicit in the abuse...2024-08-0357 min
Woman of Culture"Predestined for Failure:" The Writing Life - Episode 1 of 2 with Canadian writer Guy VanderhaegheGuy Vanderhaeghe has been a distinguished presence on the Canadian writing scene since he published his debut work in 1984, the short story collection Man Descending, which won Canada's prestigious Governor-General’s Award for Fiction. His latest book is the novel, August into Winter, published in 2021. But Guy is not only a writer: he is also a teacher who works regularly with aspiring writers. In part one of this colorful and richly detailed interview, Guy tells the inspiring story of his inexplicable passion for literature, the unusual background that he comes from in small-town Saskatchewan, how he sees the evolution of...2024-07-2056 min
Woman of CultureWas Shakespeare a woman – and does it matter? - with Elizabeth Winkler, journalist, book critic, and author of "Shakespeare Was A Woman and Other Heresies"The identity of the most famous poet in the history of the English language is surprisingly uncertain. Shakespeare's works have survived to the present day, in large part thanks to the efforts of his fellow dramatists to publish a collected edition of his plays. The First Folio, as it is known, has just celebrated its 400th anniversary. In the meantime, however, details of the Bard's life have gradually faded into the past – and, today, significant uncertainty surrounds his biography. Given this situation, why are scholars so reluctant to delve into the past, and why should they fear potentially unmasking Shake...2024-07-191h 18
Woman of CultureRobert Burns and Clarinda: A Poet's Passion before the Courts of Law - Part II, with Hector MacQueen, Scottish historian and law professorIn 1787, Robert Burns, Scotland's national bard, met Agnes Maclehose, the woman who may have been the great love of his life. The two adopted pen names in a series of letters to each other - Sylvander and Clarinda - and Burns finally said his poetic farewell to Clarinda in a poem that remains a popular song today, "Ae Fond Kiss." But the letters turned up in court in 1804. In part two of this interview with Scottish lawyer and historian Hector MacQueen, Hector explains the fascinating new legal doctrine which ultimately allowed the pursuers to succeed in restraining p...2024-07-1844 min
Woman of CultureRobert Burns and Clarinda: A Poet's Passion before the Courts of Law - Part I, with Hector MacQueen, Scottish historian and law professorRobert Burns, Scotland's national bard, was perhaps as famous for his love affairs as for his extraordinary poetry. In 1787, he met the woman who may have been the great love of his life. Her name was Agnes Maclehose - and she was already married, though separated, ensuring that this liaison would be scandalous in all respects. The lovers adopted pen names to write to each other - Sylvander and Clarinda - and Burns finally said his poetic farewell to Clarinda in a poem that remains a popular song today, "Ae Fond Kiss." But the letters turned up in court...2024-07-1852 min
Woman of CultureThe Ecstatic Sound World of Alexander Scriabin - with Simon Nicholls, pianist and translator of Skryabin's NotebooksAlexander Scriabin (1872-1915), an innovative and cosmopolitan pianist-composer from turn-of-the-century Russia, is a fascinating and mysterious figure. A close friend of Rachmaninoff, the two musicians studied together at the Moscow Conservatory, but Scriabin quickly discovered his own, distinctive path. The composer drew his broad and eclectic literary, aesthetic, and philosophical ideas from many sources, but a deep interest in Indian philosophy was foremost among them. This is undoubtedly part of the reason why he is so misunderstood, and sometimes even denigrated today: he was inspired by ideas that are unfortunately inaccessible and even unknown to many in the West.2024-05-251h 09
Woman of CultureStolen Culture: A Rwandan Perspective on Colonialism, Culture, and the Repatriation of Cultural Heritage - with Juvenal Nsengimana, Legal Advisor at the Institute of National Museums of RwandaThe removal of cultural treasures from formerly colonized countries has become a major issue in the media, yet voices and perspectives from the countries most affected continue to be rarely heard. This episode considers cultural heritage from the perspective of a country that has suffered profound cultural losses throughout the 20th century: Rwanda. Juvenal Nsengimana, a Rwandan lawyer and expert on cultural heritage, brings insight, honesty, and hope to the question of how his country, faced with the dual onslaughts of colonialsim and genocide, has made a priority of reconstructing its cultural past, hoping to lay the lasting foundation f...2024-02-271h 13
