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Early in Douglas Stuart's new novel, “John of John,” the Booker Prize-winning author describes a peculiar irony: “What skinned him was that the closer he got to home, the more lost he felt.” It's a passing line, but it captures the tension at the heart of this magnificent book: Here is a story of two men, each profoundly isolated, trying to figure out how to exist in a small, claustrophobic world. The traveler heading home and dreading it is Cal, a young gay man who has recently graduated from college in Edinburgh and has been floundering ever since. At the start of the novel, he is summoned back to the small village where he grew up to care for his sick grandmother. He obliges, but he's not happy about the move — a rakish dreamer, Cal doesn't fit into the provincial life of his village. His chief antagonist is his father, John. Traditional, religious and stoic, John hates Cal's flamboyance and inertia, and he's determined to mold Cal into an upstanding citizen of this tiny community. But John is hiding secrets of his own that, if they were to get out, could upend his life. Bouncing between John's and Cal's stories, “John of John” asks: What does it mean to fit in, what's the risk of standing out, and what's the price of both? On this episode of the Book Review Book Club, the host MJ Franklin discusses the book with his colleagues Leah Greenblatt and Scott Heller. Other books (and a movie) mentioned in this episode: “Shuggie Bain” and “Young Mungo,” by Douglas Stuart “What We Can Know,” by Ian McEwan “The Banshees of Inisherin,” directed by Martin McDonagh “The Keeper,” by Tana French “A Natural,” by Ross Raisin “The Spell,” by Alan Hollinghurst “Seascraper,” by Benjamin Wood “Whale Fall,” by Elizabeth O'Connor “Clear,” by Carys Davies “Wuthering Heights,” by Emily Brontë “Persuasion,” by Jane Austen “Washington Square,” by Henry James “The Town of Babylon,” by Alejandro Varela “Memorial,” by Bryan Washington Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
«Endling» ist eine Mischung aus Roadtrip, Öko-Krimi, feministischer Satire und Kriegsdrama. So sagt es unser Redaktor Martin Fischer. Und doch entzieht sich der Roman von Maria Reva, der auf der Longlist des Booker Prize 2025 stand, jeder Kategorisierung. Was als linear erzählte Geschichte beginnt, wird nach hundert Seiten radikal gebrochen. Denn mitten in Maria Revas Schreibprozess begann im Februar 2022 die russische Invasion in ihrem Heimatland, der Ukraine. Diesen Bruch nimmt sie im Roman auf. Mit realen Briefwechseln oder mit Kapiteln, für die sie vier Anläufe braucht, verwebt sie Fiktion mit Kriegsrealität. «Sie bricht die krasse Geschichte von Entführung, Krieg, patriarchaler Unterdrückung immer wieder auf», sagt Martin Fischer, «es ist verspielt, aber es sind keine Fingerübungen – es ergibt Sinn für die Geschichte.» Warum «Endling» für ihn ein Muss ist, verrät Martin Fischer in der vierten Folge des «Apropos»-Buchsommers. Host: Alexandra Aregger Produzentin und Sprecherin: Jacky Wechsler Unser Buchsommer: Folge 1: «Markus Werner macht Mut, Widersprüche auszuhalten» Folge 2: «‹Americanah› zeigt, wie willkürlich das Leben sein kann» Folge 3: « Diese Bücher rufen in mir die unerklärliche Traurigkeit hervor, die man nur als Kind allein im Bett fühlen kann» Unser Tagi-Spezialangebot für Podcast-Hörer:innen: tagiabo.chHabt ihr Feedback, Ideen oder Kritik zu «Apropos»? Schreibt uns an podcasts@tamedia.ch Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Colm Tóibín is the author of eleven novels, three short story collections and several works of nonfiction. He has written countless articles, plays, an opera libretto and a collection of poetry, and been a finalist for the Booker Prize multiple times He is perhaps best known for his novel Brooklyn, which was made into a movie that was nominated for three Oscars. Set in the middle of the 20th century, Brooklyn is about Eilis Lacey who leaves her small town in Ireland for New York. After building a life there, she is drawn back home and has to choose where she wants to forge her future. Tóibín opens his lecture with the moment of his father's wake in his childhood home in which he hears, as a child, the real life story that would later inspire his character of Elis Lacey. From there, Tóibín's talk is a captivating story of all of his stories, and a kind of master class for writing a novel. He is a writer known for rendering the quiet intimacies between characters, revealing powerful emotional undercurrents and their deep longings. He is a writer who makes you care about the tiny details of a life – the buttons on a coat or the emotional reverberations of a silence. In this talk, he illuminates his craft, and pulls the curtain back on how his own life shaped his most famous novels. Colm Tóibín is the author of eleven novels, including Long Island, an Oprah's Book Club Pick; The Magician, winner of the Rathbones Folio Prize; The Master, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; Brooklyn, winner of the Costa Book Award; and Nora Webster; as well as two story collections and several books of criticism. He is the Irene and Sidney B. Silverman Professor of the Humanities at Columbia University and was named the 2022–2024 Laureate for Irish Fiction by the Arts Council of Ireland. He was shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize. He was also awarded the Bodley Medal, the Würth Prize for European Literature, and the Prix Femina spécial for his body of work.
