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Backlisted

270 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 497 ratings

The literary podcast presented by John Mitchinson and Andy Miller. For show notes visit backlisted.fm and get an extra two shows a month by supporting the pod at patreon.com/backlisted

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Episodes

The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy

October 01, 2018 06:00 - 1 hour

This week John and Andy are joined by novelist and literary journalist Sarra Manning (author of The Rise and Fall of Becky Sharp) to discuss Elaine Dundy's sparkling debut The Dud Avocado and its follow-up The Old Man and Me. Other books under discussion are Anna Burns's Man Booker-shortlisted Milkman and Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, published 150 years ago and still startlingly relevant.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)10'41 - Daniel Deronda by George Elliot19'25 - Milkm...

Ulverton by Adam Thorpe

September 17, 2018 06:00 - 1 hour

For a special episode recorded at the End of the Road festival in Dorset, John and Andy are joined by author and critic Tom Cox to talk about Adam Thorpe's 1992 debut novel Ulverton. Other books discussed include Sally Rooney's new novel Normal People and Mott the Hoople singer Ian Hunter's recently reissued Diary of a Rock'n'Roll Star. Further details can be found via our website at backlisted.fm.* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our bookshop at uk.booksho...

A Girl in Winter by Philip Larkin

September 03, 2018 06:00 - 55 minutes

For the final episode recorded at this year's Port Eliot festival in Cornwall, John and Andy are joined by authors Nina Stibbe and returning guest Simon Garfield to discuss Philip Larkin's second and final novel A Girl In Winter, and Larkin's place in the national psyche. Warning: this episode contains poetry readings, dentistry and a hip-hop remix of This Be The Verse.8'00 - A Girl in Winter by Philip LarkinTimings: (may differ due to variable advert length)* To purchase any of the books men...

The Lion and the Unicorn by George Orwell

August 20, 2018 05:51 - 1 hour

For the second of three episodes recorded at the Port Eliot festival in Cornwall, John and Andy are joined by songwriter and activist Billy Bragg and journalist and critic Suzi Feay to talk about George Orwell's The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius. This special episode features audience participation on a scale never before heard on Backlisted - make sure you keep listening until the very end of the Q&A session...Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)0'00 -...

How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read by Pierre Bayard

August 06, 2018 06:00 - 56 minutes

For the first of three episodes recorded at this year's Port Eliot festival in Cornwall, John and Andy are joined by author Cathy Rentzenbrink and actor and writer Ben Moor to talk about Pierre Bayard's How To Talk About Books You Haven't Read. Three members of the panel have read the book and one hasn't - join the audience in trying to work out who is dissembling (and whether it matters).Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)7'06 - How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read by Pie...

The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien

July 23, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour

John and Andy are joined by Unbound co-founder and co-author of Crap Towns Dan Kieran and returning guest Dr Una McCormack, NYT bestselling novelist and co-director of the Anglia Ruskin University Centre for Science Fiction and Fantasy, to discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's The Return of the King, the third part of The Lord of the Rings. Andy also talks about Russell Hoban's classic Riddley Walker, while John has been reading Crudo, the acclaimed new novel by Olivia Laing.Timings: (may differ due to va...

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer

July 09, 2018 05:56 - 1 hour

John and Andy are joined by writer and editor Nikesh Shukla to discuss Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, ZZ Packer's groundbreaking collection of stories, first published in 2003. Andy also talks about Lissa Evans's new novel Old Baggage, while John has been reading Problems by Jade Sharma.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)7'36 - Old Baggage by Lissa Evans14'07 - Problems by Jade Sharma21'35 - Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this epi...

Told by an Idiot by Rose Macaulay

June 25, 2018 05:55 - 1 hour

This week John and Andy are joined by super-librarian Nancy Pearl, possibly the only librarian in the world to have their own action figure, to discuss Rose Macaulay's gloriously eccentric family saga Told by an Idiot. John has been reading Sally Bayley's acclaimed bibliomemoir Girl With Dove, while Andy waxes lyrical over Andrew Sean Greer's Pulitzer-winning novel Less (and has a surprise in store...) This episode was recorded in the library at the recent Stoke Newington literary festival.Ti...

