This week, Thea Lenarduzzi and Lucy Dallas are joined by the critic Muriel Zagha to discuss a new play by Florian Zeller, ‘the most successful representative of contemporary French theatre’; Kathryn Hughes, the author of ‘Victorians Undone: Tales of the flesh in the age of decorum’,&nbsp;explores&nbsp;the cultural significance of passing out, from ‘Troilus and Criseyde’ to ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, via Shakespeare and Bram Stoker; plus, a poem by Ange Mlinko, ‘Storm Windows’&nbsp; ‘The Forest’ by Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton, Hampstead Theatre, until March 12‘Swoon: A poetics of passing out’ by Naomi Booth Produced by Sophia Franklin <hr> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.

Faint Praise

The political philosopher John Gray discusses the failures of liberalism; as the TLS publishes its 6,000th issue,&nbsp;Ruth Scurr delves into the back issues to explore how the paper has changed, and how it reflects literary culture more broadly; the TLS's poetry editor Alan Jenkins reads two of his favourite&nbsp;poems from the past century:&nbsp;D. J. Enright&nbsp;'s "The Laughing Hyena,&nbsp;by Hokusai" and "In Your Mind" by Carol Ann Duffy

Hyper-liberalism and the 6,000th TLS

Who are the most exciting novelists from the British Isles currently working?&nbsp;In a spirit of mischief, the TLS asked 200 notable names&nbsp;in the publishing industry (editors, agents, publishers and writers)&nbsp;to nominate those at the top of their literary game. The&nbsp;critic Alex Clark and TLS fiction editor Toby Lichtig join us in the studio to pick through the results

The New Elizabethans

Are we hard-wired to feel other people’s pain? And if so, is it necessarily a good thing? Andrew Scull has reviewed three new books on empathy and joins us to tell us more;&nbsp;Charles Dickens's love of all things theatrical – in life as in art – is no secret. Robert Douglas-Fairhurst considers fifty years' worth of Dickens adaptations for the stage (and film) BooksThe Empathy Instinct by Peter BazalgetteAgainst Empathy:&nbsp;The case for rational compassion&nbsp;by Paul BloomThe Invention of Humanity: Equality and cultural difference in world history by&nbsp;Siep Stuurman&nbsp;&nbsp;Dickensian Dramas: Plays from Charles Dickens (Volume One, edited by Jacky Bratton; Volume Two, edited by Jim Davis&nbsp;

Empathy: for better, for worse

With Stig Abell and Lucy Dallas. Lionel Shriver castigates the arrogant British for snootiness over American English; David Coward tells the story of Simon Leys, "the man who did for Mao" and who called Sartre a "windbag"; and Kate Bingham reads her poem "This hair".

Culture clash

Freedom, Books, Flowers & The Moon is a podcast series brought to you by The Times Literary Supplement.

Freedom, Books, Flowers & The Moon

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