Monocle 24: Meet the Writers

Georgina Godwin meets Yael Van Der Wouden and Rachel Clarke, the winners of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction and Non-Fiction for their works ‘The Safekeep’ and ‘The Story of A Heart’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Miranda Cowley Heller speaks to Georgina Godwin at Adelaide Festival about the personal and literary crucible of her upbringing in a bohemian family of artists and writers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ewan Morrison joins Georgina Godwin to discuss the inspiration behind his ninth book, For Emma. His first science-fiction novel follows a grieving father in search of answers after the death of his daughter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tiffany Watt Smith joins Georgina Godwin to discuss her new release, ‘Bad Friend’, which explores the dynamics of female friendships with personal insights from Smith’s own life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Broadcaster Jeremy Vine sits down with Georgina Godwin to share details about his upbringing in Surrey, his entry into reporting as a political correspondent and writing a cosy mystery novel, Murder on Line One.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gazan journalist Ahmed Alnaouq joins Georgina Godwin to discuss his upbringing, losing family in a 2014 Israeli bombing and co-founding We Are Not Numbers, a network dedicated to sharing Palestinian stories beyond the headlines.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lynda La Plante speaks to Georgina Godwin about the latest addition to her Detective Jack Warr series, ‘Crucified’, as well as her research methods, personal challenges and experiences with psychics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgina Godwin is joined by Jenny Mustard to discuss her upbringing in Sweden, new novel ‘What A Time To Be Alive’ and the challenges of writing literary fiction.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AC Grayling has written theses and philosophies about society and the world for decades. His latest work, ‘Discriminations: Making Peace in the Culture Wars’, proffers the argument that discrimination is a human rights issue and if fully respected, there would be no discrimination. Speaking to Georgina Godwin, Grayling shares insights into his upbringing, starting his own university and the issues behind the culture wars.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As an award-winning journalist, Rachel Shabi has reported for ‘The Times’, ‘The Guardian’, Al Jazeera English and many more besides. Her coverage of the Middle East, in particular the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the resurgence of antisemitism, led to ‘Off White: The Truth About Antisemitism’. The book addresses the need to understand and confront antisemitism at a time when it is being downplayed and exploited. Shabi speaks to Georgina Godwin about her upbringing, the fluidity of Jewish identity and the historical context of antisemitism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephen May has a penchant for reimagining the lives of historical figures and his new novel, ‘Green Ink’, is a case in point. May evocatively explores what could have happened on firebrand politician Victor Grayson’s last day. The former socialist MP suspiciously disappeared one night in September 1920. May joins Georgina Godwin to share insights on writing, creativity and his role at Arts Council England.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Natasha Brown’s 2021 debut ‘Assembly’ was met with critical acclaim, shortlisted for several awards including the Folio Prize, the Goldsmiths Prize and the Orwell Prize for Fiction, and translated into 17 languages. Her second novel ‘Universality’ is another extension of her talent, exploring the effect of language and applying to certain narratives affecting society today. She speaks to Georgina Godwin about the success of ‘Assembly’, exploring journalism as a genre and the idea of writing with objectivity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The history of Zanzibar is prevalent in the work of Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, including his new release, ‘Theft’, which is set in the 1990s and explores themes of injustice, class and personal growth. Abdulrazak speaks to Georgina Godwin about his upbringing in Britain following the revolution in his home country, his PhD on West African fiction and his transition from academia to fiction.