The Idea of Genius

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We think we know what a genius is: a tortured poet; rebellious scientist; monstrous artist; or a tech disruptor. You can tell what a society values by who it labels as a genius says Helen Lewis in her new book, The Genius Myth: The Dangerous Allure of Rebels, Monsters and Rule-Breakers. From Leonardo da Vinci to Elon Musk, she asks if the modern idea of genius, as a class of special people, is distorting our view of the world.

With ten platinum albums Tupac Shakur was one of the stars of hip hop music when he was murdered at the age of 25. His music was very influential and his name is also associated with the legacy of Black Panther politics. In Words for My Comrades: A Political Biography of Tupac Shakur, Dean Van Nguyen argues that while much of the energy of the Black political movement was absorbed by the commercial music culture of the 1990s – Tupac’s contribution lives on today.

Gertrude Stein was considered a genius by some, a charlatan by others. She posed for Picasso’s portrait; hosted Matisse and Hemingway in Bohemian Paris; and she dazzled American crowds on her sell-out tour for her sensational Autobiography of Alice B Toklas, a version of the relationship with her partner. Francesca Wade’s new book Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife, explores the creation of the Stein myth.

Presenter: Adam Rutherford Producer: Ruth Watts