Meet the Writers
Georgina Godwin in conversation with top authors. Explore their inspirations, writing processes, and the stories behind their books.
Latest Episodes
Robin Chase
Transportation entrepreneur Robin Chase co-founded Zipcar – the largest car-sharing company in the world – and Veniam, “an internet of moving things”. Her book ‘Peers Incorporated’ has been described as ‘The Wealth of Nations’ for the 21st century. It outlines a different and better way of living for individuals, communities,…
Marina Lewycka
After years as an unpublished writer Marina Lewycka’s first book ‘A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian’ was published when she was 57 years old. It sold more than one million copies worldwide and Lewycka went on to write three more bestsellers. She joins Georgina Godwin to talk about her…
Frank Gardner
Georgina Godwin talks to veteran journalist Frank Gardner, who in 2004 was shot and left for dead by Islamist gunmen. His work to explain the complexities of middle eastern politics, however, continued unabated and, as well as a memoir and an account of his life as a traveller and explorer,…
Sjon
Sjon’s love for words began as a teenager when he would decipher David Bowie lyrics. He published his first book of prose in 1987 but moved on to writing literature after reading ‘The Master and Margarita’ by Mikhail Bulgakov, which showed him that, unlike poetry, everything is possible in the…
Maggie O’Farrell
Ever longed to put on some white noise and encase yourself in a sensory deprivation bubble? This is one technique that helps Maggie O’Farrell achieve a polyphonic style of writing. One of the UK’s most assured, accomplished and inventive storytellers, Maggie O’Farrell has a brand new book out, ‘This Must…
Jesse Armstrong
“Difficult difficult lemon difficult.” Those words come from political satire ‘In The Loop’, co-written by Jesse Armstrong, one of the screenwriters behind comedy hits ‘Peep Show’, ‘Fresh Meat’ and feature film ‘Four Lions’. Now Armstrong has produced his first novel, ‘Love, Sex and other Foreign Policy Goals’. Without wanting to…
Hannah Rothschild
Imagine growing up as part of the Rothschild dynasty, surrounded by great art and great minds. Contrary to what some might think this family has had its struggles, namely the fight to reclaim its paintings from the Nazis. Hannah Rothschild, chair of London’s National Gallery, grew up heavily involved in…
Robin Dalton and Justin Cartwright
Former spy, film producer and 95-year-old doyenne of publishing Robin Dalton tells us about growing up in Sydney and Booker Prize nominee Justin Cartwright discusses his latest book ‘Up Against the Night’, and gives us his take on his birthplace of South Africa.
Alain de Botton
De Botton reclaimed the self-help genre in 2004 with ‘How Proust Can Change Your Life’ and has since written a stack of non-fiction books that attempt to philosophically unpick complex subjects. But his first book was a novel and now, 23 years later, he has released the sequel: an unromantic…
Joanne Harris
Few could resist the delicate indulgences of Joanne Harris’s debut novel ‘Chocolat’. The book was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film and Harris became an overnight success story. She’s gone on to write 14 more novels, two collections of short stories and three cookbooks, and has just published her latest book…
