Heroes: Jimmy Wales Meets Stewart Lee
Last Wednesday, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales interviewed British stand-up, writer and director Stewart Lee in a fascinating conversation hosted by The School of Life. The event was the latest in the organisation’s ‘Heroes’ series, in which leading cultural figures get to question someone they admire from a different industry – a format giving fascinating insights into both interviewer and interviewee.
Ian Cater was there for What’s On London to hear what Wales could draw from one of Britain’s greatest living comedians and contrarians.
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Lionel Shriver: “I know who I am. I’m never going to produce a soft, sentimental treatment of anything.”
On Tuesday night, The School of Life hosted a remarkable interview with Lionel Shriver at Cecil Sharp House in NW1. Ian Cater reports for What’s On London on a fascinating evening which scratched deep beneath the surface of one of the leading lights – and most intriguing creators – of 21st century fiction.
On the edge of Regent’s Park, a dark, oak-panelled hall is packed with bodies, laughter and the hum of middle-class anticipation: a cocktail always on the menu when a star’s expected to serve up something unexpected. Eventually the murmurs dissipate as Lionel Shriver enters the room, accompanied by TV psychologist Tanya Byron, for an evening examining what makes her tick. But the anticipation remains.
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We Need To Talk About Lionel Shriver – The School of Life on 17th January 2017
Tomorrow night, Lionel Shriver takes to the main stage at Cecil Sharp House (NW1) for a unique event organised by The School of Life. Unlike most leading lights in literature, Shriver’s not seeking to promote a new book or gorge herself on easy questions served up by a sympathetic moderator. Instead, she’s subjecting herself to inquiry by a clinical psychologist – Tanya Byron – to understand what makes her tick.
As Ian Cater writes below, it promises to be a fascinating evening, providing an insight into the challenges faced – and resilience needed – by even the most successful people.
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