Something Understood

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BBC Radio 4 LW

Religion & Ethics

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life, taking a spiritual theme and exploring it through music, prose and poetry

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Something Understood: Cars

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Cars

BBC Radio 4 - Something Understood, Cars

Poet Michael Symmons Roberts explores the spirituality of the car.

Poet Michael Symmons Roberts takes us on a journey to reveal our complex relationship with the car and how it means much more to us than getting from A to B.

The poet Michael Symmons Roberts takes us on a journey to reveal our complex relationship with the car and how it means much more to us than simply getting from A to B.

"Cars have only been around for a century," he reminds us, "but in that short span of time they have not just become ubiquitous in our towns and cities, but a permanent fixture in our cultural and metaphorical landscape. Why has the car grown into such a potent symbol, and what does it point to in ourselves and in the world?" 

In a search that includes fast cars, car crashes, sat navs and the car wash, Michael reveals that our vehicles have even entered our spiritual psyche - something he doesn't find that surprising. He explains, "It doesn't seem odd to me to find cars cropping up in mystical or religious stories or imaginings. There's something about the combination of the car as a sealed-off private space, like a monastic cell, and as a way of crossing great distances that lends itself to that treatment." 

Illustrating his journey with the poetry of Colette Bryce, Les Murray and Seamus Heaney, along with the music of Schubert, Janis Joplin and Tracey Chapman, Michael celebrates the mystery and meditative quality of driving and wonders, with the help of playwright and screenwriter David Mamet, whether the second coming itself might be by means of a mid-sized sedan.

Presenter: Michael Symmons Roberts
Producer: Michael Wakelin
A TBI Media production for BBC Radio 4.

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