Meet the Writers
Georgina Godwin in conversation with top authors. Explore their inspirations, writing processes, and the stories behind their books.
Latest Episodes
Markus Zusak
When Zusak’s parents arrived in Sydney they could neither read not write English – yet he has gone on to sell 16 millions copies of ‘The Book Thief’, which has spent more than 500 weeks on the ‘New York Times’ bestseller list and been made into a major film. After…
Monocle Reads: ‘The Wonders: Lifting the Curtain on the Freak Show, Circus and Victorian Age’
Georgina Godwin meets Dr John Woolf, a historian and researcher who talks about his book ‘The Wonders: Lifting the Curtain on the Freak Show, Circus and Victorian Age’. Revealing the dark truth behind the hit film ‘The Greatest Showman’, this is a radical new history of the Victorian era. Woolf…
Deborah Moggach
Georgina Godwin sits down with Deborah Moggach in the acclaimed author’s garden on the UK’s south coast to discuss her brilliant new novel, ‘The Black Dress’. It follows Pru, who becomes a serial funeral crasher in the hope of curing her loneliness after her husband leaves her out of the…
Monocle Reads: Dr James D Boys on the legacy of Bill and Hillary Clinton
Dr James D Boys is an expert on the political history of the US, its current politics, US ‘grand strategy’ and the country’s presidency – with a particular focus on Bill Clinton’s administration. Boys is the author of three books to date: ‘Clinton’s Grand Strategy: US Foreign Policy in a…
Armistead Maupin
Georgina Godwin talks to one of America’s finest storytellers Armistead Maupin, the man who gave us ‘Tales of the City’. In this interview, first aired after the release of his memoir ‘Logical Family’ and rebroadcast to mark the Netflix screening of ‘Tales of the City’, we examine books that paint…
Monocle Reads: ‘The AI Does Not Hate You’
Science journalist Tom Chivers talks to Georgina Godwin about the risks of AI, where it might lead us and his first book, The AI Does Not Hate You: Superintelligence, Rationality and the Race to Save the World.
Remembering the late Judith Kerr
On 22 May beloved author Judith Kerr died at the age of 95. She captured the hearts of countless children with books including ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ and her series of books featuring Mog the cat. Born in 1923, Kerr escaped Nazi Germany with her family, who settled…
Monocle Reads: Jaipur Literature festival at the British Library
We speak to Namita Gokhale, founder and director of the annual ZEE Jaipur Literature festival. A taste of the festival will be at the British Library from 14-16 June to celebrate South Asia’s unique literary heritage.
Elif Shafak
Georgina Godwin talks to award-winning novelist Elif Shafak, the most widely read female author in Turkey. She’s previously been chosen by *Politico* as one of 12 people who can make the world better. This far-reaching interview includes discussion about issues of identity, language and her most recent book, *10 Minutes…
Monocle Reads: The Bookseller’s editor in chief Philip Jones
On Monocle Reads this week, Georgina Godwin speaks to Philip Jones. He is the editor in chief of The Bookseller, a weekly magazine which reports news from the publishing industry. The organisation also runs several prizes for the industry and publishes various specials annually.
