Roundup

What is the relevance of 'Madame Bovary' to women today? [audio 9min]

"Life's not like it is in the novels is it?" reflects Gustave Flaubert's adulterous heroine. Seduced by sensual pleasures, the excitement of books, magazines, balls, high society and fashion, she bemoans the dull life she leads and the boring ways of the petit bourgeoisie. Flaubert famously said:"Madame Bovary c'est moi", but did he really feel sympathy for privileged women in her position? Presenter Martha Kearney is joined by novelists Julian Barnes and Michele Roberts to discuss the legacy of

What is 'Islamofascism'? [audio 7min]

Robert Paxton, author of The Anatomy of Fascism, discusses the use and meaning of a term that has come into favor with some commentators: Islamofacism. Is it an accurate description of any group, or is it a label to be avoided?

Baghdad Museum director flees job, Iraq [audio 4min]

The director of the Baghdad Museum, Donny George, left his job earlier this month and fled the country last Sunday. He complained of interference by Shiite Muslim extremists with connections in the Iraqi government. New York Times correspondent Ed Wong, reporting from Baghdad, talks with Alex Chadwick.

Experts: Use 1918 methods to fight pandemic [audio 4min]

When the next pandemic strikes, Navy researchers say the way to save the most lives may be to bring back a treatment used during the deadly pandemic of 1918. Back then, some military doctors injected severely afflicted patients with blood or blood plasma from people who had recovered from the flu. Old studies indicate that the blood-injection treatment reduced mortality rates by as much as 50%. Now, researchers are calling for an effort to see if the 1918 treatment will work against deadly Asian

Getty exhibit explores Rubens-Brueghel bond [audio 4min]

A new exhibition at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles explores the close partnership between two great 17th-century painters, Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder. X-ray and infrared studies of the paintings have allowed curators to travel back in time and see the division of labor on the collaborations. Many art historians believe that Rubens played a dominant role in his relationship with Brueghel. But Anne Woollett, an associate curator at the Getty, says the latest scientific studies r

Lost history of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' [audio 11min]

Two hundred years ago a book of children's poetry was published called Rhymes for the Nursery. It was the first time that the words 'nursery' and 'rhyme' had been linked together, and in that book was a short, simple poem called 'The Star'. Well, it has now grown into one of the best-loved nursery rhymes of all time but, ironically, its author has slipped into obscurity. Jennifer Chevalier unravels the history of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'.

Humanities scholar Rosenthal profiles former Columbia Univ. president Butler [video 65min]

Michael Rosenthal discusses his book Nicholas Miraculous: The Amazing Career of the Redoubtable Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler. Professor Rosenthal talks about Butler's influence in America during the early part of the 20th century, Butler's continuous efforts at self-promotion, and the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Butler in 1931. He also reads from a portion of the book. The talk was hosted by Columbia University. Includes Q&A.

Historian Wood describes Founding Fathers' achievements [video 53min]

Pulitzer-prize winner Gordon Wood speaks about his book Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different. As a historian, Wood examines the Founding Fathers' roles, ideals and values expressed in the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Wood is currently a professor of history at Brown University. He has been awarded numerous prizes for his writings including the Pulitzer Prize and Bancroft Prize. The talk was hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D

Did the Steagles save the NFL? [audio 5min]

During WWII, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles fielded a team together for a season: the Steagles. Host Scott Jagow speaks to author Matthew Algeo about how the combined team helped keep the NFL going at a critical time.

