THE GENIUS MYTH with Helen Lewis

The tortured poet. The rebellious scientist. The monstrous artist. The tech disruptor.

You can tell what a society values by who it labels as a genius. You can also tell who it excludes, who it enables, and what it is prepared to tolerate.
Taking us from the Renaissance Florence of Leonardo da Vinci to the Floridian rocket launches of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Helen Lewis unravels a word that we all use — without really questioning what it means.
Along the way, she uncovers the secret of the Beatles’ success, asks how biographers should solve the Austen Problem, and reveals why Stephen Hawking thought IQ tests were for losers (before taking one herself). And she asks if the modern idea of genius — a class of special people — is distorting our view of the world.

Helen Lewis will be 'In Conversation' with Rafael Behr, and she will also be signing copies of her new book, The Genius Myth, which will be available to purchase on the night.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Helen Lewis is a staff writer at The Atlantic who writes about politics and culture. Her first book, Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights, was a Sunday Times bestseller and a Guardian, Telegraph and Financial Times book of the year. She is the writer and presenter of the BBC podcast series The New Gurus and Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat, and co-host of Radio 4’s Strong Message Here, with Armando Iannucci.

CHAIR BIOGRAPHY

Rafael Behr is a political columnist for the Guardian. He is a former Political Editor for the New Statesman, Chief Leader Writer and Online Editor for The Observer, a business news reporter for BBC online and a foreign correspondent for the Financial Times, based in the Baltic region and Russia. Rafael is a regular contributor to Prospect Magazine, a guest on BBC and Sky News and a speaker at UK think tanks, and he also hosts the Politics on the Couch podcast.

Thinking of coming with friends? Why not add to your special night out and enjoy the show in the comfort of a private booth and table. Booths are available for 4, 5 & 6 people. See the 'BOOK A BOOTH' options in the ticket sale section.

You can also order a copy of Helen Lewis' new book in advance, at a discounted price*. See the TICKET+DISCOUNTED BOOK option in the tickets sale section.
(* Discounted price £18 , RRP £22. Pre-ordered book will be signed and ready for collection on the night).

• DOORS OPEN: 7:00pm
• TALK STARTS: 7:30pm
• AUDIENCE Q&A: 8:30pm
• BOOK SIGNING: 9:00pm (Books available to purchase on the night)