21 May 2008
Wednesday 21 May 2008 21:45-22:30 (Radio 3)
Tony Judt discusses his theory that we have entered an age of forgetting, David Mach and Jonathan Fenby discuss the image of Chairman Mao, and how much truth is there in the theory that natural disasters can expose sham government and strengthen pro-democracy movements in the process?
Mao with Marilyn Cards by David Mach
Mao with Marilyn Cards by David Mach
Playlist
Tony Judt
The historian Tony Judt discusses his theory that we have entered an age of forgetting, sacrificing much of the West's post-war history in favour of myth-making over understanding and denial over memory.
Reappraisals, Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century is published by Heinemann.
Natural Disasters
As the death tolls in China and Burma continue to mount, we discuss the relationship between natural disaster and democracy. Is the very term 'natural disaster,' in this day and age, a cop out? And how much truth is there in the theory that natural disasters can expose sham government and strengthen pro-democracy movements in the process?
Chairman Mao's Image
Andy Warhol's prints of Chairman Mao both commented on and contributed to the propagation of the Communist leader's image cult. Now one of them, a fourteen foot silkscreen print is going on sale in Hong Kong, and may fetch over a hundred million dollars. The artist and sculptor David Mach, and the Jonathan Fenby look at how the image of Mao has become detached from the reality of the man and his barbarous treatment of the Chinese people.
Reappraisals, Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century is published by Heinemann.
Penguin History of Modern China by Jonathan Fenby is published by Penguin and released on 29th May.
Mildred Loving
Rupert Cornwall pays tribute to a quiet hero of the struggle for civil rights in America, who died earlier this month.
