Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

Pigs in literature

Pigs, widespread in societies around the world since neolithic times, have been used for many purposes in art, literature, and other expressions of human culture. In classical times, the Romans considered pork the finest of meats, enjoying sausages, and depicting them in their art.

3 episodes

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  1. Journey to the West

    Melvyn Bragg discusses the much loved Chinese novel from 1592, featuring Monkey, Tripitaka, Sandy and Pigsy, as they travel to India to bring back Buddhist texts.

    20 May 2021

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    Featuring: Julia Lovell, Chiung-yun Evelyn Liu, Craig Clunas

     
  2. The Mabinogion

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Welsh stories of Arthurian romance and Celtic mythology created in the oral tradition for centuries before being written down in the Middle Ages.

    10 May 2018

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    Featuring: Sioned Davies, Helen Fulton, Juliette Wood

     
  3. The Odyssey

    Melvyn Bragg discusses Homer’s Odyssey, the epic story of the Greek hero Odysseus’ journey back from Troy, and its foundational position in the history of western literature and ideas.

    9 September 2004

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    Featuring: Simon Goldhill, Edith Hall, Oliver Taplin