Sarah Rainsford

One is that I think its contemporary relevance right now is incredibly strong. It's a novel about good faith and bad faith, about how we maintain our hope and our ideals when we're surrounded by people operating with cynicism and ruthless selfishness.

One is that I think its contemporary relevance right now is incredibly strong. It's a novel about good faith and bad faith, about how we maintain our hope and our ideals when we're surrounded by people operating with cynicism and ruthless selfishness.

It's a novel about how we have to hang on to a kind of stubborn refusal to give up on our ideals and to believe that there is something better that we can create, no matter how dark the world is around us.

It's a novel about how we have to hang on to a kind of stubborn refusal to give up on our ideals and to believe that there is something better that we can create, no matter how dark the world is around us.

Absolutely. Look, people are familiar with the idea that it's critiquing the American dream. I mean, that's a kind of cliche about the novel. It shows that America doesn't allow for upward social mobility. But it's saying something more profound about our need to believe in the possibility of self-improvement, of upward social mobility, of hope.

Absolutely. Look, people are familiar with the idea that it's critiquing the American dream. I mean, that's a kind of cliche about the novel. It shows that America doesn't allow for upward social mobility. But it's saying something more profound about our need to believe in the possibility of self-improvement, of upward social mobility, of hope.

even when we are surrounded by power structures that suggest to us that those are impossible and that our hopes are futile and that both have to coexist to show what the novel encapsulates.

even when we are surrounded by power structures that suggest to us that those are impossible and that our hopes are futile and that both have to coexist to show what the novel encapsulates.

Well, there are, and there are other criticisms we can make of it. I mean, some people like to say that it's a perfect novel. I don't think there's any such thing. But it's pretty close, you know, and we haven't talked about yet the magic of the language, but it is one of the best written novels of the modern era. And these kinds of timeless images stay with us.

Well, there are, and there are other criticisms we can make of it. I mean, some people like to say that it's a perfect novel. I don't think there's any such thing. But it's pretty close, you know, and we haven't talked about yet the magic of the language, but it is one of the best written novels of the modern era. And these kinds of timeless images stay with us.

The green light across the bay, Gadsby's mansion that's lit up but hollow, Dr. Ekelberg's giant eyes looking over the landscape. I mean, these symbols capture these incredibly vivid images of modern life and how we are always struggling to try to find meaning in that world.

The green light across the bay, Gadsby's mansion that's lit up but hollow, Dr. Ekelberg's giant eyes looking over the landscape. I mean, these symbols capture these incredibly vivid images of modern life and how we are always struggling to try to find meaning in that world.

A German tank churns up the earth as it thunders into position on a training base. Then inside, the soldiers get ready to load their shells. For years, this country's armed forces have been chronically underfunded. But German troops could soon have new weapons to train and to fight with. Parlament hier has just cleared the way for a massive injection of cash.

A German tank churns up the earth as it thunders into position on a training base. Then inside, the soldiers get ready to load their shells. For years, this country's armed forces have been chronically underfunded. But German troops could soon have new weapons to train and to fight with. Parlament hier has just cleared the way for a massive injection of cash.

Because Germany believes the threat of Russian aggression goes beyond Ukraine's borders. When I met the country's top general, he warned that Russia could attack NATO territory in as little as four years.

Because Germany believes the threat of Russian aggression goes beyond Ukraine's borders. When I met the country's top general, he warned that Russia could attack NATO territory in as little as four years.

How much money and how much time do you need in order to feel that Germany is defended against the threat that you've described?

How much money and how much time do you need in order to feel that Germany is defended against the threat that you've described?

General Breuer sagt, dass die Gefahr nicht nur konventionelle Krieg ist. Russlands Hybrid-Attacken auf Europa reichen bereits von Cyber- zu Sabotage. Dann gibt es seine fortschrittliche Militärisierung.

General Breuer sagt, dass die Gefahr nicht nur konventionelle Krieg ist. Russlands Hybrid-Attacken auf Europa reichen bereits von Cyber- zu Sabotage. Dann gibt es seine fortschrittliche Militärisierung.