Meet the Writers

Monocle Reads: DJ Taylor

DJ Taylor is a British critic, writer and novelist. He has written award-winning biographies of George Orwell and William Thackeray, as well as being longlisted for the 2011 Man Booker prize for his novel ‘Derby Day’. His latest book, ‘Lost Girls: Love, War and Literature 1939–1951’, explores the remarkable lives of four bohemian women in Blitz-era London’s literary scene.

Lalage Snow

Georgina Godwin talks to Lalage Snow, a freelance war correspondent, photographer and film-maker. Her first book, ‘War Gardens: A Journey Through Conflict in Search of Calm’, is a surprising, tragic and beautiful journey through the darkest places of the modern world that reveals the ways people make time and space for themselves and for nature even in the middle of destruction.

Henry Porter

Henry Porter is the former UK editor of ‘Vanity Fair’ and a long-standing campaigner for civil liberties. He has written five internationally bestselling thrillers. In this episode he talks to Georgina Godwin about journalism, press freedom, activism and his most recent book ‘White Hot Silence’, a prescient story of financial skulduggery involving Russians, populists and a feisty heroine.

Monocle Reads: Andy Cope Zest

This week Georgina sits down with Andy Cope. Andy is a British author, keynote speaker and former academic, and is the author of ‘Zest: How to Squeeze the Max Out of Life’. The author’s message is simple: “Life is a short and precious gift. Don’t send it back unwrapped.”

Louise Doughty

We meet novelist, critic and broadcaster Louise Doughty. Her last book, ‘Black Water’, was one of the New York Times Notable Books of the Year and her bestseller ‘Apple Tree Yard’ has been translated into 30 languages and adapted into a television series. ‘Platform Seven’, which has a ghost as the protagonist, is her most recent book and definitely one of this summer’s must-reads.

Monocle Reads: William Clegg

William Clegg is a British lawyer specialising in serious crime. He’s recently released a gripping behind-the-scenes memoir called ‘Under the Wig: A Lawyer’s Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence’. The book revisits some of Clegg’s most intriguing trials and, in the process, touches on the secrets of his profession as well as concerns that our right to a fair trial may now be at risk.

Adélaïde Bon

Adélaïde Bon is a French actor and writer. Her debut book is already a bestseller in France and now ‘The Little Girl on the Ice Floe’ has just been published in English. This compelling book, a powerful and personal account of the end of innocence, is changing the conversation around sexual violence.

Monocle Reads: Bill Samuel

Bill Samuel’s grandfather started the iconic London bookshop Foyles more than a century ago. In his new memoir, ‘An Accidental Bookseller’, Samuel tells the story of his lifelong relationship with Foyles. It covers fond childhood memories of his eccentric and brilliant grandfather, William Foyle, and touches on his own time in charge of the famous shop.

Nicola Tallis

This week we join Georgina Godwin as she talks to Nicola Tallis. Starting her career in the beauty industry she was told she shouldn’t bother with university. This talented historian, curator, lecturer and author now has a Phd and has published her fourth book on prominent women in history.

Monocle Reads: Dan Smith

Dan Smith discovers secrets about fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in his new book, ‘Sherlock Unlocked: Little-Known Facts About the World’s Greatest Detective’, which was published this year.

Victoria Hislop

Join Georgina Godwin as she talks to ‘Sunday Times’ bestselling author Victoria Hislop. Her first novel, ‘The Island’, was inspired by a visit to Spinalonga, the abandoned Greek leprosy colony. The book became an international bestseller and a 26-part television adaptation was screened in Greece. Now firmly established as one of our best-loved authors, she returns to Greece for her gripping new novel, ‘Those Who Are Loved’, set against the backdrop of German occupation, the subsequent civil w...

Monocle Reads: Caroline Taggart

Caroline Taggart worked in publishing as a non-fiction editor for 30 years before starting her career as an author with her books ‘I Used to Know That’ and ‘My Grammar and I’, which became ‘Sunday Times’ bestsellers. She’s recently published her latest book, ‘Improve Your Word Power’, which introduces the reader to different words that many won’t have come across before.

Damian Barr

On ‘Meet The Writers’ this week, join me, Georgina Godwin, as I talk to Damian Barr. His novel ‘Maggie and Me’ won ‘The Sunday Times’ Memoir of the Year and his latest novel, ‘You Will Be Safe Here’, has already received high praise. The conversation ranges from his abusive childhood, to his mentoring of other writers, how the British intervention in South Africa laid the groundwork for Apartheid and… the empathy of chickens.

