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  2. Q&A
9 January 2018

Mary Beard Q&A: “Rome would have been ghastly for a woman without a fortune“

The classicist professor at the University of Cambridge talks Brexit, her Mastermind specialist subject and the best advice she’s ever received.

By New Statesman

What’s your earliest memory?

Collecting eggs from some rather frisky hens near my home in Shropshire. It gave me a lifelong fear of flapping wings.

Who was your childhood hero? And who is your adult hero?

I had a terrible fondness for the Ladybird book about Florence Nightingale when I was a child. I haven’t really had an adult hero. The more you know, the more (delightfully) flawed any candidate seems.

What was the last book that changed your thinking?

Dave Goulson’s A Sting in the Tale (which is, as the title puns, about bees). It managed to communicate the potential excitement of that kind of science – something I had never got before.

What political figure, past or present, do you look up to?

In general I think political figures are best not looked up to! But I would very happily spend a long evening with Hillary Clinton.

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What would be your Mastermind specialist subject?

The reign of the Emperor Nero, 54-68 CE. But I know I would be awful at it.

In which time and place, other than your own, would you like to live?

Most of history is so unattractive as a substitute for the 21st century, and ancient Rome would be ghastly, especially for an ordinary woman without a fortune. Can I opt for the future?

What TV show could you not live without?

I think I could live without TV much more easily than I could live without radio. Life would be pretty unimaginable without the Today programme.

Who would paint your portrait?

I would like to risk the brilliant eye of Jenny Saville (though probably with clothes on).

What’s your theme tune?

I have hundreds depending on the time of day and the mood. But I don’t think I will ever forget “The Man who Waters the Workers’ Beer”.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Have you followed it?

Always say “thank you”, and I certainly try to follow it. Maybe I am just getting old, but I find it really irritating when I spend half an hour answering some random classical query sent by email, and the enquirer doesn’t even bother to acknowledge.

What’s currently bugging you?

Brexit. Say no more.

What single thing would make your life better?

If I can’t have another couple of hours in each day, maybe I could have someone to mark exams for me. I love teaching, but examining is not a pleasant experience.

When were you happiest?

I hope I’m always happiest in the here and now. At the moment it is true that I can’t run around with the same energy that I used to, but I am doing fun things (like television) that I would never have dreamt of, even in my forties.

In another life, what job might you have chosen?

I did have a fantasy of becoming a judge (of the radical reforming sort), but I’m not sure I’d have been much good at the law.

Are we all doomed?

Of course we are. It’s called the “human condition”.

Mary Beard’s “Women & Power: A Manifesto” is published by Profile Books

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This article appears in the 03 Jan 2018 issue of the New Statesman, Young vs Old

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
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  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
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