The Shakespeare and Company Interview
403 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 44 ratingsDiscover your next favourite book, or take a deep dive into the mind of an author you love, with The Shakespeare and Company Interview podcast.
Long-form interviews with internationally acclaimed authors, recorded from our bookshop in the heart of Paris. Hosted by S&Co Literary Director, Adam Biles.
Discover all our upcoming events here.
If you enjoy these conversations, you can order The Shakespeare and Company Book of Interviews here.
Past guests include: Ottessa Moshfegh, Ian McEwan, Ali Smith, Har Kunzru, Rachel Kushner, Katie Kitamura, Elif Shafak, Claire-Louiose Bennett, Leïla Simoni, Ian Dunt, David Runciman, Richard Powers, Eimear McBride, Armando Iannucci, Lauren Grodd, Lauren Elkin, Recebcca Solnit, John Berger, Hollie McNish, Michael Pedersen, Rob Doyle, Philippe Sands, George Saunders, Edouard Louis, Rachel Cusk, Preti Taneja, Alejandro Zambra, DBC Pierre, Meg Mason, Sandra Newman, David Simon, Joshua Cohen, Geoff Dyer, David Wallce-Wells, Emul Saint-John Mandel, Mohsin Hamid, Tess Gunty, A.M. Homes, John Higgs, Miriam Toews, Kamila Shamsie, Annie Ernaux, William Boyd, David Keenan, Jonathan Coe, Coco Mellors, Tom Mustill, Jeanette Winterson, Sarah Churchwell, Katy Hessel, Don Paterson, Elizabeth McCracken, Meena Kandasamy, Aleksandar Hemon, Catherine Lacey, Xiaolu Guo, M. John Harrison, Dolly Adderton, Hernan Diaz, Kathryn Scanlan, Ben Lerner, Isabel Waidner, Nick Laird, Adam Thirlwell, Mark O'Connell, Marie Darrieussecq, Jo Ann Beard, C Pam Zhang, Naomi Klein...and many, many more.
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Episodes
John Freeman on Dictionary of the Undoing
January 08, 2020 16:07 - 1 hour - 112 MBWe were joined by John Freeman to discuss his extraordinary Dictionary of the Undoing, described by Publishers Weekly “a protest, a poem, and a plea . . . a pocket manual for informed political dissent and a must-read for all thinking citizens.”
Jeanette Winterson on Frankissstein
December 18, 2019 20:25 - 1 hour - 106 MBWe were joined by Jeanette Winterson for a reading from Frankissstein, her riotous reimagining of Mary Shelley’s classic.
Rachel Cusk on Coventry
December 12, 2019 20:53 - 1 hour - 93.3 MBWe were joined by Rachel Cusk to discuss Coventry, an expansive and eloquent collection of essays from “one of the smartest writers alive” (New York Times).
Deborah Levy on The Man Who Saw Everything
December 05, 2019 18:03 - 53 minutes - 79.5 MBWe were joined by the brilliant Deborah Levy to discuss her electrifying new novel The Man Who Saw Everything.
Lisa Brennan-Jobs on Small Fry: A Memoir
November 28, 2019 15:17 - 1 hour - 93.5 MBWe were joined by Lisa Brennan-Jobs to discuss her frank, smart and captivating account of growing up in California, as the daughter of iconoclastic Apple founder Steve Jobs.
Amelia Abraham on Queer Intentions: A (personal) journey through LGBTQ+ culture
November 28, 2019 14:46 - 1 hour - 97.8 MBWe were joined by journalist Amelia Abraham to discuss her “eloquent, empathetic and passionate” (Owen Jones) debut Queer Intentions: A (personal) journey through LGBTQ+ culture. She was in conversation with novelist Yelena Moskovich.
Nina Leger on The Collection
November 21, 2019 20:17 - 57 minutes - 50.9 MBWe were joined by one of the most interesting and provocative voices in French literature, Nina Leger, discussing her prize-winning novel The Collection.
An evening with the OuLiPo
November 21, 2019 20:13 - 1 hour - 110 MBParisian members of the OuLiPo read and discussed selections from the English-language anthology All That Is Evident Is Suspect: Readings from the Oulipo: 1963 - 2018.
With Paris in Mind: An evening with young Parisian artists
November 06, 2019 17:00 - 55 minutes - 83 MBWe hosted the launch of With Paris in Mind: Talking with Artists of This Generation, the first book by Will Mountain Cox, cofounder of international literature magazine the Belleville Park Pages. Will was joined by Yotam Ben-David, Bianca Bondi and Adam Naas.
James Gregor on Going Dutch
October 28, 2019 15:54 - 53 minutes - 82 MBWe were joined by the wonderful James Gregor to read from and discuss Going Dutch, his “novel of simply unremitting goodness” (Gary Shteyngart).
