The Essay Episodes Available now

Peru—Meanings of Mountains
5/5 Javier Lizarzaburu on the Inca shrine of Pariacaca and what the mountain means today.

Scotland—Meanings of Mountains
4/5 Poet Kenneth Steven considers the relationship of the Scots to their mountains.

Slovenia—Meanings of Mountains
3/5 Matej Zatonjsek explains the deep feeling the people of Slovenia have for their mountains.

China—Meanings of Mountains
2/5 Howard Zhang on the sacred mountains of China and what these mean to the Chinese today.

Japan—Meanings of Mountains
1/5 Stephen Gill explores the complex feelings that the Japanese have for Mount Ogura.

Alexandra Shulman—Listener, They Wore It
5/5 Alexandra Shulman on the Leonard Cohen song Suzanne and how it dressed young women.

Peter Bradshaw—Listener, They Wore It
4/5 Critic Peter Bradshaw on the two red coats worn in the film Don't Look Now.

Laura Cumming—Listener, They Wore It
3/5 Laura Cumming considers a famous black dress, memorably painted by John Singer Sargent.

Justin Cartwright—Listener, They Wore It
2/5 Justin Cartwright on corporate America and the novel The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit.

Tracy Chevalier—Listener, They Wore It
1/5 Tracy Chevalier on the fate of some sparkling stones in de Maupassant's The Necklace.