Good discussion on the BBC Radio 4 Free Thinking program on the role of intellectuals in public life.

Around the table were:

• Emile Chabal - author of a biography about Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm
• Sophie Scott Brown - researcher
• Muriel Zagha - critic and columnist
• David Goodhart - former editor of Prospect magazine
• Pierre d’Alancaisez - curator and critic

I particularly enjoyed the comparison between the views of intellectuals in the UK versus Europe.

Also interesting to hear about Eric Hobsbawn and how his books were very popular and helped generate public interest in history.