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Culture / Podcast

Meet the Writers

Want to know more about the authors behind your favourite books? Tune in to discover the methods of – and inspiration behind – some of the world’s most exciting writers. Every Saturday, Georgina Godwin hosts an in-depth discussion with the person behind the prose.

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Afonso Cruz:

Afonso Cruz has written more than 30 books, plays, young-adult novellas, essays and novels, including ‘Kokoschka’s Doll’, which won the EU Prize for Literature. His subsequent books have also found success: ‘Jesus Christ Drank Beer’ was Time Out Lisbon’s best Portuguese novel of the year; ‘Where do Umbrellas End Up’ won the 2014 Portuguese Society for Authors award. Cruz is also a columnist, illustrator, animated-film director and member of the band The Soaked Lamb.

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27428 Feb 2021
30 min

Afonso Cruz: 

Afonso Cruz has written more than 30 books, plays, young-adult novellas, essays and novels, including ‘Kokoschka’s Doll’, which won the EU Prize for Literature. His subsequent books have also found success: ‘Jesus Christ Drank Beer’ was Time Out Lisbon’s best Portuguese novel of the year; ‘Where do Umbrellas End Up’ won the 2014 Portuguese Society for Authors award. Cruz is also a columnist, illustrator, animated-film director and member of the band The Soaked Lamb.

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★25 Feb 2021
15 min

Monocle Reads: Bonnie Kemske: 

Bonnie Kemske is an artist, writer and former editor of ‘Ceramic Review’. Born in Okinawa but raised in the US, she studied the Zen Buddhist artform of Chanoyu in Japan before undertaking a PhD at the Royal College of Art, becoming a ceramicist and researcher. She speaks to Georgina Godwin about her latest book, ‘Kintsugi: The Poetic Mend’, which explores the unique tradition of repairing pottery with a visible, often gold-leaf-covered join.

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27321 Feb 2021
30 min

Richard Fidler: 

Georgina Godwin speaks to celebrated Australian writer and broadcaster Richard Fidler, best known for presenting ‘Conversations’ on ABC Radio, which is one of the most popular podcasts in the country. Having also forged a successful writing career, Fiddler’s latest book, ‘The Golden Maze’, is about the fascinating history of Prague.

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★18 Feb 2021
14 min

Monocle Reads: Caleb Azumah Nelson: 

Caleb Azumah Nelson is a writer and photographer from southeast London. He has been published in literary magazines such as ‘Litro’ and ‘Granta’, and was named by ‘The Observer’ as one of the 10 best debut novelists of the year. He was also shortlisted for the 2020 BBC National Short Story Prize. He speaks to Georgina Godwin about his eagerly anticipated debut ‘Open Water’.

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27214 Feb 2021
30 min

Florence de Changy: 

Florence de Changy’s recently released book ‘The Disappearing Act’ charts the disappearance of flight MH370, which took off from Kuala Lumpur heading for Beijing on 8 March, 2014, and was never, apparently, seen again. The French journalist spent seven years investigating this story and compiling a wealth of evidence to support her theory of what actually happened that day.

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★11 Feb 2021
24 min

Monocle Reads: Eliot Higgins: 

Eliot Higgins is the founder of investigative journalism website Bellingcat. Founded in 2014, Bellingcat has revealed crucial details in stories including the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, chemical weapons in Syria and the Skripal poisonings. He speaks to Georgina Godwin about his new book ‘We are Bellingcat: An Intelligence Agency for the People’.

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2717 Feb 2021
30 min

Francis Spufford: 

Georgina Godwin speaks to Francis Spufford, a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and professor at Goldsmiths University. At the beginning of his career, he specialised in non-fiction, writing five highly acclaimed books that saw him long- and shortlisted for prizes in scientific, historical, political and theological writing. He then made the shift towards fiction in 2010, with the highly acclaimed ‘Golden Hill’. Over the course of his writing career, he has won the Costa First Novel Award, the RSL Ondaatje Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize. His latest novel is ‘Light Perpetual’.

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★4 Feb 2021
13 min

Monocle Reads: Lipika Pelham : 

Lipika Pelham is a British-Bengali journalist and author, who worked for a number of years for the BBC World Service in London before moving to Jerusalem. Continuing her work for BBC radio there, she also made the award-winning documentary ‘Deadly Honour’. She speaks to Georgina Godwin about her latest book ‘Passing: An Alternative History of Identity’.

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27031 Jan 2021
30 min

Huck and Richard Scarry: 

The late Richard Scarry was one of the world’s most prolific children’s authors and illustrators. He published more than 300 books, selling more than 100 million copies across various languages. Georgina Godwin speaks to his son, Huck, who is also an author and illustrator, about continuing his father’s work.

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★28 Jan 2021
13 min

Monocle Reads: Nicholas Fox Weber : 

Nicholas Fox Weber is a cultural historian and executive director of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. He is the author of several books about the Bauhaus and Le Corbusier. He speaks to Georgina Godwin about his latest book, ‘Anni and Josef Albers: Equal and Unequal’, which details the life and work of the couple who were among the most important abstract artists of the 20th century.

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26924 Jan 2021
30 min

Alexandra Heminsley: 

Writer and bestselling author Alexandra Heminsley began her career in publishing before moving into journalism in 2004 and going on to become books editor at ‘Elle’. Her latest book, ‘Some Body To Love’ is an honest and thoughtful memoir that touches on difficult contemporary topics.

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★21 Jan 2021
12 min

Monocle Reads: Lyndsey Stonebridge : 

Lyndsey Stonebridge is a writer and professor of humanities and human rights at the University of Birmingham. A prolific author, her writing has earned her a number of accolades, including the Modernist Studies Association book prize. She speaks to Georgina Godwin about her latest book, ‘Writing and Righting: Literature in the Age of Human Rights’.

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26817 Jan 2021
30 min

Tim Sainsbury: 

Tim Sainsbury was responsible for the development and strategy of Sainsbury’s, one of the UK’s largest supermarkets. Aside from an illustrious initial career in retail, he is perhaps best known for being a Conservative politician. Over a political career that lasted more than 20 years, he had spells as minister of state for trade and minister for industry. An avid art collector in his spare time, his book, ‘Among the Supporting Cast’, details his fascinating and varied life.

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★14 Jan 2021
21 min

Monocle Reads: Cory Doctorow: 

Cory Doctorow is a journalist, activist and science fiction author. His output has ranged across short stories, novels and graphic novels, including multiple ‘New York Times’ best sellers. He is also a passionate copyright law and intellectual property activist. He speaks to Georgina Godwin about his latest novel ‘Attack Surface’, a stand-alone title set in the world of his previous books, ‘Little Brother’ and ‘Homeland’.

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26710 Jan 2021
30 min

Chris Atkins and Lottie Moggach: 

Chris Atkins was jailed for tax fraud and has written an eye-opening book about the experience, ‘A Bit of a Stretch’. His former partner Lottie Moggach also uses memories of the time to inform her novel ‘Brixton Hill’. Georgina Godwin speaks to them together to find out more about the experience and the resulting books.

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