Book Club
Best of the Spectator
Book Club: Matthew Sweet – The Great Dictator
- Published
- October 7, 2026
- Duration
- 44:50
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Oct 28, 2026
Discusses daily, society, culture.
Summary
In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by author Matthew Sweet to discuss his new biography, The Great Dictator, about the bestselling novelist Barbara Cartland.They explore the extraordinary life behind Barbara Cartland’s instantly recognisable image – from her beginnings in the aftermath of the First World War to her career as one of the …
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Show notes
In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by author Matthew Sweet to discuss his new biography, The Great Dictator, about the bestselling novelist Barbara Cartland.They explore the extraordinary life behind Barbara Cartland’s instantly recognisable image – from her beginnings in the aftermath of the First World War to her career as one of the bestselling authors of all time.They discuss why Cartland was so often dismissed as a joke by literary critics, and how her novels offered gene
Themes
- daily
- society
- culture