Meet the Writers
Georgina Godwin in conversation with top authors. Explore their inspirations, writing processes, and the stories behind their books.
Latest Episodes
Monocle Reads: Emily Thomas
Dr Emily Thomas talks to Georgina Godwin about her new book, ‘The Meaning of Travel’. What compels people to travel and what impact does it have on society? ‘The Meaning of Travel’ traverses the places where philosophy and travel intersect, from the 16th century to the present day. Emily discusses…
Christos Tsiolkas
Christos Tsiolkas is an Australian born to Greek immigrant parents whose breakthrough novel, ‘The Slap’, was longlisted for the Booker prize in 2010. He talks about religion, shame and his most recent book, ‘Damascus’.
Monocle Reads: Major General Paul Nanson
Georgina Godwin is joined by Major General Paul Nanson. Serving in Northern Ireland, the Gulf War, Bosnia and Iraq, Paul’s military career has spanned three decades. Now he has put experience down on paper in the form of a self-help book. ‘Stand Up Straight’ provides the reader with 10 life…
Maaza Mengiste
Maaza Mengiste is a bright new force in international literature. She tells Georgina Godwin about her new book, ‘The Shadow King’, which casts a light on the women who went to war in the late 1930s in Ethiopia, the country of Mengiste’s birth.
Monocle Reads: Josie Goodbody
On this week’s Monocle Reads, Georgina Godwin speaks to Josie Goodbody. A jewellery expert, and author of the Jemima Fox Mysteries, a series of novels exploring the exciting topic of Jewellery Heists.
Timur Vermes
Former journalist Timur Vermes’s debut novel, ‘Er Ist Wieder Da’ (‘Look Who’s Back’), topped the Spiegel Bestseller list in 2011 and has since been translated into 27 languages and adapted for the screen. Vermes’s imagined return of Adolf Hitler to modern Berlin announced the German writer as a bold new…
Monocle Reads: Jonathan Heawood
Jonathan Heawood – journalist, campaigner and founder of the UK’s first independent press regulator – speaks to Georgina Godwin about the problems facing modern media in the digital age.
Kim Ghattas
Emmy award-winning journalist Kim Ghattas, who was born and raised in Lebanon, has spent two decades reporting on the Middle East. Her new book, ‘Black Wave’, examines the destructive rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia post-1979.
Monocle Reads: Samra Habib
We speak to Samra Habib, a writer, feminist and voice for gay muslims. Her new book, a memoir titled ‘We Have Always Been Here’, explores identity, faith, love and art, from her childhood in Pakistan to escaping religious persecution and emigrating to Canada.
Omar Shahid Hamid
Omar Shahid Hamid is an award-winning Pakistani writer. A serving member of the Karachi Police, he has been actively targeted by various terrorist groups and wounded in the line of duty. He’s hailed for his ability to translate the complexity of life in Pakistan, especially the criminal underbelly of Karachi,…
