Letters That Changed The World from Leonard Cohen, Alan Turing, Rosa Parks and more

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4 жыл бұрын

In this Intelligence Squared event award-winning historian Simon Sebag Montefiore and bestselling novelist Kate Mosse discussed letters by Michelangelo, Catherine the Great, Sarah Bernhardt, Rosa Parks, Virginia Woolf, Alan Turing and Leonard Cohen. Some are inspiring, some unsettling, others express foreboding and despair. Many celebrate love and sex.
Nothing beats the immediacy and authenticity of a letter. Letters grant us a glimpse into fascinating lives, whether through the eyes of a genius, a monster or of an ordinary person. Letters also resonate, often many years later, with people who were never meant to see them. They allow us to travel through time and space to share the thoughts of men and women from places, eras and cultures quite different from our own.
A cast of performers, including Young Vic director Kwame Kwei-Armah, rising star Jade Anouka, Dunkirk actor Jack Lowden, and West End star Tamsin Greig, brought the letters to life on stage.
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Пікірлер: 94

@michaelpisciarino5348 4 жыл бұрын

*Opening Banter* 1:25 Letters “The immediate breadth of life” 2:05 The people on stage 4:18 The Importance of Letters • “They catch a moment” • Help you build historical fiction worlds 7:44 • “I couldn’t finish the essay because I was dead” *Christmas Letter, 1914* (8:45) 12:27 Analysis/Commentary *To Jessica Midler. From Rosa Parks* (13:37, 14:53) 16:17 Analysis/Commentary *Vladimir Lenin to the Bolsheviks of Penzar* (18:17, 19:24) 21:02 Analysis/Commentary *Babur to Humayan, 1529* (23:45, 24:40) 26:11 Analysis/Commentary *Vilma Grimwuld to her husband Kurt* (29:24, 31:53) 33:57 Analysis/Commentary *Michaelangelo, on creativity* (36:02, 37:37) “I am not a painter” 39:00 Analysis/Commentary *Sarah Burnhart To Mrs. Patrick Cambell Kate* (40:29, 42:22) *Maria Theresa To Marie Antoinette* (42:56, 44:36) 48:27 Analysis/Commentary *Frida Kalo to Diego Rivera* (50:16, 51:49) *Catherine The Great And Prince Poltempkin* (52:52, 55:05) *Simon Bolivar And Manuela* (59:54, 1:01:37) *Alan Turing And Norman Rutledge, 1950* (1:04:36, 1:06:28) 1:10:57 Questions 1:14:24 Preservation of handwriting 1:16:48 1:19:27 Letters Back In fashion? 1:20:40 Dwight Eisenhower *Lenard Cohen* (1:23:20, 1:25:20)

@mikeradu2010 4 жыл бұрын

@Michael Pisciarino - THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH for taking the time to put out the “Table or Contents” so we don’t have to waste time on the B.S. MUCH APPRECIATED!!

@susannec659 3 жыл бұрын

yes tks!!!

@donaboyle5404 2 жыл бұрын

The only BS is you

@RedRose-fr8ze 2 жыл бұрын

Aqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqaqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqaqqqqqqqqqqqqqaqqqqqqqqqqq

@lolab56 2 жыл бұрын

Lu n

@ashb8508 6 ай бұрын

Over an hour of delight, melancholy & forbearance expressed beautifully by some of Britain's most highly acclaimed actors.

@marinaj.haskel8619 2 жыл бұрын

This is one of my favorite videos ever. Brilliantly read. Exquisitely selected.

@cseguin 4 жыл бұрын

I think the letter "e" provided the greatest change in the world.

@michaelpisciarino5348 4 жыл бұрын

Clever

@mahimanandakumar6856 4 жыл бұрын

True.

@douglasmilton2805 4 жыл бұрын

Georges Perec wrote a whole novel, La Disparition, without using the letter e. And Gilbert Adair translated it, as A Void, without using the letter a.

@InigoMontoya- 3 жыл бұрын

I strongly disagree. The letter “e” frequently stays silent. Silence is violence.

@cseguin 3 жыл бұрын

@@InigoMontoya- Are you a leftist nutter?

@bloodySunday77 3 жыл бұрын

My oh my, you really need to be prepared for the storm of emotions especially by the letter read so beautifully at 31:53. Start at 29:25 to hear what it is about...

@MultiOpolis Жыл бұрын

When Tamsin got to the end of her letter i was quietly sobbing

@LeonAcord 2 жыл бұрын

Tamsin Greig is brilliant! I love what she says about acting, re: expressing emotions vs. dealing with emotions. What an actress!