Told By An Idiot by Rose Macaulay

June 25, 2018 05:55 - 1 hour - 53.9 MB

This week John and Andy are joined by super-librarian Nancy Pearl, possibly the only librarian in the world to have their own action figure, to discuss Rose Macaulay's gloriously eccentric family saga Told By An Idiot. John has been reading Sally Bayley's acclaimed bibliomemoir Girl With Dove, while Andy waxes lyrical over Andrew Sean Greer's Pulitzer-winning novel Less (and has a surprise in store...) This episode was recorded in the library at the recent Stoke Newington literary festival.

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

June 10, 2018 21:04 - 59 minutes

For a special episode recorded at the Bath Festival, we discuss Angela Carter's astonishing collection The Bloody Chamber (1979), much of which was conceived while Carter lived in Bath. Andy and John are joined by novelist Rachel Heath, Boundless editor and critic Arifa Akbar, and journalist and artistic director of words and literature at the Bath Festival, Alex Clark. This episode also includes the panel's thoughts on Philip Roth, whose death had been announced that morning.Timings: (may di...

My Ántonia by Willa Cather

May 28, 2018 05:42 - 1 hour

Hermione Lee joins John and Andy to discuss the work of American novelist Willa Cather and, in its centenary year, her pioneering novel My Ántonia. John also talks about Wilding by Isabella Tree and Andy revisits one his favourite books, Graham Greene's The End of the Affair.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our bookshop at uk.bookshop.org/shop/backlisted where all profits help to sustain this podcast and U...

The Fatal Englishman by Sebastian Faulks

May 13, 2018 23:00 - 1 hour

The poet Rishi Dastidar joins John and Andy to talk about Sebastian Faulks' least known and first non-fiction title, The Fatal Englishman: Three Short Lives.Also in this episode Andy talks about the Patrick Melrose novels by Edward St Aubyn while John has been enjoying Folk by Zoe Gilbert. Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)8'35 - The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St Aubyn16'55 - Folk by Zoe Gilbert21'45 - The Fatal Englishman by Sebastian Faulks* To purchase any of the boo...

Corregidora by Gayl Jones

April 30, 2018 05:43 - 1 hour

Professor Sarah Churchwell introduces Andy and John to the phenomenal Corregidora by Gayl Jones, a book steeped in the blues and the American slavery legacy. Other books they've read are Rain on the Pavements by Roland Camberton and In Pursuit of Spring by Edward Thomas.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)13'00 - Rain on The Pavement by Roland Camberton19'31 In Pursuit of Spring by Edward Thomas24'30 Corregidora by Gayl Jones* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this ep...

The Lowlife by Alexander Baron

April 15, 2018 22:42 - 1 hour

John and Andy are at the dogs this week, discussing the 1963 cult novel The Lowlife by Alexander Baron. They are joined by London enthusiast Peter Watts(the first person to write a biography of Battersea Power Station) and Gary Budden, author and director of ground-breaking indie Influx Press.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)8'06 - Ludo and the Star Horse by Mary Stewart14'49 - Rex v Edith Thompson: A Tale of Two Murders by Laura Thompson20'36 - The Lowlife by Alexander Baro...

Something Happened by Joseph Heller

April 02, 2018 06:00 - 1 hour

Authors Matt Thorne and Nikita Lalwani join John and Andy to discuss the ‘other’ masterpiece by Joseph Heller, Something Happened, first published in 1974. Also in this episode John talks about Brother, a new novel by David Chariandy, while Andy has been reading Ursula Bentley's 1983 debut The Natural Order.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)5'45 - The Natural Order by Ursula Bentley, 17'11 - Brother by David Chariandy21'24 - Something Happened by Joesph Heller* To purchase an...

