The latest episode of The Read Smart Podcast is dedicated to our Winner of Winners, James Shapiro, who won our 25th anniversary award two weeks ago today with 1599: A Year In the Life of William Shakespeare. Listen to Shapiro and Iqbal discuss the literary canon, the cultural significance of Shakespeare’s plays and the Bard’s influence on contemporary politics. Listen now to hear all about it. The podcast is generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation. For more podcasts from The Baillie Gifford Prize, click here. Follow @BGPrize on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube. If you’d like to hear more from James Shapiro, be sure to buy tickets for this event at Hay Festival on Wednesday 31 May to hear him in conversation with #BGPrize25 judge, Sarah Churchwell. Buy your tickets here: https://www.hayfestival.com/p-20481-james-shapiro-talks-to-sarah-churchwell.aspx?fbclid=IwAR08xm9H9X7iIgZ1HUYr-IvasUS1u_azUMEjYW7mTigPmwQqCDf3iEjueYk