Length: 54 minutes
Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empire/id1639561921?i=1000642853857
The introduction to this podcast episode sucked me in. It was eloquent and well presented. I didn’t know anything about the historical figure to be discussed but I wanted to learn more about Nader Shah after listening to the first minute.
It was clear from listening to this podcast that the hosts William Dalrymple and Anita Anand know a lot about history. They worked together well and at times it seemed like it was just two friends discussing history. This presented an informal listening atmosphere. At times it seems like they are easily sidetracked by neat historical facts that draw away from the topic of conversation.
There were often references to past episodes so it appears that these episodes build upon one another to present a wider view of the subject. The current topic is the Persian Empire. Despite this I felt that I could just begin with this episode and still learn. Dalrymple also does a good job of plugging his book during the podcast.
I felt like they tried to cover too much ground in this podcast and it might have been better suited for a couple of episodes. I feel like I learned interesting facts about Nader Shah but not quite as much substance as I would have liked.
Overall it was an enjoyable podcast. I will listen to a few more episodes and see if it makes it into my library.
“The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're so used to them we call them ordinary things.”
Hans Christian Andersen
“Society never advances. It recedes as fast on one side as it gains on the other. It undergoes continual changes: it is barbarous, it is civilized, it is rich, it is scientific; but this change is not amelioration. For every thing that is given, something else is taken. Society acquires new arts and loses old instincts.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