The Town House by Norah Lofts

March 19, 2018 06:57 - 1 hour

This week John and Andy are joined by journalist and author Lucy Mangan, whose new memoir of childhood reading Bookworm has just been published by Square Peg. They discuss Norah Lofts' novel The Town House (1959), the first of her 'Suffolk house' trilogy. Andy also talks about Words Best Sung by Lee Stuart Evans, and John has been reading Emmanuel Carrère's The Kingdom.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length) 7'44 - Words Best Sung by Lee Stuart Evans16'30 - The Kingdom by by Emman...

Berg by Ann Quin

March 02, 2018 18:05 - 1 hour

This week Andy and John are joined by Jennifer Hodgson, editor of 'The Unmapped Country', a collection of British experimental writer Ann Quin's lost work. They discuss Quin's debut novel, Berg, with its opening sentence: 'A man called Berg, who changed his name to Greb, came to a seaside town intending to kill his father. . . '. John also talks about Yorkshire: A Lyrical History of England's Greatest County by Richard Morris, and Andy has been reading Andrew Hankinson's You Could Do Somethin...

Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson

February 19, 2018 06:51 - 1 hour

John and Andy welcome authors Chris Power and Erica Wagner to discuss the multiple interlocking stories in Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson, including the phantasmagoric 'Car Crash While Hitchhiking'. In addition Andy has been reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke and John takes a look at Fen by Daisy Johnson.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)8'25 - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke15'53 - Fen by Daisy Johnson21'33 - Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson* To ...

Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel

January 28, 2018 17:08 - 1 hour

Critic and editor of Boundless Arifa Akbar joins John and Andy to discuss Hilary Mantel's tale of mediums and malevolence in the M25 corridor, Beyond Black. Tony White's 'The Fountain in the Forest' and 'Mothers' by Chris Power are the books we've been reading this week.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)4'49 - The Fountain in the Forest by Tony White10'55 - Mothers by Chris Power18'34 - Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode plea...

Lost Horizon by James Hilton

January 22, 2018 10:20 - 1 hour

Music producer, gallery owner and now novelist Tot Taylor joins John and Andy to discuss James Hilton's 1933 novel about an earthly paradise in the far Himalayas. And the various iterations of the story that came after.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)4'22 - Lifting the Latch: A Life on the Land by Sheila Stewart11'19 - Hearing Secret Harmonies by Anthony Powell22'28 - Lost Horizon by James Hilton* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our book...

À Rebours by J.-K. Huysmans

January 08, 2018 10:50 - 1 hour - 77 MB

In a special edition of the show recorded at Shakespeare & Co. in Paris, John and Andy are joined by the bookstore's owner Sylvia Whitman and author Adam Biles to discuss Huysmans' novel of aesthetic isolation A Rebours.

À Rebours by Joris-Karl Huysmans

January 08, 2018 10:50 - 1 hour

In a special edition of the show recorded at Shakespeare & Co. in Paris, John and Andy are joined by the bookstore's owner Sylvia Whitman and author Adam Biles to discuss Huysmans' novel of aesthetic isolation A Rebours.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)8'20 - An Account of the Decline of the Great Auk, According to One Who Saw It: A John Murray Original by Jessie Greengrass, 17'19 - Eve's Hollywood by Eve Babitz, 26'35 - À Rebours by J.-K. Huysmans* To purchase any of the bo...

On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming

December 25, 2017 07:19 - 1 hour

In a special Christmas edition (which of course can be listened to at any time of year) John & Andy welcome Jude and James Cook to discuss Ian Fleming's most festive Bond novel, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. There's discussion of the films, the music, and the sometimes questionable attitude to women, the French and drinking. Also talked about in the 'What We've Been Reading' slot; Kindred by Octavia Butler and Alys Fowler's Hidden Nature.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)6...

Fire And Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones

December 10, 2017 22:28 - 1 hour - 69.7 MB

Author and illustrator Alice Stevenson and her childhood friend, playwright Elinor Cook join John and Andy to talk about Diana Wynne Jones's novel of memory, childhood and friendship.

Fire & Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones

December 10, 2017 22:28 - 1 hour

Author and illustrator Alice Stevenson and her childhood friend, playwright Elinor Cook join John and Andy to talk about Diana Wynne Jones's novel of memory, childhood and friendship.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)4'02 - Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward10'14 - The Journey Home and Other Stories by Malachi Whittaker17'13 - Fire & Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our bookshop at uk.bookshop.org/shop/backlis...

