Kurt Andersen and his guest, historian Simon Schama look at this extraordinary moment of cultural, political, and technological change. While political revolutions tore through Europe, American plays provoked riots and “Sensation novels” brought lurid prose to the masses. We hear the actor John Astin channel Edgar Allen Poe. And a fiddler and fife player demonstrate how the musical traditions of Europe and Africa collided to make a brand new sound.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.