Sinéad Gleeson on Constellations: Reflections From Life
October 23, 2019 14:57 - 1 hour - 96.7 MBWe were joined by Sinéad Gleeson to discuss her “utterly magnificent. Raw, thought-provoking and galvanising” (Eimear McBride) essay collection Constellations: Reflections From Life
Casey Cep on Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
October 10, 2019 19:44 - 1 hour - 102 MBWe were joined by Casey Cep whose Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud and the Last Trial of Harper Lee brings the incredible story of a Reverend serial killer and his murder trial to light, interwoven with a vivid, elegiac account of Harper Lee’s quest to write another book.
David Wallace-Wells on The Uninhabitable Earth
October 08, 2019 12:23 - 1 hour - 112 MBWe were joined by David Wallace-Wells to discuss The Uninhabitable Earth, one of the most devastating but galvanising climate-change books to be written in recent years.
Lauren Elkin, Stephanie La Cava and Saskia Vogel in conversation
October 03, 2019 15:34 - 1 hour - 102 MBRiffing on Permission, Saskia Vogel's debut novel about love, loss, BDSM and the roles women play in the patriarchy, authors Lauren Elkin (Flâneuse, the forthcoming Art Monsters) and Stephanie La Cava (the forthcoming The Superrationals) joined Vogel for readings and conversation that explored the spaces women are relegated to and those they carve out for themselves, sexual expectations and transgressions, and the current landscape of art and literature from the perspective of three writers w...
Poetry in the Library: Richard Scott
October 03, 2019 14:25 - 37 minutes - 56.6 MBWe were joined by Richard Scott for a reading from his first book Soho.
Dorian Lynskey on The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell's 1984
September 24, 2019 17:22 - 1 hour - 102 MBWe were joined by Dorian Lynskey, author of The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell's 1984 for a riveting evening delving into the history and influence of one of the 20th century’s most important novels
Greta Bellamacina with poets from New River Press
September 16, 2019 14:59 - 58 minutes - 88.7 MBWe were joined by Greta Bellamacina for the launch of Poemas (2015-2018), her latest collection, published in a bilingual (English/Spanish) edition by Valparaíso. She was joined by poets from New River Press reading from current and forthcoming releases.
Sara Pascoe on Sex Power Money
September 12, 2019 14:33 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBWe were joined by award-winning comedian Sara Pascoe to discuss her attempt to understand the things that really matter to humans - Sex Power Money.
Philip Hoare on Leviathan
August 01, 2019 21:05 - 1 hour - 104 MBWe were joined by Philip Hoare to revisit his modern classic Leviathan, the story of the writer’s obsession with whales and his fascination with Moby-Dick.
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan on Starling Days
August 01, 2019 20:53 - 45 minutes - 70.5 MBWe were joined by the Desmond Elliot-shortlisted author of Harmless Like You to read from her moving new novel Starling Days.
Caroline Criado Perez on Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
July 18, 2019 18:34 - 1 hour - 108 MBWe were joined by Caroline Criado Perez to discuss one of the most powerful and important books this year, the brilliant Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men.
Elif Shafak on 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World
July 11, 2019 18:28 - 59 minutes - 91.2 MBWe were joined by “one of the best writers in the world today” (Hanif Kureishi ), Elif Shafak to discuss her haunting and beautiful new novel 10 Minutes 38 seconds in this Strange World.
Desperate Literature Salon
July 04, 2019 19:06 - 58 minutes - 85.5 MBWe celebrated the winners of the 2nd annual Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize, a prize for innovative and experimental fiction based out of the Madrid bookshop Desperate Literature.
Valeria Luiselli on Lost Children Archive
June 28, 2019 11:56 - 1 hour - 107 MBWe were joined by Valeria Luiselli to discuss her "impossibly smart . . . highly readable and important" (Tommy Orange) new novel Lost Children Archive.
Paris as Textual Space
June 25, 2019 16:04 - 1 hour - 94.5 MBParis as fetishised object, as lived-in place, as site of experiential process; as a written entity. Andrew Gallix and Andrew Hodgson talk literary engagement with the city of Paris, to mark the publication of two edited collections on the topic. They were joined by contributors to both books who read from their work.
Miriam Toews on Women Talking
June 25, 2019 16:00 - 57 minutes - 82.3 MBWe were joined by Miriam Toews to discuss her “amazing, sad, shocking, but touching novel” (Margaret Atwood), Women Talking.
Niven Govinden on This Brutal House
June 18, 2019 15:24 - 55 minutes - 79.9 MB'Vivid prose reinventing ideas of motherhood, belonging and taking us into the community of drag balls and protest, both personal and political' Jenni Fagan We were joined by the exceptional Niven Govinden to discuss his vital fifth novel This Brutal House.
Josh Cohen on Not Working
June 17, 2019 14:53 - 1 hour - 97.1 MBWe were joined by Josh Cohen to discuss his brilliant Not Working: Why We Have to Stop, a book about how inactivity works – and how it can be a necessary and creative condition for a life worth living.
Kristen Roupenian on You Know You Want This
June 06, 2019 19:47 - 53 minutes - 77.5 MBWe were joined by Kristen Roupenian, the author of “Cat Person”—“the short story that launched a thousand theories” (The Guardian), discussing her new collection, You Know You Want This.