Woman of CultureThe Trauma of Stolen Culture: Repatriation (or Rematriation) of Indigenous Artefacts to their Ancestral Peoples - with Métis Lawyer Myrna McCallumNearly a century after its removal, a totem pole that was stolen from the Nisga'a Nation of Canada's Pacific coast and sold to Scotland's National Museum was welcomed back to northern British Columbia in a moving homecoming ceremony last Fall. Far more than a cultural "object", the pole is described by the Nisga'a as "a chapter of the Peoples' cultural sovereignty" and "a living constitutional and visual record." Noxs Ts'aawit (Dr. Amy Parent), a member of the nation and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Education and Governance at Simon Fraser University, comments that the pole has "a living spirit in...2024-02-2757 min
Woman of CultureIs Artificial Intelligence Creative? Glenn Gould, pianist and technological visionary, and "Dear Glenn," the AI inspired by him - with Dr. Akira Maezawa of YamahaPianist Glenn Gould is one of the most celebrated classical musicians of all time. A pioneering interpreter of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, he was also a brilliantly rebellious thinker, exploring philosophy and media, and contending that technology would ultimately make concerts obsolete by offering a more satisfying listening experience to audiences through recordings. He was prepared to put his revolutionary theories into practice, abandoning his own concert career at the age of 32 to focus on recording, and proving to the world that he truly was a musical artist like no other. Now, more than 40 years after his...2024-01-1539 min
Woman of CultureGrowing up with Picasso: An Interview with Gro Nesjar, art historian and daughter of Carl Nesjar, Picasso's greatest collaboratorThis episode features an interview with Gro Nesjar, art historian and daughter of Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar, who pioneered "betograve," an innovative method of sculpting with concrete, and became Pablo Picasso's closest collaborator. Picasso and the much-younger Nesjar created more than 30 works together, in different locations around the world, over a period of 17 years. In this episode, Gro talks about her experiences growing up with her father and Picasso, the relationship between these two unique artists, and her struggle to preserve the integrity of the murals created by her father and Picasso in Oslo after 2011's terrorist attack in t...2023-12-301h 12
The Neuroscience of ImprovisationThe Poetry of Improvisation, with author Mira T. Sundara RajanThis is the second part of our conversation with author, pianist, and law professor Mira T. Sundara Rajan. In this segment, she describes her experience of poetry and how it relates to her experience of playing composed music. Mira also reads poetry by Percy Blythe Shelley and provides a translation of poetry by her great-grandfather Mahakavi C. Subramania Bharati. She tells a fascinating story about Bharati improvising poetry. The musical interlude towards the beginning features music composed and performed by Bradley Vines on baritone and alto saxophones. It also includes quotes from Anil Seth and Swami Sarvapriyananda...2023-07-1328 min
The Neuroscience of ImprovisationImprovisation in Western Classical Music, with pianist Mira Sundara RajanThis episode features the first part of a two-part interview with Professor Mira T. Sundara Rajan. In this segment, she shares her perspective on the role of improvisation in Western classical music. Mira is a concert pianist, amongst other things. Improvisation plays an important role in her practice and performance of music in interesting ways. As it so happens, the approach she describes is similar to that of the great pianist Vladimir Sofronitsky, which I discuss in an Epilogue to our conversation. For more information about Mira and her activities, see her website: https://professormira.c...2023-07-0127 minThe History of Literature460 Rabindranath TagoreIn this episode, Jacke takes a look at the life and works of the legendary Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). Central to what became known as the Bengali Renaissance, Tagore's poetry, short stories, songs, essays, paintings, and plays earned Tagore widespread praise from Indians and non-Indians alike. Among many other awards and accolades, in 1913 Tagore became the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.Additional listening suggestions:
381 C. Subramania Bharati (with Mira T Sundara Rajan)
323 Salman Rushdie
35 Ronica Dhar
Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/sho...2022-11-1753 minThe History of Literature447 Lady Chatterley's Lover (with Saikat Majumdar)D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) started a firestorm with his 1928 novel Lady Chatterley's Lover, which was quickly banned around the world. But the novel eventually found its way into print, after winning numerous obscenity trials in the 1950s and 60s, and today it's widely available (if not always widely read). In this episode, Jacke talks to Indian novelist Saikat Majumdar (The Middle Finger, Silverfish) about Saikat's childhood, his journey to becoming a writer, and his admiration for Lawrence's classic novel.
