Simon Schama | Foreign Bodies: Pandemics, Vaccines, and the Health of Nations

Pine Tree Foundation Endowed Lecture In conversation with Maiken Scott ''A historian of prodigious and varied gifts'' (San Francisco Chronicle), Simon Schama is the author of 20 books, including The Embarrassment of Riches; Scribble, Scribble, Scribble; and the National Book Critics Circle Award winner Rough Crossings, an account of the enslaved people who escaped to fight for the British during the American Revolutionary War. A professor of art history and history at Columbia University, he has written and presented more than 40 documentaries for the BBC, PBS, and The History Channel, including the seminal 15-part series A History of Britain, the Emmy-winning Power of Art, and The Story of the Jews, based on his two-volume millennia-spanning work. Schama is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 2018, he was knighted for his contributions to historical scholarship. In Foreign Bodies, he offers a vigorous cultural history of the complex relationship between pandemics and the crusaders who battle them. Maiken Scott is the host and executive producer of WHYY's The Pulse - a weekly, national health and science radio show and podcast that explores the people and places at the heart of health and science. Since its launch in December 2013, The Pulse has crafted a unique, ''ground-level'' approach to telling compelling stories and breaking down complicated issues. The show airs on more than 100 public radio stations across the country and its podcast is presented by NPR Because you love Author Events, please make a donation to keep our podcasts free for everyone. THANK YOU! (recorded 9/20/2023)