24 July 2022
Episode 347
30 minutes
Arthur Snell is a former British diplomat who has held postings around the world. He speaks to Georgina Godwin about his new book, ‘How Britain Broke the World: War, Greed and Blunders from Kosovo to Afghanistan, 1997-2021’. It draws on extensive research and personal experiences to map out how British foreign policy has fuelled the decline of the liberal international order.
24 July 2022
Share episode
DownloadWant more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle’s email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
Meet the Writers - latest episodes
James Crawford
The Shetland-born writer and TV presenter, best known for BBC documentary series ‘Scotland from the Sky’, speaks to Georgina Godwin. His latest book, ‘The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break our World’, took him…
Monocle Reads: ‘Kick the Latch’
Georgina Godwin speaks to Los Angeles-based artist and writer Kathryn Scanlan about her brilliant new novel ‘Kick the Latch’. Based on transcribed interviews, it tells the story of one woman’s life on the racetrack.
Cal Flyn
The award-winning writer from the Scottish Highlands sits down with Georgina Godwin at Cheltenham Literature Festival. They speak about biodiversity, visiting Chernobyl and Flyn’s new book, ‘Islands of Abandonment: Life in…
Monocle Reads: Call and Response
Georgina Godwin speaks to writer Gothataone Moeng about her highly anticipated new collection of short stories ‘Call and Response’. Set between the rural village of Serowe and the capital Gaborone; the book tells stories…
Sarah May
The acclaimed British novelist and playwright speaks to Georgina Godwin about angry women, the suburbs and her latest book ‘Becky’, a modern reimagining of William Thackery’s ‘Vanity Fair’. Its eponymous character is a…
Monocle Reads: ‘The Wife of Bath: A Biography‘
Marion Turner is the JRR Tolkien Professor of English Literature and Language at the University of Oxford and an authority on Chaucer. She sits down with Georgina Godwin to discuss her new book, ‘The Wife of Bath: A Biog…
Howard Jacobson
The Booker Prize-winning author joined Georgina Godwin at Cheltenham Literature Festival to talk about his new memoir, ‘Mother’s Boy: A Writer’s Beginning’. Howard talks about becoming a writer at 40 and describes how his…
Monocle Reads: ‘Why the F*ck Can’t I Change?’
Georgina Godwin speaks to neuroscientist Gabija Toleikyte about her latest book, ‘Why the F*ck Can’t I Change?’, which takes us on a journey through the human brain and the science behind change. With simple tips and pra…
Sally Gardner
The award-winning author and illustrator sits down with Georgina Godwin. They discuss dyslexia, Sally’s early career in theatre and her new novel, The Weather Woman, which touches on topics such as climate change and gender…
Monocle Reads: ‘Invasion‘
Luke Harding is an award-winning foreign correspondent for ‘The Guardian’. He speaks to Georgina Godwin about his latest book, ‘Invasion: Russia’s Bloody War and Ukraine’s Fight for Survival’ – the first book of reportage…
The Best of 2022 – Part 2
To welcome in the new year, we look back at the people behind the prose that we’ve featured in 2022. In part two of two, we listen back to some of our favourite interviews with authors NoViolet Bulawayo, Ilja Leonard Pfe…
The Best of 2022 – Part 1
To celebrate the festive season we listen back to conversations with the award-winning authors Ruth Ozeki, Katherine Rundell, Percival Everett and the winner of the 2022 Booker Prize, Shehan Karunatilaka.
Jarvis Cocker
The musician best known as the frontman of Pulp sat down with Georgina Godwin at Cheltenham Literary Festival.
Monocle Reads: ‘The Elephant Conspiracy‘
Georgina Godwin sits down with former British anti-apartheid leader and cabinet minister Peter Hain to discuss his latest novel on the corrupt business of poaching, ‘The Elephant Conspiracy’. It is the sequel to his succ…
Paul Feig
Georgina Godwin meets US actor, director, comedian and film-maker Paul Feig. He is best known for directing ‘Bridesmaids’, ‘The Heat’ and ‘Ghostbusters’. His latest book is ‘Cocktail Time!: The Ultimate Guide to Grown-Up…