Additional listening suggestions:
87 Man in Love: the Passions of D.H. Lawrence
381 C. Subramania Bharati (with Mira...2022-10-031h 00
Bharati 100 PodcastThe Magic of Translation (Part I): The International Booker Prize for a Hindi NovelThe International Booker Prize is a prestigious award given to the author of a novel originally written in a language other than English and translated into English. It is a companion to the Booker prize for English-language novels. In 2022, the prize was awarded, for the first time, to a novel originally in an Indian language. The language was Hindi, and the novel was Tomb of Sand, written by Gitanjali Shree and translated by Daisy Rockwell. This episode examines the status of literature in India's national languages over the past century, since Bharati's time,and considers the role that translation m...2022-07-3120 min
Bharati 100 PodcastThe Siddha and the SupermanBharati was deeply troubled by the apparent disintegration of moral values that characterized his times, affecting both colonized and colonial societies. He found himself perpetually searching for alternative ideals - sources of integrity and optimism - within the Indian philosophical traditions that he studied so deeply, with their rich and long histories. The breadth and depth of his reading and research are reflected in the essay "The Siddha & the Superman," first published in 1915, which is discussed in this episode. Bharati had not only read Nietzsche, but he had also reflected deeply upon the social implications of the German writer's...2022-07-2224 minBharati 100 PodcastPoet of WomankindBharati is well-known as a champion of women's rights, but his impassioned advocacy for women's freedom transcends much of the usual discussion surrounding women's equality. Instead, Bharati saw women as the social superiors of men - engaged in the task of civilizing man through her masterful absorption and development of stories and symbols. "Where woman comes, comes Art," he writes, a stirring and provocative assertion that places him at odds with all those who have tried to minimize women's contributions to civilization or argued against women's capacity for artistic and intellectual life. His perspective on women shows him at his...2022-03-0816 minThe History of Literature381 C Subramania Bharati (with Mira T Sundara Rajan)C. Subramania Bharati (1882-1923) is one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. Known to his fellow Tamils as the "Mahakavi" ("Supreme Poet"), his works modernized and rejuvenated Tamil literature. Bharati, who knew several languages, also wrote in English, and it is in these writings that one can see and appreciate his range of interests, the depth of his thinking, and his passionate advocacy for social reform. In this episode, Jacke is joined by Bharati scholar Mira T. Sundara Rajan, editor of The Coming Age: Collected English Writings of C. Subramania Bharati, to discuss the poet's life and...2022-02-101h 04Bharati 100 PodcastBharati: India's National BardThis episode continues the discussion of Bharati's biography from another angle - exploring how the poet is seen by Indians from other parts of the country, for whom access to Bharati's works in Tamil presents a fascinating challenge. Notwithstanding the language barrier, it is a triumph of Indian diversity that Bharati has come to be known as India's "National Bard." This delightful title was first proposed by Mohit Gupta when he organized the original presentation on which the episode is based on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The presentation was part of the government's ongoing celebration...2022-02-0933 minThe History of Literature379 Gwendolyn Brooks | Bharati Preview 2 (with Mira Sundara Rajan)When the poet Gwendolyn Brooks "writes out of her heart, out of her rich and living background, out of her very real talent," said The New York Times, "she induces almost unbearable excitement." From her "headquarters" in Chicago, Brooks spent her life writing poems about the joys and struggles of the Black Americans on the streets around her. A consummate artist with full command of her craft, along with an insatiable curiosity and a deep well of empathy, Brooks produced more than 20 volumes of poetry and other works over the span of a 70-year publishing career. She was the...2022-02-031h 02The History of Literature378 Liu Xinwu and the "Scar Literature" of China (with Jeremy Tiang) | Bharati Sneak Preview (with Mira Sundara Rajan)In this episode, Jacke talks to Jeremy Tiang about his new translation of The Wedding Party, a Chinese classic contemporary novel written in the early 1980s by Liu Xinwu, one of the originators of what has been termed "scar literature." PLUS we feature a sneak preview of our conversation with Professor Mira Sundara Rajan, who has edited a collection of writings in English by famed Indian poet C. Subramania Bharati.Looking for more by Chinese authors? We talked with Yang Huang about her childhood in China (and why she now can only write fiction in English) in...2022-01-3152 min