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a fiction writer, essayist and journalist, Lauren Markham’s work most often concerns issues related to youth, migration, the environment and her home state of California. ‘A Map of Future Ruins’ explores the global immigration crisis’s historical, contemporary and, of course, future implications. Speaking with Georgina Godwin during the Lannan Literary Festival at Georgetown University, Lauren shares stories of her Greek upbringing, working with refugee communities and her future work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Janet de Neefe’s explorations of cooking and writing have seen her publish her hybrid memoir-cookbook ‘Fragrant Rice’ and open various restaurants and guesthouses in Bali, Indonesia. Speaking to Georgina Godwin in Ubud, De Neefe discusses her many businesses, including founding the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, her Balinese cultural integration and spirituality, and further plans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tash Aw’s writing puts the history and reality of Southeast Asia on the page. His latest novel, ‘The South’, is the first in a quartet series exploring family struggles amid climatic and economic change. Speaking to Georgina Godwin, Aw discusses his upbringing, his influences, his relationship with Malaysia and the reality behind the glossy image of Southeast Asia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ram Murali’s pivot from law to filmmaking sparked his route into writing. His debut novel, ‘Death In the Air’, blends elements of an Agatha Christie whodunnit with the sumptuous setting of a world-class spa in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. He speaks to Georgina Godwin at the 2025 Galle Literary Festival about his diverse career background and the importance of India’s cultural community at literary events.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Benjamin Moser joins Georgina Godwin to talk about his journey from growing up in Texas and writing his first book, ‘Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector’, to winning a Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Susan Sontag, titled ‘Sontag: Her Life and Work’. Moser also reflects on culture, class, writing and hints at his next project, a political history of Jews who oppose Zionism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sandip Roy’s writing career started when he pivoted from software engineering to broadcasting. Currently a columnist and podcaster, he’s been a longtime commentator on NPR’s ‘Morning Edition’, the most-listened-to radio programme in the US, and an editor with Pacific News Service and New America Media in San Francisco. After returning to India over the span of 10 years, Roy also sent more than 500 weekly dispatches from Kolkata for public radio station KALW in San Francisco. His debut novel, ‘Don’t Let Him Know’, won a Likho Award in India and was honour title for the Asian Pacific American Literature Award in the US. It was also longlisted for the DSC South Asia Prize and the Green Carnation Prize. Roy speaks to Georgina Godwin at the 2025 Kolkata Literary Meet and discusses his early days in the post-9/11 US media, his award-winning novel and the evolution of Indian literature.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Angelo Tijssens’ screenwriting credits include ‘Girl’ (2018), about a trans ballerina, and ‘Close’ (2022), an Oscar-nominated film that follows the friendship between a pair of 13-year-old boys. In Tijssens’ first foray into literary fiction, ‘The Edges’, an unnamed narrator returns to his hometown to settle his mother’s affairs following her death. While there he finds comfort in the arms of a former lover. It’s a tale of young love and deep emotion sharply contrasted with an abusive childhood and an adulthood lived on the edges. Told in searing prose that grips with the tender assuredness of a seasoned stylist, ‘The Edges’ is no ordinary debut. Tijssens speaks with Georgina Godwin about his career and the catharsis of writing literary fiction.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Maggie Mackellar, writing was never in her plans. She initially wanted to be a vet or mountain climber before eventually settling into a career as an academic. Mackellar’s love for writing came while studying a PhD in history at the University of Sydney. Now, as a writer and historian living on the east coast of Tasmania, Maggie writes the much-loved newsletter The Sit Spot and is the author of five books, including ‘Graft’, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and longlisted for the Stella Prize in 2024. Joining Georgina Godwin during Adelaide Writer’s Week 2024, she speaks about her upbringing, motherhood and her career so far. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Booker Prize shortlisted writer Caryl Phillips is one of contemporary literature’s master stylists. His latest novel, ‘Another Man in the Street’, chronicles a West Indian man’s journey to England as part of the Windrush Generation and his struggles therein. As we follow this engrossing emigre from Saint Kitts to London with dreams of becoming a journalist, Phillips paints a gritty landscape of 1960s Notting Hill and a vivid portrait of exile, resistance and belonging. He speaks to Georgina Godwin on his upbringing in Leeds, his connections to Saint Kitts and his thoughts on the treatment of the Windrush Generation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charles Hecker’s 40-year career has seen him travelling and reporting from both the Soviet Union and Russia. He has worked as a journalist and a geopolitical risk consultant, and has lived in Miami, Moscow and now London. His new book, ‘Zero Sum: The Arc of International Business in Russia’, charts the rollercoaster story of Western capitalists and their misadventures in post-communist Russia. He sits down with Georgina Godwin to share details of his upbringing, reading at the University