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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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Michael Morpurgo:

Michael Morpurgo is a multi-award-winning, bestselling author, known for his children’s books, notably ‘War Horse’. A former Children’s Laureate, he’s written more than 100 titles, as well as screenplays and libretti for opera. Morpurgo’s work often tackles social issues; his most recent book, ‘Boy Giant’, is based on ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ and features an Afghan refugee.

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★21 Nov 2019
25 min

Monocle Reads: Brian Rosenwald: 

Brian Rosenwald is editor in chief of ‘Made by History’, a new section in ‘The Washington Post’. He is also a researcher for the ‘Slate’ podcast, ‘Whistlestop’. Georgina Godwin sits down with him to discuss his new book, ‘Talk Radio’s America: How An Industry Took Over A Political Party that Took Over the United States’.

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20617 Nov 2019
30 min

Michael Morpurgo: 

Michael Morpurgo is a multi-award-winning, bestselling author, known for his children’s books, notably ‘War Horse’. A former Children’s Laureate, he’s written more than 100 titles, as well as screenplays and libretti for opera. Morpurgo’s work often tackles social issues; his most recent book, ‘Boy Giant’, is based on ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ and features an Afghan refugee.

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★14 Nov 2019
15 min

Monocle Reads: Eva Vonk: 

In the ecological wonderland of the Congo Basin, the remote Odzala-Kokoua National Park remains at odds with a rapidly changing world. Georgina Godwin speaks to Eva Vonk about her book “Congo Tales”, which began as a call to action to save the second-largest tropical forest in the world, and documents the stories of the people who live there.

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20510 Nov 2019
30 min

Daniel Rachel: 

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.

DownloadPlay
★7 Nov 2019
14 min

Monocle Reads: Alwyn Turner: 

Some of Alwyn Turner’s finest books are a series of in-depth looks into modern British history, where he explores the social, political and cultural issues of each decade. ‘A Classless Society: Britain in the 1990s’ is his most recent effort, exploring everything from Tony Blair to Britpop.

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2043 Nov 2019
30 min

Fatima Bhutto: 

Georgina Godwin speaks to Fatima Bhutto about her book ‘New Kings of the World: Dispatches from Bollywood, Dizi and K-pop’, a look at how US cultural dominance is being challenged.

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★31 Oct 2019
17 min

Monocle Reads: Stig Abell: 

The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction announces its shortlist of six – five of whom are women. Stig Abell, chair of the judges and editor of The Times Literary Supplement, talks to Georgina Godwin about the importance of the female gaze, the role of empathy in literature and how, in the wake of Booker, choosing one winner is necessary.

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20327 Oct 2019
30 min

Howard Jacobson: 

has been nominated for the Booker prize three times, winning it once in addition to many other awards. He’s also a broadcaster, columnist and academic. He is known for his humour, which often revolves around his UK Jewish characters. His 16th novel, ‘Live a Little’, is about nonagenarian love.

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★24 Oct 2019
17 min

Monocle Reads: Tom Phillips: 

Discussing the so-called ‘post-truth’ culture, Tom Phillips, editor of independent fact-checking organisation Full Fact, tells Monocle Reads how humans have treated truth throughout history and identifies habits that encourage our tale-twisting tendencies.

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20220 Oct 2019
30 min

Booker prize special: Bernardine Evaristo: 

We talk to the chair of the Booker prize judges about the controversial decision to split this year’s award between two writers: Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo. Evaristo herself tells us all about her career and winning book, ‘Girl, Woman, Other’.

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★17 Oct 2019
15 min

Monocle Reads: Richard Davies: 

Former economics editor at ‘The Economist’, Richard Davies also served as advisor to the chancellor. His book ‘Extreme Economies’ explores life at the world’s margins. He travelled thousands of miles and interviewed 500 people to examine how humans and markets adapt to their environments, no matter how varied.

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20113 Oct 2019
30 min

Simon Callow: 

We meet one of the most respected British actors of our time. He’s also a master biographer, having taken us inside the minds of Charles Dickens and Orson Welles; his latest book takes us beyond the curtains of London’s greatest theatres.

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★10 Oct 2019
9 min

Monocle Reads: Alexandros Yannis: 

Alexandros Yannis is a European diplomat and author. His new novel, ‘Chimera’, is a political thriller, a travel adventure and a twisted love story set in a dystopian future; he shares his thoughts with Georgina Godwin.

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2006 Oct 2019
30 min

Simon Doonan: 

On Meet The Writers this week, Georgina Godwin talks to Simon Doonan, the author, media personality and window dresser. His work has featured in many major publications and he decorated the White House on behalf of the Obamas. Doonan has also designed film sets, is the creative ambassador of New York department store Barneys, and has appeared in the NBC show ‘Making It’ as well as several pop videos. His new book is all about drag.

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★3 Oct 2019
6 min

Monocle Reads: Cheltenham Literature Festival: 

The oldest literature festival in the world celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. It kicks off in the spa town of Cheltenham on 4 October and over the course of 10 days of literary revelry, 900 of the world’s best writers, brightest thinkers and inspiring performers will descend. We hear more from programme director Nicola Tuxworth.

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