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Archive on 4: A Brief History of Cunning

A Brief History of Cunning

BBC Radio 4 - Archive on 4, A Brief History of Cunning

American satirist Joe Queenan explores cunning.

American satirist Joe Queenan explores cunning, from Odysseus to Bismarck, via Brer Rabbit and Machiavelli's The Prince, and asks where Donald Trump fits in the mix.

How cunning is Donald Trump? 

In Queenan on Cunning, the satirist Joe Queenan explores a word rarely associated with the current President of the USA. 

"From Odysseus to Bismarck, via Brer Rabbit and Machiavelli's The Prince, there's a fine tradition of tricksters and hucksters, but where does the Donald fit in the mix? 
You need patience, intelligence, forward planning - some of these are Trump-like qualities. Stress on the some. But he's by no means a modern day Odysseus. Not much of a sailor."

With contributions from Adam MacQueen, author of The Lies of the Land; Edith Hall, who wrote a cultural history of Homer's Odyssey; and Tibor Fischer, whose forthcoming novel is called How to Rule the World.

Plus John Sergeant, Kathy Lette, Richard Nixon, Alistair McAlpine, Laura Barton ... and a campaigning American president cross-faded with a much loved song from The Jungle Book.

The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde.

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