This week’s episode features an interview with the writer Alan Lightman and a short reading from his book, Einstein’s Dreams. Alan Lightman is the author of several books that traverse the spaces of science fiction, spiritualism and philosophy, and the conversation reflects his journey across these domains.

The interview was first aired as part of a series called "Caught in Passing" on the University of Hyderabad's Campus Community Radio station, Bol Hyderabad, in 2017. It’s a few years on, and in the intervening period Alan has written a few more books, including, in 2018, In Praise of Wasting Time, something that is particularly relevant to our modern overworked, overscheduled lives, thrown into such disarray by the pandemic and the resulting lockdown.

Books by Alan Lightman mentioned in the episode

Einstein’s Dreams (2004, Vintage)

Song of Two Worlds (2017, Red Hen Press)

In Praise of Wasting Time (2018, TED Books)

The Diagnosis (2002, Vintage)

You can find the essay in Nautilus here: http://nautil.us/issue/16/nothingness/ingenious-alan-lightman

The clip of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata is from Wikimedia’s open access library: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moonlight_Sonata_Presto.ogg