Tanjil Rashid

This September, she publishes her sixth Taipei Story, a semi-autobiographical account of a summer spent learning Mandarin in Taiwan, her most personal book yet.

I'm Tanjil Rashid, and this is The New Society from The New Statesman.

I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Rebecca Quang, thank you so much for joining us here at The New Statesman.

From the fall of the Ottoman Empire to the current escalation of the war between Israel, Palestine and neighbouring countries, the region has been without lasting peace.

Is it history, politics, resources or religion driving these tensions? I'm Tanjil Rashid and you're listening to The New Society from The New Statesman.

I'm joined in this episode by historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore, whose new book, The Cauldron, sets out to tell the story of the making of the modern Middle East.

Simon, thanks so much for joining us here at The New Statesman.

Hello, I'm Georgina Godwin, broadcasting to you live from Midori House in London, and this is Monocle on Saturday.

Coming up on today's programme, we'll have a look through the week's news and culture with the journalist and New Statesman's culture editor, Tanjil Rashid.

Then we'll hear from the founder and director of the Ubud Readers and Writers Festival, Janet Deneaf, all about this year's edition happening in Bali in late October.

That's all ahead here on Monocle on Saturday.

Yes.

So it's ubudwritersfestival.com. And that's all for Monocle on Saturday.

Many thanks to my guests, Tanjil Rashid and Janet Deneaf.

And thanks also to our producer and studio engineer, Mariella Bevan.

But following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she found herself drawn to this country under siege.

She wanted to ask, what happens to art under war? And could Ukrainian culture not just survive, but flourish? I'm Tanjil Rashid and you're listening to The New Society from The New Statesman.

Charlotte Higgins joins me now.

Charlotte Higgins, thank you so much for joining us here at the New Statesman.

Thank you so much.

My pleasure.

You've been listening to The New Society from The New Statesman with me, Tanjal Rashid, and my guest, Charlotte Higgins.

The episode was produced by Catherine Hughes.