大象传媒

David Rieff has admitted ruefully that he鈥檚 made a career out of telling people what they don鈥檛 want to hear: whether it鈥檚 the politics of the global food crisis in his book 鈥淭he Reproach of Hunger鈥�, or the failure of the West to prevent the terrible bloodbath of Bosnia in his provocatively-titled 鈥淪laughterhouse: Bosnia and the failure of the West鈥�. As a war correspondent, Rieff has worked in the Balkans, in Rwanda and the Congo, in Israel-Palestine, in Afghanistan and Iraq. He鈥檚 not afraid to tackle the big issues: immigration, exile, American imperialism. There are thirteen books in all, including a memoir about his mother, the American writer Susan Sontag.

In Private Passions, David talks to Michael Berkeley about being 鈥淪usan Sontag鈥檚 son鈥�, and whether that label has at times been a burden. He鈥檚 her only child and Sontag was only 19 when he was born. He reflects on the privilege and yet strangeness of his New York upbringing, and how he has used that background 鈥渢o make a living being a critic of everything. That鈥檚 an immense privilege.鈥�

David Rieff is a passionate fan of Early music, and his choices include the 16th-century composer Orlando di Lassus, and Alfred Deller singing Purcell. Other choices include Bach鈥檚 moving cantata 鈥淚ch Habe Genug鈥�, Shostakovich, Beethoven, and Bluegrass.

A Loftus production for 大象传媒 Radio 3
Produced by Elizabeth Burke