Alma Cogan by Gordon Burn

November 27, 2017 07:01 - 1 hour

In a special edition recorded earlier this year live at the Durham Book Festival, John and Andy are joined by writers Adele Stripe and Ben Myers to discuss Gordon Burn's debut novel Alma Cogan. The 'WHWBR?' slots are occupied by Pevsner's guide to Durham and The Buried Giant by Kazuo IshiguroTimings: (may differ due to variable advert length)2'45 - County Durham Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England by Roberts, Martin, Pevsner, Nikolaus, Williamson, Elizabeth10'35 - The Buried Gi...

To Serve Them All My Days by R.F. Delderfield

November 10, 2017 07:07 - 1 hour

Writer and author Jenny Colgan joins John and Andy to discuss R.F. Delderfield's epic of life in an English boarding school between the wars. Craig Brown's 'Ma'am Darling' and 'Priestdaddy' by Patricia Lockwood are the books we've been reading this week.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)7'42 - Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons8'30 - Priest Daddy by Patricia Lockwood13'45 - Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown21'31 - To Serve Them All My Days by R F...

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson

October 30, 2017 07:39 - 59 minutes - 68.1 MB

For our annual Halloween episode John Mitchinson and Andy Miller are joined by Fiona Wilson and Andrew Male to discuss Shirley jackson's final novel 'We Have Always Lived In The Castle'. In this show's 'What We Have Been Reading' slot John discusses 'True Ghost Stories of Our Own Time' by Vivienne Rae-Ellis, while Andy puts forward 'Going ON THe Turn', the third memoir from Danny Baker.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

October 30, 2017 07:39 - 1 hour

For our annual Halloween episode John Mitchinson and Andy Miller are joined by Fiona Wilson and Andrew Male to discuss Shirley Jackson's final novel 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle'. In this show's 'What We Have Been Reading' slot John discusses 'True Ghost Stories of Our Own Time' by Vivienne Rae-Ellis, while Andy puts forward 'Going on the Turn', the third memoir from Danny Baker.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)5'07 - True Ghost Sories Of Our Own Time by Vivienne Rae-...

Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf

October 16, 2017 06:01 - 59 minutes

In a special live edition of Backlisted, recorded in front of an audience at Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford, John and Andy are joined by Mark Haddon, author of 'The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time' and Sally Bayley, author and tutor in English at Balliol and St. Hugh's Colleges, Oxford. The panel discuss Jacob's Room, the third novel from Virginia Woolf.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)4'42 - Love, Madness, FIshing by Dexter Petley9'30 - The Lucky Ones by Julia...

Adventures In The Screen Trade by William Goldman

October 02, 2017 06:08 - 1 hour - 81.7 MB

Simon Garfield, author of The Wrestling, The Nation's Favourite and A Notable Woman, amongst others joins John and Andy to discuss William Goldman's groundbreaking account of his life as a Hollywood screenwriter.

Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

October 02, 2017 06:08 - 1 hour

Simon Garfield, author of The Wrestling, The Nation's Favourite and A Notable Woman, amongst others joins John and Andy to discuss William Goldman's groundbreaking account of his life as a Hollywood screenwriter.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)35'23 - Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our bookshop at uk.bookshop.org/shop/backlisted where all profits help to sustain this podcast and UK indep...

Look At Me by Anita Brookner

September 17, 2017 16:34 - 1 hour

In a long awaited episode John Mitchinson and Andy Miller are joined by Una McCormack and Lucy Scholes to discuss Anita Brookner's third novel 'Look At Me', a tale of intergalactic piracy in a far off star syste... No, not really. 'The Cake And The Rain', Jimmy Webb's memoir of life in the 60's music industry, and 'We That Are Young' a reworking of King Lear set in India by Preti Taneja, are the books John & Andy have been reading. Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)6'09 - The...

Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry

September 04, 2017 06:42 - 1 hour

John and Andy are joined by poet, radio presenter, playwright and genuine Tyke Ian McMillan to discuss Malcolm Lowry's unique work Under the Volcano. Also; The Factory of Light by Michael Jacobs, and more Rosemary Tonks. Do you have a problem with that?Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)3'57 - The Factory of Light by Michael Jacobs8'54 - The Bloater by Rosemary Tonks15'20 - Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit ...

Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry

September 04, 2017 06:42 - 1 hour - 69.3 MB

John and Andy are joined by poet, radio presenter, playwright and genuine Tyke Ian McMillan to discuss Malcolm Lowry's unique work Under The Volcano. Also; The Factory of Light by Michael Jacobs, and more Rosemary Tonks. Do you have a problem with that?

Some Bits To Listen To While We Go On Our Holidays

August 21, 2017 07:19 - 41 minutes

Even your favourite podcasts need to take a holiday... but hopefully this collection of off cuts, tall tales, terrible name dropping and the occasional bit of literary chat will help tide you over until we return at the beginning of September Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Desperate Characters by Paula Fox

August 07, 2017 07:32 - 1 hour

Author William Fiennes joins Andy and John for a bumper edition to talk about 'Desperate Characters', Paula Fox's New York set novel of relationships and feral cats. Also; William's First Story charity, Adam Scovell's Folk Horror and Sarah Hall's story collection Madame Zero, plus more on the mysterious Rosemary Tonks.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)13'34 - Folk Horror: Hours Dreadful and Things Strange by Adam Scovell 22'15 - The Wolf Border by Sarah Hall33'48 - Desperate ...

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Anita Loos

July 24, 2017 06:06 - 57 minutes - 53 MB

In this edition of the podcast that gives new life to old books novelist Joanna Walsh and critic and academic Sarah Churchwell join John & Andy to talk about Anita Loos' Jazz Age novel. Also discussed: The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, and Bedouin of the London Evening, an anthology of poems by Rosemary Tonks.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos

July 24, 2017 06:06 - 1 hour

In this edition of the podcast that gives new life to old books novelist Joanna Walsh and critic and academic Sarah Churchwell join John & Andy to talk about Anita Loos' Jazz Age novel. Also discussed: The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, and Bedouin of the London Evening, an anthology of poems by Rosemary Tonks.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)6'14 - The Fact of a Body by Alex Marzano-Lesnevich12'45 - Bedouin of the London Evening by Rosemary Tonks25'11 - Gen...

Haunts Of The Black Masseur - Charles Sprawson

July 09, 2017 19:39 - 1 hour - 58.2 MB

Author and critic Alex Preston and Rachael Kerr, Unbound's Editor at large, join John and Andy around the table to discuss Charles Sprawson's ground breaking 'Haunts Of The Black Masseur', together with all things aquatic. The subtitle of the book is 'The Swimmer As Hero' and Sprawson's book tells the tale of literary swimmers from Byron to Cheever. Also discussed; Outskirts by John Grindrod and Bleaker House by Nell Stevens.

Haunts of the Black Masseur by Charles Sprawson

July 09, 2017 19:39 - 1 hour

Author and critic Alex Preston and Rachael Kerr, Unbound's Editor at large, join John and Andy around the table to discuss Charles Sprawson's ground breaking 'Haunts Of The Black Masseur', together with all things aquatic. The subtitle of the book is 'The Swimmer As Hero' and Sprawson's book tells the tale of literary swimmers from Byron to Cheever. Also discussed; Outskirts by John Grindrod and Bleaker House by Nell Stevens.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)7'19 - Outskirts:...

Father And Son - Edmund Gosse

June 24, 2017 11:30 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MB

Sarah Perry, bestselling author of The Essex Serpent, joins John and Andy to discuss Edmund Gosse's account of growing up the son of a widowed Victorian fundementalist preacher. The trio also talk about Attrib. and Other Stories by Eley Williams, and Spanish Crossings, the second novel by John Simmons.

