The Great Books of Literature Podcast

4.3 (110)
BOOKS

John Roskam and News Ltd Journalist and host of The Bolt Report Andrew Bolt discuss the great books of literature. Each episode covers a new book as the pair discuss the themes, the lives of the authors and the impact each book has had on civilisation.

12/20/2018

Bonus Episode: On Reading 10 Great Books

In this bonus episode of the IPA's Great Books of Literature Podcast, John Roskam and Andrew Bolt talk about which book was their favourite, which characters stuck out for them, which author's life was most interesting to learn about and what they learned from reading 10 of the great books of Western Civilisation

58 min
12/20/2018

Episode 10: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Brothers Karamazov is one of the most influential books ever written. Dostoevsky uses the book to explore morality, religion and the concept of free will. In this episode, John Roskam and Andrew Bolt discuss the book, its themes and the life of Dostoevsky

1h 8m
12/06/2018

Episode 9: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice is the most popular romantic comedy of all time. This comedic look at marriage and relationships has sold over 20 million copies since being published in 1813. John Roskam and Andrew Bolt discuss the book, its themes and the life of Jane Austen

1h 4m
12/06/2018

Episode 8: The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth

The Radetzky March is one of the most important novels of the 20th Century. Spanning three generations of the Trotta family, The Radetzky March explores culture and patriotism amidst a dying empire in the lead up to the First World War. John Roskam and Andrew Bolt discuss these themes, the book and the life of Joseph Roth

1h 4m
11/07/2018

Episode 7: The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

The Way We Live Now is Anthony Trollope’s searing criticism of the corruption at the top of British society. It was listed at number 22 in The Guardian’s top 100 books of all time. In this episode, John Roskam and Andrew Bolt discuss Trollope's life, the book and its themes.

1h 5m
10/25/2018

Episode 6: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness is one of the most famous and most important works to come out of the colonialist era. Marlow’s venture into the Congo to find Kurtz is gripping and dark, and raises many questions about civility and the savagery that lies in every person. Andrew and John discuss whether, after reading the book, one can view Western Civilisation and its history in the same way as they had before. John Roskam and Andrew Bolt discuss the book, its themes and the life of Joseph Conrad

1h 1m
10/10/2018

Episode 5: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

In Don Quixote, Cervantes does more than simply tell funny, engaging and warm stories about a knight and his faithful squire. Below the surface of the funny stories is a deep psychological analysis of what it means to pursue our life's goals. John Roskam and Andrew Bolt discuss the book, its themes and style and the life and impact of Cervantes.

1h 2m
09/25/2018

Episode 4: Zorba The Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis

Zorba The Greek is a life-changing work, which follows an unnamed narrator and his Cypriot companion Zorba as they discuss life, love, religion and everything else while working on a coal mine in Crete. In this episode, John and Andrew discuss the book, the life of Nikos Kazantzakis and the themes that emerge from the novel

1h 1m
09/12/2018

Episode 3: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Wuthering Heights centres around the doomed relationship of its two main characters - Heathcliff, the adopted son of wealthy landowner Mr Earnshaw, and Earnshaw's daughter Catherine. It is a tale of love and obsession - and it is often violent. Emily Bronte presents a picture of a series of relationships all destined to end in destruction. In this episode, John and Andrew discuss the book, its themes and the life of Emily Bronte.

58 min
08/28/2018

Episode 2: The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa

The Leopard is set in Sicily in the 1860s at the time of the unification of the Italian states and in the midst of sweeping political and social upheaval. The book centres on a Sicilian nobleman, Don Fabrizio, Prince of Salina, and his family. A central theme of the novel is how individuals and societies respond to change and it contains the famous words of the Prince - "If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change." John Roskam and Andrew Bolt discuss the book, the life of Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa and what the message of change means to the world today.

1 hr
08/17/2018

Episode 1: Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Bleak House is held to be one of Dickens's finest novels, containing one of the most vast, complex and engaging arrays of minor characters and sub-plots in his entire canon. At the novel's core is long-running litigation in England's Court of Chancery, Jarndyce v Jarndyce, which has far-reaching consequences for all involved. Andrew Bolt and John Roskam discuss the book, its themes and Charles Dickens' life and times.

1h 3m

11 Episodes

4.3

out of 5

110 Ratings

Excellent, but

09/17/2021

Rardo13

I simply love the review of great literature. These guys are excellent and the chosen books are indeed great works. I only wish they would not be talking over each other so much, many times screaming, other talking so softly, it is annoying to have to constantly change the volume. With a little bit of discipline things can improve dramatically. Get a potato and make sure that only the person with the potato gets to speak, and be gentlemen and do not hoard the potato. Thanks for the good work, you certainly know your stuff and prepare very well. The delivery needs some work.
British guys impossible

09/02/2025

chubby baker

I am so happy as a nation that we declared our independence from England, because these two old British guys take forever to say nothing,, well, it seems to me, that is to say, what I mean to imply, on the other hand, well, and so on. They pack for coherent words in each paragraph. Who can listen to these guys? Especially with the second guy always interrupting the first guy. You could boil down this hour. Long podcast into seven minutes of content with some creative editing. This is awful and impossible.
Heart of Darkness Episode Stopped my Enjoyment of the Show

08/07/2025

MoswenNaidoo

I was really enjoying this podcast in many of the episodes leading up to the Heart of Darkness episode, despite the common and annoying interruptions, but this episode made me want to stop listening. It really felt that the speakers were dismissive of the criticism of Heart of Darkness as a racist book, and they oftentimes repeated false claims that the book mentioned certain topics, such as Conrad condemning the violence against the Congolese, which never happens. Their dismissal of Chinua Achebe’s valid criticism was also insulting since he is a profound and well respected author, especially considering his background on the topic at hand. This episode specifically felt like Eurocentrism was in full swing, and that the speakers completely missed the point that Conrad’s book is flawed because it mythologizes the fall from grace that the white European experiences when venturing into that dark continent. Yes, Heart of Darkness is an important book even in today’s progressive atmosphere, but that does not exclude it from being a deeply racist book. All you really need to hear to be convinced of this view is when one of the speakers claims that “Britain was one of the kindest colonizers.” Enough said.
Average analysis but poor chemistry

12/04/2023

Fan of the novel

They just interrupt each other, and even when they don’t interrupt each other, you can hear one of them trying to to interject.

John Roskam and News Ltd Journalist and host of The Bolt Report Andrew Bolt discuss the great books of literature. Each episode covers a new book as the pair discuss the themes, the lives of the authors and the impact each book has had on civilisation.