In his mid-twenties, city-bound and restless, Louis D. Hall decided to make an uncharted journey on horseback.He found his horse, Sasha, in Italy’s Apennine Mountains and headed west for ‘the end of the land’.In Green is a classic adventure story and a wonderful travel writing debut. I think you’ll enjoy it.We spoke about crossing the Ligurian Alps, the mysteries of the horse, and the kindness of strangers. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.personallandscapespodcast.com/subscribe
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Andrew McCarthy on walking the Camino and the Brat Pack
If you grew up in the 80s like I did, you know Andrew McCarthy from Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire.But Andrew is more than an actor and director. He’s also an award-winning travel writer.His writing is introspective, vulnerable and self-deprecating. He weaves memoir with vivid descriptions of people and place, and grapples with questions like how to balance a solitary nature with the desire for intimacy.I reached out to ask him about walking across Spain, a journey he made twice: first alone, and then with his teenaged son. I thought he might give me some insights and inspiration as I prepare for a long farewell-to-Europe hike.We spoke about Andrew's Brat pack years, walking the Camino with his son, and how a hike can change your life.You can listen to Personal Landscapes: Conversations on Books About Place on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual places. This podcast relies on the support of listeners like you to keep going. Please consider joining the Member’s Club. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.personallandscapespodcast.com/subscribe
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Germany’s Broken Republic
Germany’s post-war recovery was an economic miracle.The country was on the rise in a good way. And then it all started going wrong.The signs of trouble were visible long before the covid pandemic pushed us over the brink.Journalists Will Wilkes and Chris Reiter have spent decades reporting on Germany’s problems, and they lay it all out in their new book Broken Republik.We spoke about Germany’s worrying lack of national identity, its reliance on structure to manage interpersonal relations, and why it has Europe’s worst social mobility.Personal Landscapes relies on the support of listeners like you to keep going. Please consider joining the Member’s Club. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.personallandscapespodcast.com/subscribe
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Kyle Chayka on how the internet flattened culture
Digital platforms promised us personalization but their algorithms homogenized culture to a bland lowest common denominator instead.They don’t just influence what we consume, they also determine what is produced as artists shape their output to fit what gets seen and what gets shared.My guest today traced this creeping, machine-guided curation as it infiltrated the furthest reaches of our digital, physical, and psychological spaces. And he has a few ideas for escaping it that might surprise you.Kyle Chayka joined me to talk about how digital algorithms work, why they flatten culture and how to take back control of our own taste. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.personallandscapespodcast.com/subscribe
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Sophy Roberts on A Training School for Elephants
In 1879 a forgotten Irish adventurer called Frederick Carter marched four tamed Asian elephants from the coast of East Africa to the edge of the Congo. He was sent to establish a training school for African elephants so they could be used to transport cargo in place of vast armies of porters.It’s a tale of ineptitude, hypocrisy and greed filled with powerful chiefs, ivory dealers, Catholic nuns and dissolute colonial officials set against the beautifully described landscapes of Tanzania, the Congo, Brussels, Iraq and India.Sophy Roberts joined me to talk about Frederick Carter’s forgotten journey, Leopold II’s Congo land grab, and oral memory keepers as custodians of the past. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.personallandscapespodcast.com/subscribe
Ryan Murdock talks with the world’s most original writers, publishers and travelers to get the story behind great books about place. www.personallandscapespodcast.com
South Africa