Father and Son by Edmund Gosse

June 24, 2017 11:30 - 1 hour

Sarah Perry, bestselling author of The Essex Serpent, joins John and Andy to discuss Edmund Gosse's account of growing up the son of a widowed Victorian fundementalist preacher. The trio also talk about Attrib. and Other Stories by Eley Williams, and Spanish Crossings, the second novel by John Simmons.Timings (may differ due to variable advert length)3'43 - Attrib. & Other Stories - Eley Williams11'46 Spanish Crossing John Simmons18'57 - Father and Son by Edmund Gosse* To purchase any of the ...

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead - Crystal Zevon

June 12, 2017 06:15 - 1 hour - 56.8 MB

Author and editor Richard T. Kelly joins John and Andy in the studio to discuss 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead' The Dirty Life And Times of Warren Zevon' by Crystal Zevon. They also discuss the art of the oral history, and run through some of their favourites, including Simon Garfield's The Wrestling and Edie - An Americna Biography by Jean Stein.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead by Crystal Zevon

June 12, 2017 06:15 - 1 hour

Author and editor Richard T. Kelly joins John and Andy in the studio to discuss 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead' The Dirty Life And Times of Warren Zevon' by Crystal Zevon. They also discuss the art of the oral history, and run through some of their favourites, including Simon Garfield's The Wrestling and Edie - An Americana Biography by Jean Stein.Timings: (may differ due to adverts)9'57 - Edie by Jean Stein17'20 - The Beatles Anthology26'25 - The Wrestling by Simon Garfield,31'09 The Nations Favo...

Tell Me How Long The Train's Been Gone - James Baldwin

May 29, 2017 08:39 - 1 hour - 57 MB

Novelist Niven Govinden joins John and Andy to discuss James Baldwin's 1968 novel 'Tell Me How Long The Train's Been Gone'. Also discussed: 'The World My Wilderness' by Rose Macaulay, and 'The Gallows Pole' by Ben Myers. Oh, and Lissa Evans' scene stealing turn in 'The Finest', the film adaptation of her WWII set novel.

Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone by James Baldwin

May 29, 2017 08:39 - 1 hour

Novelist Niven Govinden joins John and Andy to discuss James Baldwin's 1968 novel 'Tell Me How Long The Train's Been Gone'. Also discussed: 'The World My Wilderness' by Rose Macaulay, and 'The Gallows Pole' by Ben Myers. Oh, and Lissa Evans' scene stealing turn in 'The Finest', the film adaptation of her WWII set novel.Timings: (may differ due to adverts)11'01 - Infinite Tuesday: An Autobiographical Riff by Michael Nesmith 12'16 The World my Wilderness by Rose Macauley15'51 - The Gallows Po...

The Gift - Vladimir Nabokov

May 15, 2017 05:55 - 59 minutes

Writer and critic Catherine Taylor joins John and Andy to discuss Vladimir Nabokov's parting love letter to Russia and it's literature, The Gift. Also; singing with nightingales and reading Richard Mabey's book about the same bird, David Storey's Booker Prize winning 'Saville', and Bob Dylan's song and dance routine.Timings: (may differ due to adverts)9'22 - The Book of Nightingales by Richard Mabey 14'56 - Saville by David Storey 25'04 - The Gift - Vladimir Nabokov* To purchase any of the b...

Honeymoon by Patrick Modiano

May 01, 2017 06:46 - 1 hour

Novelist Rupert Thomson joins John & Andy to talk about the work of French author Patrick Modiano, who's work explores the effect of the German occupation of his homeland during the Second World War. There's also a special edition of 'What I've Read This Week', where John talks about 'Identity of England' by Robert Colls, while Andy sets a bit of a puzzle...Timings: (may differ due to adverts)5'17 - Anon. by Anon.14'04 - Identity of England by Robert Coles21'39 - Narcissism for Beginners by M...

Honeymoon - Patrick Modiano

May 01, 2017 06:46 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MB

Novelist Rupert Thomson joins John & Andy to talk about the work of French author Patrick Modiano, who's work explores the effect of the German occupation of his homeland during the Second World War. There's also a special edition of 'What I've Read This Week', where John talks about 'Identity of England' by Robert Colls, while Andy sets a bit of a puzzle...