The classicist introduces his translation of the first work of history, a work that tells us much of what we know about the ancient world. Herodotus was an endlessly curious man, and gathered information about the world around him from as many people and places as he could investigate. Whether it was the pyramids of Egypt, the cannabis habit of the Scythians, the flora and fauna of Arabia or the table dancing of the Athenian aristocracy, he was fascinated by them all. His accounts of the great battles of Marathon and Thermopylae, of Salamis and Plataea, retain to this day a matchless epic quality.

The new novel from the author of Olive Kitteridge and The Burgess Boys tells the story of the inhabitants of rural, dusty Amgash, Illinois, the hometown of Lucy Barton, a successful New York writer who finally returns, after 17 years of absence, to visit the siblings she left behind.

This event will be recorded for broadcast on the BBC World News programme Talking Books

The music therapist specialises in working with people at the end of their lives; he presents and discusses work created by his clients over the last 10 years. Chaired by David Barnard.

The leaks by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden have transformed our understanding of our daily communication through social media, email and mobile phones. Scholars from Cardiff University’s research project Digital Citizenship and Surveillance Society will discuss the practices, implications and broader meanings of mass surveillance. Does it work? How does it work, and who and what is monitored? How does it affect civil rights? Have we been properly informed, and how should the media report? How can we protect ourselves?

The Swiss poet, awarded with the Robert Walser Prize and the Cultural Prize of Literature of the canton of Vaud, for his novel La Symphonie du Loup, and Grand Prix Littéraire du Web 2012 for his latest novel Les Couleurs de l'hirondelle, speaks with the Belgian expert in communication, Geoffroy Gérard.

Simultaneous translation from French into Spanish.

With the collaboration of the Swiss Embassy in Spain and the Swiss Cultural Foundation Pro Helvetia.

The thriller writer talks about the action-packed, high-tension, mega-selling eighteenth book featuring his hero Jack Reacher.

Satish Kumar, a former monk and long-term peace and environmental activist, talks us through his life: his 8,000-mile peace pilgrimage, co-founding the Schumacher College, and his hopes for the future.

Following on the success of last year, the Professor of Behavioural Science at the LSE is back for part two of his now published and bestselling book Happiness by Design. Through ‘Decide, Design and Do’, he reveals the ways in which we can actually become happier without having to think too hard about it. Change what you do, not how you think, to get more pleasure and purpose in everyday life.

The creator of the famous blog issues a brilliantly bolshy and raucously funny rallying call to girls and women of all ages: The Vagenda asks real women everywhere to demand a media that reflects who we actually are.

The historian examines the context of the 1215 charter and its lasting impact on democracy today.