Tommy Orange on There There
June 04, 2019 20:09 - 51 minutes - 76 MBWe were joined by Tommy Orange, author of one of the most celebrated debut novels in recent years, the stunning There There.
Ayşegül Savaş on Walking on the Ceiling
June 04, 2019 20:07 - 55 minutes - 79.9 MBWe were joined by Ayşegül Savaş to read from and discuss her “quiet, intense, and moving.” (LitHub) début novel, Walking on the Ceiling.
Daisy Johnson on Everything Under
June 03, 2019 16:27 - 46 minutes - 67.9 MBWe were joined by Daisy Johnson, the youngest writer ever to be shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, to discuss the novel which earned her that accolade, Everything Under.
The White Review
June 03, 2019 16:24 - 1 hour - 99.8 MBWe were joined by Daniel Levin Becker, Nina Leger and Daniel Medin to discuss the politics of translation.
Will Storr on The Science of Storytelling
June 03, 2019 15:32 - 38 minutes - 55.7 MBWe were joined by the brilliant Will Storr to unpick The Science of Storytelling.
40 Years of Granta magazine, with Ian Jack & Sigrid Rausing
May 14, 2019 18:41 - 1 hour - 95.7 MBTo celebrate forty years of Granta magazine we were joined with editor Sigrid Rausing and former editor Ian Jack.
Tash Aw on We, the Survivors
May 02, 2019 15:04 - 1 hour - 92.4 MBWe were joined by Tash Aw to discuss his devastating new novel We, the Survivors.
Ben Okri on The Freedom Artist
April 25, 2019 18:31 - 1 hour - 89.4 MBWe were joined by Man Booker-winner Ben Okri to discuss his new novel, The Freedom Artist, an impassioned plea for freedom and justice, set in a world uncomfortably like our own.
Damian Barr on You Will Be Safe Here
April 25, 2019 18:29 - 1 hour - 89.7 MBWe were joined by the wonderful Damian Barr, author of the bestselling memoir Maggie & Me, to discuss his astonishing début novel You Will Be Safe Here.
Marilyn Hacker on Blazons
April 25, 2019 18:28 - 43 minutes - 61.4 MBWe were joined by Marilyn Hacker, for a reading from Blazons, collecting a quarter century’s work by one of the most elegant and pertinent poets working in English.
Poetry in the Library: A K Blakemore & Martha Sprackland
April 25, 2019 18:25 - 50 minutes - 72.6 MBWe were joined by two cutting-edge Offord Road Books poets, A K Blakemore & Martha Sprackland.
Viv Albertine on To Throw Away Unopened
April 11, 2019 19:20 - 48 minutes - 68.4 MBWe were joined by Viv Albertine to discuss of her second volume of memoirs, the brilliant and moving To Throw Away Unopened.
Madeline Miller on Circe
April 04, 2019 18:46 - 59 minutes - 52 MBWe were joined by the brilliant Madeline Miller to read from and discuss her feminist slant on the Odyssey, Circe.
Yvan Alagbé on Yellow Negroes and Other Imaginary Creatures
March 28, 2019 19:10 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBWe were joined by graphic novelist Yvan Alagbé to discuss his extraordinary experiment in visual storytelling, Yellow Negroes and Other Imaginary Creatures.
Par Mer et Par Terre/By Water, by Land
March 28, 2019 17:19 - 1 hour - 53.2 MBPar Mer et Par Terre/By Water, by Land: Transformation, Translation and Travels in Language and Culture. We were joined by Abbi Patrix, Erica Wagner and Vigga Bro for an exceptional storytelling performance and discussion in our café.
Ariana Harwicz on Feebleminded
March 28, 2019 15:55 - 1 hour - 55.2 MBWe were joined by Ariana Harwicz to celebrate the translation of her stunning second novel Feebleminded.
John Baxter on A Year in Paris
March 14, 2019 21:04 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MBWe were joined by the incomparable John Baxter to discuss his new book A Year in Paris.
Meena Kandasamy on When I Hit You
March 07, 2019 21:17 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBWe were joined by poet, fiction writer, translator and activist Meena Kandasamy to discuss her acclaimed second novel When I Hit You.
Special Edition Podcast: A.M. Homes reads I Am Waiting by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
February 28, 2019 17:16 - 4 minutes - 5.23 MBThroughout the month of March we'll be celebrating the centenary of a dear friend of the bookshop, the poet, publisher, artist and activist Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Every event this month will begin with a reading of one of Ferlinghetti's poems, something that was inspired by another friend of the bookshop, A.M. Homes, who visited us last summer and began her event with this reading of I Am Waiting.
Poetry with Jenni Fagan & Scarlett Sabet
February 26, 2019 17:37 - 50 minutes - 43.6 MBThis Valentine’s Day we were joined by Jenni Fagan reading from her recent collection There's A Witch in the Word Machine, and Scarlett Sabet launching her new collection Camille.
Joe Dunthorne on The Adulterants
February 26, 2019 17:36 - 51 minutes - 48.8 MBWe were joined by Joe Dunthorne to read from and discuss his “blisteringly funny” (Paul Murray) novel The Adulterants.