@noorafarah4662 3 жыл бұрын

I love the shared letters. So human and so full of life.

@cathypreston1095 Жыл бұрын

Thank you to all, including us listeners. I have ordered Letters That Changed The World and look forward to soaking up these glorious messages.

@user-uy4jc3zz5p 3 жыл бұрын

Great session! I need letter writing back in fashion again 🙅‍♀

@michaelpaulsmith4619 4 жыл бұрын

Well, if the letter that Tamsin read out from the Jewish woman recently separated from her family during WWII doesn't break your heart then I very much doubt you have one! I shall get the book and I shall hear all the voices of these wonderful actors in all of them.

@Intelligence-Squared 4 жыл бұрын

It was very powerful Michael, glad you enjoyed it!

@michaelpaulsmith4619 4 жыл бұрын

@@Intelligence-Squared Oh! I enjoyed it so much. I bought it from Amazon roughly 0.0006 seconds after watching it. All the actors were wonderful but a special mention for the dazzling Tamsin Greig, whom I've seen in the theatre, on film and on TV. She always brings the unexpected moments, the sort of things other actors would gloss over, she brings emphasis to. She's not only profoundly moving but delights in the ridiculous and silly. too.

@Jaymin991 2 жыл бұрын

@@michaelpaulsmith4619 l

@mahimanandakumar6856 4 жыл бұрын

While watching this video I was going through some lines of Leonard Cohen and I was pleasantly surprised to find the last letter to be written by him!

@michaelzonta 3 жыл бұрын

Wonderful.

@guelewaar7998 3 жыл бұрын

This was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The commentators did a great job setting up the situation and providing historical context to the epistles and the actors did a great job reading their assigned letters and quite positively embodied their characters. And my Lord, what a beautiful woman Jade Anouka is!

@nancykraus5127 Жыл бұрын

I love when they do these letters seminars. ❤

@zantecarroll4448 3 жыл бұрын

Made me cry and laugh over and over again

@mariaalejandracarrenovarga7251 3 жыл бұрын

Good Readers! thank you very much

@cielojones2449 3 жыл бұрын

That last poem just made me cry.

@erpthompsonqueen9130 Жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@sisekomarwai1367 4 жыл бұрын

Again great event from Intelligence Squared. Keep it up.

@CharlieWoosnam 3 жыл бұрын

This was truly beautiful to watch. Thank you.

@robertholland8283 Жыл бұрын

I enjoyed this very much so.

@noorafarah4662 3 жыл бұрын

I should take up letter writing. It is so precious.

@grahamkeil3219 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you all so much

@OceanRoadbyTonyBaker 3 жыл бұрын

I write two hundred personal letters a year, since I was a teenager

@lysechrist1947 3 жыл бұрын

That’s wonderful! What a delight for all the recipients!

@ladybug5859 3 жыл бұрын

I envy you. My last letter resulted in the recipient saying to cease writing letters as they hated writing replies and then felt guilty. If you know anyone who'd like to be a pen pal, yourself included, do email me at cjanepatterson99@ yahoo.com and then only handwritten letters. I may have misunderstood- it now occurs to me- are your letters emails? Nice but it has no feel or smell and can't be wrapoed in a ribbon and secreted away!

@jimwolfgang9433 3 жыл бұрын

So what?

@user-uy4jc3zz5p 3 жыл бұрын

Kate 🥺💜💜

@ahmedmessaoudi578 3 жыл бұрын

Intelligence 🙏

@robertholland8283 Жыл бұрын

#AndIQuote Most actors express emotions and the interesting one's are dealing with it.

@robertholland8283 Жыл бұрын

Graphomania was believed to be "psychosocially acquired" and was acquired as a consequence of the educational methods of the time that taught children to copy rather than to write creatively.

@antikokalis 4 жыл бұрын

Best moment 1:21:50

@ninadesianti9587 3 жыл бұрын

I’d like to receive beautiful love letters.

@daphneraven6745 2 жыл бұрын

Nina Desianti: Everybody likes to receive beautiful Love letters, but at a time when English grammar and semantic options are being less frequently taught in schools, if at all, and more people are choosing to watch the screens instead of reading great works of the literary masters, so few are willing to learn how to write beautifully, much less use those skills to commit any of love’s many and finer aspects to paper.

@ninadesianti9587 2 жыл бұрын

@@daphneraven6745 that is so true, sadly.

@dougraddi908 2 жыл бұрын

@@daphneraven6745 well you're a buzz killer.