of Pennsylvania and his foray into geopolitics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Education for girls is the family business,” says Sudanese-British broadcast journalist Zeinab Badawi. She tells us about her family and career, and what it’s like to interview the world’s most notable politicians on BBC’s ‘Hard Talk’. Badawi explains how her groundbreaking TV series, ‘The History of Africa’, for which she visited 34 African countries over seven years, led her to write her debut book ‘An African History of Africa’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We look back at the Charleston Literary Festival in South Carolina. Its roots lie in Charleston House in the UK, home of radical writers, artists and thinkers. Georgina Godwin speaks to executive director Sarah Moriarty and artistic director Diana Reich about the origin of the festival. Plus: development director Suzanne Pollak, co-founder of the Charleston Academy of Domestic Pursuits, shares her thoughts on the reading community in the US.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julie Taymor is a tour de force when it comes to penning scripts for theatre, film and opera. Her 1997 stage adaptation of Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ secured 11 Tony Award nominations, including a win for best direction. It is now the third-longest-running show on Broadway of all time and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Her 1999 directorial debut, ‘Titus’, earned her an Oscar nomination for best costume design, while her 2002 film, ‘Frida’, led to five nominations. Here she joins Georgina Godwin to speak about her stellar career, working with international theatre companies and her upbringing in 1960s America. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Channel 4’s international editor, Lindsey Hilsum has seen war in six continents across more than two decades. As a witness to the catastrophic effects of conflict, Lindsey would carry works of poetry with her to try and make sense of the world. She speaks to Georgina Godwin about her book, ‘I Brought the War with Me”, which collates her favourite poems alongside memories of her own work, whether speaking to child soldiers in Uganda, soldiers in Ukraine or giving testimonies of the Rwandan genocide.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Namita Gokhale is the author of 25 works of fiction and non-fiction. Her oeuvre spans various genres including novels, short stories, Himalayan studies, mythology, anthologies, books for young readers and a play. She speaks to Georgina Godwin about her childhood, illustrious career and being the recipient of many awards.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After winning the 2024 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, Richard Flanagan joins Georgina Godwin to discuss ‘Question 7', his life and career, and his plans after winning the prize. Described by Peter Carey as maybe just being “the most significant work of Australian art in the last 100 years”, ‘Question 7' is a love letter to his island home, his parents and the terrible past that delivered him to that place.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Batt is known for creating one of the most well-known British novelty pop acts of the 1970s, The Wombles. Batt wrote and composed the theme song to the children's TV series, which led to the rising popularity of ‘The Wombling Song'. Batt has also composed with artists such as Carla Bruni and Katie Melua, and worked on various musicals including ‘The Phantom of The Opera'. He sits down with Georgina Godwin to discuss his memoir, ‘The Closest Thing to Crazy: My Life of Musical Adventures'.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the first female commander in the Ukrainian military, Yulia Mykytenko has seen the horrors of war. Yulia is both a squadron leader and a role model for women wanting to fight for their country on the frontlines and in the background. Telling Lara Marlowe of her entry into Ukraine's forces, ‘How Good It Is I Have No Fear of Dying' recounts her student days giving out flyers for an independent Ukraine up to her current military service in the face of Russia's invasion. Yulia and Lara speak to Georgina Godwin about their collaborative writing process, the uses of poetry, hope for Ukraine's future and Volodymyr Zelensky's great plan to win the war.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As one of Sweden's most prominent music journalists, Jan Gradvall has a close and fond relationship with his nation's top musical export, Abba. In ‘The Book of Abba: Melancholy Undercover', Gradvall explores the love, heartbreak and connections between each member of the pop group, from Eurovision to beyond. He sits down with Georgina Godwin to discuss his journalistic career, his former role as head of the Swedish Music Hall of Fame and the possibility of the pop group coming back again.