HISTORY
The Partisan Coffee House
Thursday 4 December 2008 20:00-20:30 (Radio 4 FM)
Historian Mike Berlin tells the story of a short-lived but influential left-wing coffee house set up in London's Soho in 1958 and considers what happened to the political and cultural optimism that flourished after it closed in 1961.
Founded by Raphael Samuel, a young radical historian, the Partisan aimed to recreate a European-style meeting place for politically engaged young people in the wake of such events as the Suez Crisis and the Hungarian Revolution.
Featuring interviews with surviving Partisan participants including the historian Eric Hobsbawm and the sociologist Stuart Hall.