Monocle Reads: ‘The Men Who Stare At Hens’

Simon Leyland is a city trader-turned-author whose most recent book, ‘The Men Who Stare At Hens’, explores the wonderful eccentricities of Irish history. His book covers more than 100 short biographies describing the more unusual habits of some famous Irish people.

Charles Cumming

Georgina Godwin talks to bestselling UK thriller writer Charles Cumming about his book ‘The Man Between’. Cumming has been described as one of the best of the new generation taking over from where John le Carré and Len Deighton left off. He’s won the Crime Writers’ Association Ian Fleming steel dagger award for best thriller and crime book of the year at the Bloody Scotland festival. He was even approached by MI6 to become a spy himself, an experience that inspired his career.

Monocle Reads: Hannah Critchlow

Georgina Godwin sits down with Hannah Critchlow, a UK scientist, writer and broadcaster, and author of ‘The Science of Fate: Why Your Future is More Predictable Than You Think’. The book explores the idea that concepts such as free will and destiny don’t exist. It also explains how anxieties and phobias are hardwired in our brain and can even be passed down through generations.

Sue Nelson and Wally Funk

As part of the Mercury 13, Wally Funk was one of the pioneering women of space travel, frequently outperforming male astronaut candidates in tests of endurance. But just one week before the final phase of training, the programme was abruptly cancelled. Politics and prejudice meant that Wally never flew into space. Undeterred, she went on to become an accomplished pilot and the first female aviation-safety inspector in the US. Sue Nelson, an award-winning science journalist and author of ‘Wall...

Monocle Reads: ‘Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees’

Conservation biologist Thor Hansen’s book ‘Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees’ outlines everything from the insects’ biology to their relationship with flowers, and discusses the threats posed to bees from climate change and pollution.

Dina Nayeri

Dina Nayeri fled Iran with her mother and brother at the age of eight. Her family eventually found their way to a rundown hotel in Italy before being granted asylum in the US. She tells us about the migrant experience, how taekwondo changed her life and describes the people she met during the writing of her book, ‘The Ungrateful Refugee’.

Monocle Reads: ‘The Clapback’

Elijah Lawal discusses his book ‘The Clapback’ with Georgina Godwin. It’s a non-fiction book that arms you with witty responses to harmful racist stereotypes. It examines the evolution of negative stereotypes towards the black community and gives you the tools you need to shut racism down with humour, historical context and detailed research.

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 a wait of 13 years, his new novel ‘Bridge of Clay’ has finally been published.

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 delves into the birth of showbusiness and the little-known fact that Queen Victoria was a huge ‘freak fancier’.

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 Post-Cold War World’, ‘Hillary Rising’ and ‘Clinton’s War on Terror’. He talks about the Clintons’ legacy – and the lasting impact of Monica Lewinsky.

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 a portrait of an era that forever changed the way we live, with words that gave hope to many who feared they would never find their logical family.

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 in the UK in 1936. As a tribute to this extraordinary woman, listen again to this episode of Meet The Writers in which Georgina Godwin meets Kerr, one of the authors she admires most.

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.

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.

Granta at 40

Granta is the hugely respected quarterly literary journal that publishes many of the world’s finest writers and photographers in themed issues, ranging from travel writing to investigative journalism. As it turns 40, Georgina Godwin speaks to one of its earliest editors, Ian Jack, and current editor and publisher Sigrid Rausing; she also hears from some Granta authors, including Hanif Kureishi.

Monocle Reads: Hay Festival

Hay Festival, which takes place in the Welsh border town of Hay-on-Wye, is now in its 32nd year. It has become one of the most important events on the UK’s cultural calendar and is celebrated worldwide as a place where participants of all ages are invited to imagine the world as it is – and as it might be. Its founder and director Peter Florence tells Georgina Godwin about the important conversations that will take place, the exciting writers and thinkers who will attend, and the festival’s c...

Bernard-Henri Lévy

Georgina Godwin talks to the French philosopher, described as “the most prominent intellectual in France today”. The author, journalist, filmmaker and performer is now the inspiration behind United Artists for Europe.

Monocle Reads: ‘The Universe Speaks in Numbers’

Graham Farmelo is an award-winning science writer and biographer, and the author of ‘The Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Maths Reveals Nature’s Deepest Secrets’.

