Matthew Sweet invites past Man Booker Prize judges to deliver their verdict on this year's shortlist. Plus, the latest in the Ways of Seeing series.
Playlist
As the shortlist for the Booker prize is announced, Matthew Sweet is joined by last year's winner, the Irish novelist John Banville, to mull over this year's contenders for the trophy. The literary critic Alex Clark assists in examining this year's runners and riders with the help of the Marshall McLuhan test. The test involves turning to page 69 of each book, and judging its merits on the strength of the writing on that page.
Also on the programme Matthew Sweet talks to the controversial ethicist Peter Singer, best known for his landmark work Animal Liberation, credited with giving birth to the modern animal rights movement. In a thirty year career Peter Singer has explored highly sensitive issues such as non-voluntary euthanasia but his latest book, simply entitled Eating, sees him returning to a critique of modern food production and consumption. He talks to Matthew Sweet about the importance of philosophers dealing with everyday matters such as food shopping; and how he made mistakes early on in his career in the way he expressed some of his more contentious ideas.
Plus, another instalment of Ways of Seeing, in which art critics pay homage to the people who shaped the way they look at art.
