Intelligence Squared7 Nov 2025

Olivia Laing on Passion and Heartbreak in the Golden Age of New Italian Cinema

Olivia Laing is an internationally acclaimed writer and critic. They are the author of eight books, including The Lonely City, Everybody and the Sunday Times bestseller The Garden Against Time. Laing’s first novel, Crudo, won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and in 2018 they were awarded the Windham-Campbell Prize for non-fiction. In today’s episode, Laing sits down with host Mythili Rao to discuss their latest novel, The Silver Book. The Silver Book is at once a queer love story and a noirish thriller, set in the dream factory of cinema. Weaving a fictional account from the creation of Federico Fellini’s flamboyant biopic Casanova and Pasolini’s notoriously shocking, Salò, or 120 Days of Sodom, Laing explores the difficult relationship between artifice and truth, illusion and reality, love and power. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Avsnitt(1612)

How Has Forensic Science Transformed Criminal Justice? With Sue Black

Forensic science has transformed the way crimes are investigated and justice is delivered. From fingerprints and DNA to new forms of anatomical identification, its breakthroughs have helped solve case...

26 Juli 43min

Should We Stop Catastrophising About AI? With Eleanor Drage and Carl Miller

We are deeply confused about artificial intelligence: what it is, who it serves and whether it is leading us towards utopia or catastrophe. But according to AI ethicist Dr Eleanor Drage, these dramati...

25 Juli 41min

The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook, with Robert Peston (Part Two)

Robert Peston is one of Britain’s most trusted journalists. A fixture in British politics and business coverage, he came to national prominence as Business Editor and then Economics Editor at the BBC,...

23 Juli 36min

The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook, with Robert Peston (Part One)

22 Juli 35min

How Sex Scenes in Film Can Reshape Real Intimacy, With Intimacy Coordinator Ita O’Brien

Intimacy coordinators have irreversibly transformed how we portray sex on screen, and they are not without their detractors. In the wake of MeToo, Ita O’Brien’s work as a top intimacy coordinator on N...

20 Juli 39min

Olivia Laing on Art, Solitude, and The Lonely City at 10 (Part Two)

Olivia Laing is known as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary literature. Their work is renowned for its capacity to make abstract ideas feel precise, intimate, and beautifully thought t...

18 Juli 34min

Olivia Laing on Art, Solitude, and The Lonely City at 10 (Part One)

16 Juli 39min

How Did World War II Create Modern Asia? With Professor Hans van de Ven

Is our history of World War II missing its most important chapter? For many in the West, the story of the Second World War is told through D-Day, the Blitz and the liberation of Europe. Yet some of t...

14 Juli 34min