Bharati 100 PodcastBharati's LifeDecember 11, 2021 was C. Subramania Bharati's 139th birth anniversary. On this occasion, I was interviewed by Storytrails, an Indian company interested in discovering, exploring, and sharing stories about India's culture and history. "India exists in her stories," they write. In this case, they wanted to know the story of Bharati's life - to trace the basic outlines of the poet's biography, attempt to separate fact from fiction, and celebrate the legacy of the great poet on his birthday. This will be the first in a series of podcast episodes dedicated to Bharati's biography this January, simultaneously allowing us to celebrate...2022-01-1653 min
Bharati 100 PodcastUnknown WarriorsIn his short life, Bharati had to live through the first great disaster of the twentieth century: World War I. This episode examines the complex emotions of Indians faced with this stunning development, just as the Independence movement was poised to take flight. Instead, Great Britain's attention turned to the battlefields of Europe. In a powerfully moving essay, entitled "India and the War" - one of two English essays that he wrote on this subject - Bharati puts aside his passionate desire for India's immediate freedom, and instead, throws his support behind the British, approving India's "generous" and "m...2021-12-0120 min
Bharati 100 Podcast"Equal Among the Servants of the Lord"As India celebrates its festival of lights - Diwali, also known as Deepavali - this episode examines Bharati's views on religion. As he explains in his poignant essay called "Patriotism and Religious Differences," the poet feels that religious differences are necessary for a healthy society, and that dogmatism and homogeneity of belief should be avoided both for the good of society and for the sake of individual development. He reveals himself as an individualist and a humanist, advocating for something far richer than religious tolerance per se: diversity. Percussion by tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh and ghatam maestro...2021-11-1118 min
Bharati 100 PodcastThe Nobel Prize in LiteratureThe award of the 2021 Nobel prize in literature to Abdulrazak Gurnah, a writer originally from East Africa who writes in English about the ongoing legacy of colonialism, presents an interesting counterpoint to Bharati's own "Reflections" on the first Asian Nobel prize winner and, to date, India's only laureate in literature: Rabindranath Tagore. In this essay, Bharati writes about Tagore's travel to Japan and his reception in that country. He exhorts the Indian press to do more to publicize the exploits of great Indians, and urges all Indians to be inspired to new heights of achievement by their deeds. Expanding...2021-10-2416 min
Bharati 100 PodcastThe Jewel in the CrownThis episode challenges romanticized notions of British rule in India with the eyewitness account offered by C. Subramania Bharati in his extended English-language essay, "The Political Evolution in the Madras Presidency." Bharati's article should quickly curtail any nostalgia for empire. It is a stunning narrative of the reality of colonialism in the southern part of India - a story that has been virtually forgotten by the world, but that now demands a fresh hearing in our current time of reckoning with injustice. Even more than police repression, Bharati dwells on the chilling hypocrisy of the British government, which claims f...2021-10-1613 min
Bharati 100 PodcastThe National MovementThis episode introduces Bharati's writing on the Indian national movement. His perspective as a freedom fighter from India's South is uniquely valuable to us today. Much of the discussion surrounding India's freedom movement in our era focuses on key political figures from the North of the country, while the story of the freedom struggle in other parts of India has been largely neglected. The extraordinary involvement of intellectuals, artists, and educators provides an important counterpart to the political struggle; it is a particularly exciting aspect of the freedom movement that deserves deeper exploration. The period of the late nineteenth...2021-10-0919 min
