Episode 249: Book Talk - How Central European émigrés transformed the British 20th century

In this near-final episode of 2025, the three co-hosts of Talk Eastern Europe reflect on the key political, social and geopolitical developments that shaped the region over the past year. They discuss waves of protest across several countries, the resilience of civil society, and the evolving security environment and geopolitical shifts since the start of 2025, including the impact of the new US presidency. The conversation also looks ahead to 2026 and considers what listeners should be watching in the year to come.

The opening part concludes with a reflection on the success of Talk Eastern Europe in 2025, as the co-hosts share their favourite episodes and recommend past conversations worth revisiting.

In the second part of the episode, Nina speaks with Owen Hatherley, a British writer, journalist and cultural critic known for his work on architecture, urbanism and politics, particularly modernism and communism. Together, they explore the profound influence of Central European émigrés on British architecture, culture and literature in the mid-20th century, tracing how these figures reshaped Britain’s intellectual and cultural landscape during and after the Second World War.

These themes are explored in depth in Owen’s book The Alienation Effect: How Central European Émigrés Transformed the British Twentieth Century: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/311898/the-alienation-effect-by-hatherley-owen/9780241378205

Some figures and references mentioned in the interview:

• Otti Berger – Croatian designer
• Eugene (Evžen) Rosenberg
• Josef Herman – Polish-British painter
• Jankel Adler – Polish painter
• Jan Tschichold – German calligrapher and typographer
• Hans Schmoller – German and British graphic designer
• Romek Marber – Polish-born graphic designer behind Penguin’s ‘Marber Grid’
• Walter Neurath and Eva Neurath – founders of Thames & Hudson
• Berthold Lubetkin – architect associated with Soviet Bauhaus and Vkhutemas
• Ernő Goldfinger – Hungarian architect, designer of London’s Balfron Tower and Trellick Tower
• Karel Čapek – Czech author and his book Letters from England
• Bertolt Brecht – German theatre practitioner, and the author of the Alienation theory (Verfremdungseffekt)
• Otto Neurath – Austrian polymath
• Dua Lipa – British-Albanian pop singer, born to Kosovar Albanian parents

For Talk Eastern Europe Patrons, Owen Hatherley stayed on for an extended discussion on Polish milk bars and their cultural significance which can be heard here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/249-bonus-polish-146141039