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We look at conspiracy series that have emerged through US politics with Gabriel Gatehouse, author of ‘The Coming Storm'. The podcaster and former international editor of the BBC's ‘Newsnight' joins Georgina Godwin to discuss his career so far, his thoughts about the two major presidential candidates and the underbelly of the internet, which is host to fringe forums such as 4chan and QAnon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writing a fourth memoir is somewhat unheard of but for Peter Godwin it's an even more personal note. Not a grief memoir so much as an exploration in memory of the passing of his mother, the end of his marriage and moving on, Peter shares the poignant moments of his life so far in ‘Exit Wounds'. He joins Georgina Godwin – his sibling – to discuss childhood memories of their mother, the process of his latest work and writing multiple autobiographies of his life so far.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Known as the “Queensland Expert” for ‘The Telegraph', Lee Mylne's journalism is enjoyed around the world thanks to her expertise in travel and tourism. As a writer of many travel books including ‘Explore Australia' and ‘Frommer's Portable Australia's Great Barrier Reef', she shares the vast knowledge which has gained her many national awards. She joins Georgina Godwin in Brisbane, Australia, to discuss her career so far, where travel writing sits within journalism and her dream locations to cover.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Multi-prize winner Evie Wyld is no stranger to writing intricate, thought-provoking novels to challenge readers globally. Her latest novel, “The Echoes”, proves that. It's a story about an everyday couple living in London but embedded within secrecy, with one looking on from the afterlife. Evie joins Georgina Godwin to discuss her work, her upbringing from New South Wales, Australia, to Peckham, South London, and running her own independent bookshop, Review.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The resurgence of the Taliban in August 2021 sent shockwaves throughout the world. Images from Afghanistan showed fear, panic and unrest looming. With the country back under Taliban rule, a group of Afghan women writers feared the worst. They kept in touch with the Untold Narratives, a development programme dedicated to writers from marginalised communities or conflict zones. It was a group of messages from these writers detailing their lives that the collective curated into a diary ‘My Dear Kabul'. Georgina Godwin speaks to the director, Lucy Hannah, and co-editor, Sunila Galappatti, about the process of recording the diary entries. We'll also hear from one writer about life in Kabul today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the UK's greatest historians, William Dalrymple is no stranger to researching the treasures of India. Dalrymple sits down with Georgina Godwin to discuss his latest work, “The Golden Road”, which outlines ancient Indian cultures, ideas and inventions and how they influenced the western world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Williams, one of the most revered animators in modern times, leaves a lasting creative impression from ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit' to ‘The Pink Panther'. ‘Adventures in Animation: How I Learned Who I Learned From and What I Did with It' follows the life and career of Williams in animated features; from the moment when, aged five, he saw ‘Snow White', and through his career of more than sixty years.  Following his passing, his wife and collaborator, Imogen Sutton, completed ‘Adventures in Animation', which in its finished publication is an ode to animated art and to Richard himself.  Speaking to Georgina Godwin, Sutton shares insights into their work dynamic, Richard's relationships with Art Babbitt and Ken Harris, plus his influences across the industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the author of six critically acclaimed novels, including the 2022 PEN/Faulkner award winning ‘The Wrong End of the Telescope', Rabih Alameddine is no stranger to the living art of storytelling. His work explores worlds that may seem beyond words, everything from civil war to exile and epidemics, and yet finds the words we need to hear. Now teaching literature at Georgetown University, Alameddine delves into the next generation of writers. He speaks with Georgina Godwin on his writing career, his upbringing and future plans for his art.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Literary editor of ‘The Spectator' Sam Leith is surrounded by books of various genres every day. His latest non-fiction work ‘The Haunted Wood' takes an exploratory look into childhood reading from Aesop's fables to Malorie Blackman. He speaks to Georgina Godwin about the world of children's literature, the first book he read as a child and the authors who created the stories we know today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Magda Szubanski is known as Sharon Strzelecki in the comedy series ‘Kath and Kim' in Australia and globally for the role of Esme Hoggett in the ‘Babe' film series. The comedy actress won the 2016 Douglas Stewart Prize for her memoir, ‘Reckoning', which describes her journey of self-discovery from a suburban childhood that was haunted by the demons of her father's espionage activities in wartime Poland. She speaks to Georgina Godwin about her career so far, the creative scene in Melbourne and her future writing plans.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.