Bharati 100 PodcastWomen Shall Write the LawsThis is the next in my series of conversations with filmmaker Michael Wood, where we discuss some of poet C. Subramania Bharati's most famous and important contributions as a champion of women's rights. Bharati believed that women should be leaders, writing, in a poem entitled "Pudumai Penn," that the "new kind of woman" he imagined would "write all the laws" for society. No advocate of women's rights has been more impassioned, in India or elsewhere, during Bharati's times or since - or more convincing. Episode 4 features A. Kanyakumari's "Melting Aura" played by her Carnatic String Ensemble. She wri...2021-10-0124 min
Bharati 100 PodcastThe Case for Tamil (and Every Other Language)In this next episode with world-renowned filmmaker Michael Wood ("The Story of India"), the theme is Bharati's beloved Tamil language, and the poet's fight to preserve it against the encroachment of English. Bharati's concerns are highly relevant in today's world, where linguistic diversity is globally threatened, and the poet's attitude offers fascinating ways of meeting this challenge. Michael and Mira explore the idea of a future where Indian literature takes its place alongside major works from the Western canon, and quality translation forges new paths between cultures, building new hopes for mutual understanding. Episode 3 features A. Kanyakumari's "M...2021-09-2721 min
Bharati 100 PodcastThe Story of Bharati with Michael WoodThis is the first in a series of episodes where world-renowned filmmaker Michael Wood ("The Story of India") and Mira discuss C. Subramania Bharati. This episode covers the story behind the new book of Bharati's English writings, The Coming Age, reviews Bharati's life and times, and considers the place of his writing in a "decolonized curriculum". Episode 2 features a composition by violinist A. Kanyakumari entitled "Melting Aura" and played by her Carnatic String Ensemble. She writes: "This piece as the name suggests melts the listener's mood with its beautiful structure and scintillating Raga – the Charukesi. Though the pie...2021-09-1827 min
BusinessLine PodcastsMahakavi Day: 100th death anniversary of Subramania BharatiTo commemorate the death anniversary of freedom fighter Subramania Bharati, Tamil Nadu government has declared September 11 as 'Mahakavi' Day. Bharati’s innovative contributions to Tamil poetry and prose are considered to have sparked a Renaissance in 20th CE Tamil literature. But he also wrote extensively in English, of which little is known. In The Coming Age, published by Penguin Modern Classics, edited and presented by his great-granddaughter Mira T Sundara Rajan, we get a peep into Bharati’s original English writings.
Mira T Sundara Rajan is a writer, a classical pianist, and a scholar and professor who holds...2021-09-1118 min
Bharati 100 PodcastPrescient & Powerful: Introducing BharatiBharati 100 explores the life and work of C. Subramania Bharati, an iconic Indian writer and visionary of the early twentieth century. It is being launched on September 11, 2021, the hundredth anniversary of his death at age 38, and is based on a new Penguin Modern Classics book of Bharati's original writing in the English language, edited by podcast host and the poet's great-granddaughter, Mira T. Sundara Rajan. Episode 1 introduces the podcast themes and features music by violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and S. Vijaya Bharati, and text by Mira T. Sundara Rajan. Executive Producer & Host: Mira T. Sundara Rajan P...2021-09-1124 min
The Art Law PodcastMoral Rights Around the World: Two Case StudiesSteve and Katie speak with legal scholar Mira Sundara Rajan regarding the international landscape for artist moral rights protections, including the adoption of moral rights laws in the developing world, common law versus civil law jurisdictions, and the connection between moral rights and cultural heritage concerns. Steve, Katie, and Mira dive into two case studies: the Indian case Amar Nath Sehgal v. Union of India (2005) involving government removal of and damage to famous murals from a government building and the more recent controversy surrounding the removal of the Picasso stone murals on the Y-Block government buildings in Oslo, Norway.2021-03-291h 19