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Paul Klee, US Shutdown, Catherine Merridale, Man Booker Prize, National Theatre

Presented by Philip Dodd. With the winner of 2013's Man Booker, discussing the new National Theatre head, the US Government shutdown, a Paul Klee show and a book about the Kremlin.

Philip Dodd discusses the announcement of the winner of this year's Man Booker Prize with Sarah Churchwell, the final year before US writers will be included.

Susannah Clapp will be in the studio to discuss Rufus Norris, the director revealed today as the new Artistic Director of the National Theatre.

With the US Congress in deadlock over Obama's healthcare plan, the nation's Government has shut down. The Chinese government has reminded their American counterpart that they're obliged to pay their debts whether they're shut down or not and commentators in the rest of the world are looking on in bafflement. But in a country built on rebellion, with a deep-seated suspicion of central government, what does the shutdown tell us about the American political psyche? Philip is joined by the Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland and historian of US politics Prof Philip Davis to discuss.

Paul Klee is the subject of a major new exhibition at Tate Modern which sets out to challenge his reputation for being a solitary dreamer and to reveal the rigour with which he created his work and presented it to the public. The show spans thirty years of his career from his emergence in Munich in the 1910s, through his years of teaching at the Bauhaus in the 1920s and up to his final paintings made in Bern after the outbreak of World War II. James Malpas and Karen Leeder review.

And Philip takes a trip into the heart and history of the Kremlin and asks the historian Catherine Merridale about its secrets. Her new book Red Fortress examines the story of one of the most mysterious and emblematic buildings in Russian history - the Kremlin. Part citadel, part holy shrine, the Kremlin has been Russia's heart for centuries, a metaphor for the eternal state.

Available now

45 minutes

Clip

Chapters

  • Man Booker Prize

    Philip discusses the announcement of the winner with Sarah Churchwell

    Duration: 04:33

  • US shutdown

    Philip is joined by Jonathan Freedland and Philip Davies to discuss the US shutdown

    Duration: 10:31

  • Catherine Merridale

    Philip takes a trip into the history of the Kremlin with historian Catherine Merridale

    Duration: 10:34

  • Paul Klee

    James Malpas and Karen Leeder review the new Paul Klee exhibtion at the Tate Modern

    Duration: 10:55

  • Rufus Norris

    Susannah Clapp discusses Rufus Norris's appointment as Director of the National Theatre

    Duration: 07:25

Paul Klee - Making Visible

is on at the Tate Modern, London from Wednesday 16 October 2013 until Sunday 9 March 2014.

Catherine Merridale

Catherine Merridale

Red Fortress: The Secret Heart of Russia's History written by Catherine Merridale is published by Allen Lane.

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Image Credit: Jochen Braun

Man Booker Prize 2013

will be announced at the Guildhall, London after 19:00 on Tuesday 15 October 2013.

Rufus Norris

Rufus Norris

Rufus Norris announcing his replacement of Sir Nicholas Hytner as director of the National Theatre.

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Image: [From L to R] Rufus Norris, Director Designate of the National Theatre, John Makinson,Chairman of the National Theatre and Sir Nicholas Hytner.

Image credit: Richard H Smith

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Philip Dodd
Interviewed Guest Catherine Merridale
Producer Fiona McLean
Interviewed Guest Sarah Churchwell
Interviewed Guest Susannah Clapp
Interviewed Guest James Malpas
Interviewed Guest Karen Leeder
Interviewed Guest Jonathan Freedland
Interviewed Guest Philip Davis

Broadcast

  • Tue 15 Oct 2013 22:00

Free Thinking

Free Thinking

Radio 3’s new home for arts and ideas.