Guatemala police archive yields clues to 'dirty war' [audio 8min]

Human rights researchers seeking to understand abuses during Guatemala's bloody civil war have launched one of the largest detective projects in history. A mammoth warehouse discovered last year contains tens of millions of documents comprising the National Police Archive. The records, which the government first denied existed, are expected to offer evidence of a police role in murders and disappearances during Guatemala's "dirty war." Time is of the essence. The ombudsman's term expir

EU's newer members challenge certainties of older Europe [audio 30min]

BBC News special correspondent Allan Little looks at how the European Union was created, from the devastation of World War Two to its current incarnation as a new kind of superpower. Focusing on key moments along the journey, he analyses Britain's contradictory relationship with 'Europe'. In Programme 4, "Ever Larger Union", Little talks to the man responsible for starting Spain's accession progress just days after General Franco's death in 1975. Today's Europe is made up of 25 rather

Antonia Fraser profiles the women in the life of Louis XIV [audio 5x15min]

This week's"Book of the Week" is Antonia Fraser's Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King, a look at the women in the life of the Sun King, read by Lia Williams and abridged by Robin Brooks. Part 1: The prospect of peace between Spain and France is greatly enhanced by this most splendid of marriages, to the Infanta Maria Theresa. Part 2: Henriette-Anne and Louise de la Valliere were Louis' first two mistresses -- and emerged from the queen's group of ladies in waiting. P

Spanish Mark Civil War milestone; unease lingers [audio 4min]

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War. In Spain, there are no official commemoration ceremonies. That's in keeping with the silence with which Spaniards have generally treated the war -- and the Franco dictatorship that followed. But many, including the now-elderly children of victims, are increasingly seeking some kind of closure. In the village of Parillas, residents will finally be able to give a proper burial to parents and grandparents executed during th

Gibbon's 'Rise and Fall' offers 1st lesson for our own time [audio 14min]

Ever since the celebrated 18th-century historian Edward Gibbon wrote The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, people have looked to his work for signs of decay in their own age. In the first of a new three-part series, 'The Gibbon Test', Matthew Parris explores what lessons Gibbon may have for Britain, its politicians and its institutions. Are they too in decline? Do they too face a great fall? A writer for The Times and The Spectator, Parris is also a frequent broadcaster

Sinclair's 'Jungle' has echoes for today [audio 30min]

A hundred years ago, a heart-rending expose of the conditions in America's meat industry (Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle) scandalised President Teddy Roosevelt and led to dramatic legal changes in the way the food industry was controlled. In the second of two special"Food Programmes", Sheila Dillon comes up to date and investigates claims that The Jungle has echoes for today. She reports from North Carolina and meets workers and management at the world's largest hog processing p

Writer Charles Johnson focuses on what history teaches us [audio 3min]

Charles Johnson is a renowned novelist, essayist and writer of short stories. His novel Middle Passage won the 1990 National Book Award. He is also a cartoonist and a Buddhist (his article"Dharma for a Dangerous Time" appears in the September issue of the Buddhist publication Shambala Sun.) Lately, his own reading has been focused again on what history has to teach us: A Study of History by Arnold J. Toynbee; The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler; An Outline o

'Black Dahlia' case holds undying allure [audio 5min]

Elizabeth Short, 22, was brutally murdered in a Los Angeles neighborhood in 1947. Her killer was never found. The"Black Dahlia" story continues to generate interest. R. J. Smith, senior editor of Los Angeles Magazine, tells Scott Simon about his recent writing on the subject.

Long-lost World War II sub may be found [audio 4min]

The USS Grunion disappeared in July 1942, leaving 70 American families in grief. Researchers, funded by one of the sons of skipper Mannert L."Jim" Abele, say they may have found the sub in the Bering Sea. Charles Homans of member station KIAL in Unalaska reports.

What is impact of WWII military service on children and grandchildren? [audio 19min]

4.5 million men were part of the UK armed services during World War II -- and many were away for years on end. What impact did the absence of these men have on their children back home? How did kids relate to a father who wasn't around in their formative years and who, to many children, was little more than a photo on a mantelpiece? To discuss the repercussions these complicated relationships had on post-war generations, Martha Kearney is joined by social historian Juliet Gardiner and Helen Bamb

Ramesses II moves to new home [audio 5min]

Preparations are under way in Cairo to move a huge granite statue of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II from the square where it has stood for more than 50 years. Host Marco Werman speaks with the head of Egypt's antiquities department, Zahi Hawass.