Toby Faber

The independent publishing house Faber & Faber, which has been going for 90 years, remains at the forefront of British literature – producing Nobel laureates and Booker prizewinners, some of our finest poets and one of the best loved and longest running musicals in the world, ‘Cats’. Toby Faber is the grandson of the company’s founder, and also an author himself – we hear about his novel as well as the history of this illustrious family-run firm.

Monocle Reads: ‘Extraordinary Insects’

This week the UN told us that we’re facing a biodiversity crisis. Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson is a Norwegian conservation biologist and knows all about this. Her book ‘Extraordinary Insects: Weird. Wonderful. Indispensable. The ones who run our world’ is a bestseller in Norway and has been translated into more than 20 languages.

Sisonke Msimang

Sisonke Msimang is one of the most exciting contemporary female black voices in literature. Her family is originally from South Africa where they were involved with founding the ANC. She writes beautifully on race, gender and democracy. As all eyes turn towards the South African elections she talks about growing up in exile and escaping the generational scars of apartheid.

Monocle Reads:

Carlo Pizzati and Tishani Doshi

This husband and wife are both award winners: he’s a journalist and author from Italy, she’s an Indian poet, dancer and novelist. Both have new books out, centred around their home on the coast at Tamil Nadu – but the themes couldn’t be more different: from a light romp through the travails of an Italian son in law in India, to a dark story of secrets and family ties.

Zawe Ashton

Ashton is an actor best known for her role in ‘Fresh Meat’; she’s also a director, producer, screenwriter, playwright, editor, presenter and, now, a published author. Her debut book, ‘Character Breakdown’, is described as a work of fiction – but mostly fact. It provides an insight into red-carpet appearances, race and sexual harassment in a hugely affecting and authentic way.

Ben Elton

Ben Elton defined alternative comedy for a generation. He is a stand-up comedian, multi-award-winning novelist, playwright, screenwriter and lyricist. He is also a theatre, screen and television director and, very occasionally, an actor. Some of his most notable work is as a writer on ‘The Young Ones’, ‘Blackadder’ and the Queen musical ‘We Will Rock You’, as well as the television series ‘Upstart Crow’. He has published 16 novels, including his most recent ‘Identity Crisis’.

Sir Tim Waterstone

Waterstone utterly changed the cultural landscape in Britain by opening bookshops staffed by book lovers on most major high streets in the country. Knighted for his contribution to charity as well as publishing, he’s also written four novels, a business book and has now produced a memoir.

James Runcie

Son of a former archbishop of Canterbury, Runcie is author of 11 books including ‘The Grantchester Mysteries,’ a series of crime-fiction stories that are now a major television series. We ask him if he believes in God.

Live edition: Elif Shafak and Fatima Bhutto

For a special airing of the show we are live from Marylebone’s Daunt Books, in conversation with two inspiring novelists.

Zelda la Grange

La Grange is a white South African who grew up supporting apartheid. But, a few years after Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, she was travelling the world at his side. She talks about Mandela the man.

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Reid began her career in film production, switching to writing after being influenced by the actress Jennifer Aniston. For the past six years she’s produced a book a year: her latest, ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’, is based on Fleetwood Mac and is a wild story of the highs and lows of fame.

Michael Angele

Angele is the Swiss-German author behind ‘The Last Newspaper Reader,’ which was serialised in our seasonal newspaper. He’s also the editor of ‘Der Freitag’, European Newspaper of the Year in 2018. We talk about the importance of print as well as the ideal newspaper reader.

Niklas Natt Och Dag

A member of Sweden’s oldest surviving noble family, Och Dag is one of Scandinavia’s hottest new novelists. We talk about his journey into writing and debut novel ‘The Wolf and the Watchman’.

Adam Foulds

Adam Foulds is a celebrated poet and novelist who has been winning awards since he was first published – including being shortlisted for the Booker prize.

Sarah Churchwell

‘The American Dream’ and ‘America First’ are two of the most loaded, yet misunderstood, phrases in the US today. We discuss how they need to be understood afresh so that the true spirit of America can be reclaimed.

Cathy Rentzenbrink

Most of us have lost someone we love and know how difficult it is to cope with grief. Rentzenbrink has done more than just cope: she’s written about her experience in a powerful new book. We hear her personal story as she tells us how she puts pain – and hope – onto the page.

Adam Weymouth

Adam Weymouth spent most of his twenties as an environmental activist. More recently, he became aware of the plight of the king salmon in Alaska and went on a journey of more than 3,000km in a canoe up the Yukon River to investigate its decline – and the communities that depend on it. We discuss the resulting book.