{"podcast":{"title":"Breaking History","slug":"breaking-history-7169277","podcast_index_feed_id":7169277,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/RUNMED1049146638","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/fc45207a-cc97-11ef-9841-8bd73a0be712/image/c49635d185aa38c7dcae7201e60493ef.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"The Free Press","episode_count":55,"summary":"Sometimes the news moves so fast, you have to look closely to know if you’ve seen it before. And that’s what this show is about. Breaking History breaks down the news, by breaking down history. We cover everything from LBJ and the Roman Republic to Donald Trump and the chaos at Columbia. This twice a month show from The Free Press delivers the best historians, authors, and reporters by mining the archives of human experience to figure out the present. George Santayana wrote, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Tune in to Breaking History to resist the repetition.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-23T18:18:43.811453+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-history-7169277"},"episode":{"title":"Roald Dahl: Genius and Bigot","slug":"roald-dahl-genius-and-bigot","published_at":"2026-05-07T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-history-7169277/roald-dahl-genius-and-bigot","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-history-7169277","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/tracking.swap.fm/track/VOdNgcECFk0maZgOJbmx/traffic.megaphone.fm/CBS6650714853.mp3?updated=1778117409","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/tracking.swap.fm/track/VOdNgcECFk0maZgOJbmx/traffic.megaphone.fm/CBS6650714853.mp3?updated=1778117409","summary":"For tickets to our live recording with Jon Meacham in Philadelphia, click here and register. Use code TFP for a 20 percent discount. Roald Dahl gave the world Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He was also a vicious antisemite. A Broadway play about Dahl’s legacy; the new Michael Jackson biopic; Kanye West’s attempted redemption arc; all of these have the culture asking again: How do we approach brilliant art produced by morally compromised artists? Throughout history, some of the world’s preeminent literary geniuses have also been deeply bigoted, even monstrous people. In this episode, Shilo is joined by Eli Lake, host of Breaking History, for a conversation about these geniuses, from Voltaire to Norman Mailer, and why we should read their work despite their odious prejudices. Old School is proudly brought to you by the Jack Miller Center. If you believe in the importance of civic education and want to help prepare the next generation to carry on our democracy, join us at JackMillerCenter.org. Become a paid subscriber to The Free Press today to enjoy exclusive bonus episodes and reduced ads. Click here to subscribe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"For tickets to our live recording with Jon Meacham in Philadelphia, click here and register. Use code TFP for a 20 percent discount. Roald Dahl gave the w…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2958,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/breaking-history-7169277/episodes/roald-dahl-genius-and-bigot/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/breaking-history-7169277/roald-dahl-genius-and-bigot.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}