@ciaoruthremigiaramirezchir8893 3 жыл бұрын

BUENAS NOCHES ! LA SENORA DE NEGRO ! UNA PERSONA MUY DULCE Y TRANSPARENTE , SE VE MUCHA DELICADESA , EN ELLA ! RECIBAN TANTOS SALUDOS DE PARTE DE MUNDIAL ETERNAMENTE E INSUSTITUIBLE RUTH REMIGIA RAMIREZ CHIRIBOGA !!

@Rani108 3 жыл бұрын

When Kate Mosse introduced Babar, she made him sound like a peacemaker, whereas he killed thousands of Hindus and other non-Muslims living in the Subcontinent and destroyed many Hindu temples all along his path. The compassionate, tolerant letter written to his son Humayun, does not reflect the reality of Babar's conquests, that followed the prophet's Medina verses, which were violent and not tolerant, whereas his letter reflected the Mecca verses of the Prophet which were more conciliatory regarding non-Muslims. One-sided presentation, which is unfortunately the usual way the historical method unfolds, especially when addressing the Islamic invasions of India. The presenters describe Babar as a tolerant ruler, "from whom the current rulers of India could learn." This is pitiful propaganda!! "The current leaders of the world could learn from Babar." They could could learn hypocrisy, and the Islamic practice of "talaiyya".

@kennethkwai1519 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe she's afraid of backlashes

@daphneraven6745 2 жыл бұрын

Yvette Rani Rossetti: I cannot help but wonder whether the letter we just heard could have been the result of hard lessons learned of his own abject cruelty, which might have taught him compassion. Was there much time elapsed between the time that he did these terrible things, and the time that he found himself at that point in life where he had to prepare his son to take over in his stead, that made it paramount in terms of importance to him to prevent his son from making the Single most catastrophic mistake of his own life? I can only admit up front that I am woefully ignorant of the history of that area of the world, so I’ll also have to rely on your knowledge as to whether he suffered a major consequence to himself after doing such horrible things to his own subjects? Thank you for your corrective comment.

@robertholland8283 Жыл бұрын

quin·tes·sen·tial /ˌkwin(t)əˈsen(t)SH(ə)l/ representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.

@DJItchyBoo 4 жыл бұрын

Would love to see the political correctness talk with david lammy uploaded.

@Intelligence-Squared 4 жыл бұрын

Working on it! Identity politics debate is currently in production.

@DJItchyBoo 4 жыл бұрын

@@Intelligence-Squared Thank you - I appreciate the timely response too. Keep up the great work!

@TheContrariann 3 жыл бұрын

About 44:38

@paulsolon6229 2 жыл бұрын

“Letters that changed the world” And nothing from St. Paul?

@nathanbranson9149 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I agree. I was looking for it myself as well. I was looking for I Corinthians 13 or Romans 12. Could this be ignorance? Where is "Letter from Birmingham Jail?"

@paulsolon6229 2 жыл бұрын

@@nathanbranson9149 it’s odd

@robertholland8283 Жыл бұрын

#AndIQuote History is always written by the victor's.

@robertholland8283 Жыл бұрын

tripe /trīp/ noun 1. the first or second stomach of a cow or other ruminant used as food.

@kbenchekor2960 2 жыл бұрын

@SanjaySharma-hu6yn 3 жыл бұрын

Any list that doesn't include "Letters fmFrom A Father To His Daughter" by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru to 10 year old Indira Priyadarshini, among "Letters That Changed The World",is an exercise in mediocrity.

@peterarney 3 жыл бұрын

Nonsense!

@balbinasantana5527 3 жыл бұрын

The honorable tower logically doubt because botany worrisomely cause sans a aspiring care. obeisant, penitent alibi

@paulsolon6229 2 жыл бұрын

Wow this Jewish wife and mom to die My hero

@antikokalis 4 жыл бұрын

Dear blonde lady, in what ways things got worse? Everything is now better, except the environment. EVERYTHING

@EricHrahsel 4 жыл бұрын

Social media

@dianedevery3711 3 жыл бұрын

We are the environment.

@antikokalis 3 жыл бұрын

@@EricHrahsel I agree. Social media is cancer but you can say it's a first-world problem

@antikokalis 3 жыл бұрын

@@dianedevery3711 Sure, but there is no guarantee that under a different system the environment would have been in a better condition. Just look at USSR or modern China

@vivalaleta Жыл бұрын

Anti Russia propaganda. How was the Russian revolution that much different from the French one?

@DennisAllums 2 жыл бұрын

If Anyone Here Likes Horror Movies Staring black folks -Here are a few, staring Prince, Michael Jackson and more: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e9GKeKmmvdipnY0.html

@robertholland8283 Жыл бұрын

in·fuse /inˈfyo͞oz/ fill; pervade.

@kbenchekor2960 2 жыл бұрын