Booker Prize-longlisted writer Chloe Aridjis is the author of Book of Clouds, Asunder and Sea Monsters. Her fourth novel, The Shadow of the Object, moves between Mexico City and London in a tale of illness, friendship, magic lanterns, silver polishing, grief and the strange charge of objects.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Emily Wilson is the first woman to translate the epic Greek poem into English. She takes us inside her approach to bringing modern clarity to ancient text, and shares what she thinks of Christopher Nolan's smash adaptation, which her work helped shape.Plus: Salman Rushdie suffered life-altering injuries after being stabbed on stage before a lecture. The Booker Prize-winning author opens up about confronting life's fragility, finding humour in survival, and reflecting on mortality with his latest story collection.Like this story? You may also like:Stephen Fry says Odysseus is a hero for our timesWhy Mary Beard still gets 'tingles' when she confronts the Classics
An Irish author has been named alongside 12 others on the longlist for the 2026 Booker Prize for his debut novel ‘All Them Dogs'. At 28 years old, Djamel White is the youngest author in this list!He joins Shane to discuss the achievement and his novel.
Djamel White tells Baz about his debut novel 'All Them Dogs' which has been longlisted for the Booker Prize.
In dieser Folge mit Meike, Anika und Robin: „Memories of Heidelberg“ von Heinz Strunk, „Annie Robot“ von Sierra Greer (übersetzt von Stefanie Schäfer) und „Zeit der Monster“ von Şeyda Kurt. Wie spannend ein Literaturpreis ist, hängt entscheidend von der Qualität der Jury ab – und das Schicksal (aka der ORF und die BBC) meint es gut mit uns: Insa Wilke ist zurück als Juryvorsitzende des Bachmannpreises, und Jarvis Cocker ist in diesem Jahr Juror beim Booker Prize! Ob Letzterer nach Papierstau-Maßstäben abgeliefert hat, ist zum Zeitpunkt der Ausstrahlung dieser Show bereits bekannt, aber Eure Lieblingspodcaster*innen haben aufgezeichnet, kurz bevor die Longlist veröffentlicht wurde: Surft mit uns durch die große Spekulationszeitschleife!
RE-RELEASE In honor of the Booker Prize 2026 Longlist announcement, we're re-releasing the conversation with Katie Kitamura, shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 for Audition. Jason talks to Katie about learned behaviors, the nature of intimacy, the art of performance, and her immersive process of writing. Perhaps most importantly, they talk at length about french fries. This episode originally aired on April 8, 2025.Katie Kitamura is the author of Audition, which has been a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize, 2025 Booker Prize, the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the Gotham Book Prize, and has been longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. Her five previous novels include A Separation and Intimacies, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award and was a finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. She is a recipient of the Rome Prize in Literature, a Lannan fellowship, and many other honors, and her work has been translated into twenty-one languages. She teaches in the creative writing program at New York University.Sign up for the Gays Reading Book Club HERESUBSTACK! MERCH! WATCH! CONTACT! hello@gaysreading.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Professor Dame Mary Beard reveals the 2026 Booker longlist and how she has found the process of being Chair of the judges.British contemporary pop artist Philip Colbert's latest installation has just been unveiled amidst the historic ruins of Pompeii. Philip talks to Samira Ahmed about being inspired by an ancient mosaic featuring a lobster, a symbol he frequently includes in his work, and how he adapted his process for the UNESCO heritage site.Hollywood actor Bill Pullman, known as the fictional US President Whitmore in Independence Day, Meg Ryan's spurned beau in Sleepless in Seattle and many more roles, is currently appearing at the RSC in Stratford in a production of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. He talks with Samira about his work on stage in the UK and the US, his favourite film roles and why he feels uniquely qualified to be playing Gayev in this production.As reports say that around half of all new music uploaded to streamers is made with A.I., music economist Will Page discusses what this means for the music industry and for listeners who may not know that they're listening to something that wasn't made by a real person.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Andrea Kidd
Irish author Djamel White has been longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize for his debut novel 'All Them Dogs'.The 28-year-old writer from Dublin is the youngest of the 13 writers longlisted for this year's prize.Djamel joins The Last Word to discuss what this achievement means to him.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!
Joe Rogan ‘U.S. Elections are Stolen', Article by Ann Coulter on Voter Fraud, X Shorts- Our Constitution is a Toilet Rag, Covid Vax. Joe Rogan Finally SNAPS on JD Vance, Declares US Election ‘Are STOLEN!'
Today, Charles speaks with one of Britain's most esteemed authors, the novelist and poet Sir Ben Okri.Sir Ben first shot to international fame in 1991 with The Famished Road, which won the Booker Prize that same year, making him the youngest-ever winner at the time, at just 32. Since then, he has published more than twenty books spanning novels, poetry, short stories, essays and plays, including Songs of Enchantment, Astonishing the Gods, Dangerous Love, The Age of Magic and The Freedom Artist. In 2023, he was knighted for services to literature.In this episode, Charles speaks with Sir Ben about his life and remarkable literary career, as well as his newest novel, Waking the Warriors. The book follows three unlikely heroes – Mel, Rosa and Apibus – as they set out to find a witch who can wake a group of sleeping warriors and save their city from a foreign invasion.Waking the Warriors is out now, available online and from bookstores.Lit with Charles loves reviews. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd be so grateful if you could leave a review of your own, and follow me on Instagram at @litwithcharles. Let's get more people listening – and reading!
It's NOT Magical Realism, OK?! Sir Ben Okri doesn't really need a lot of introduction. He won the Booker Prize for The Famished Road, while Astonishing The Gods was named as one of the BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our … Continue reading →
George Saunders' latest novel takes readers into a journey of the soul this time quite literally. The Booker Prize-winning author talks with host Krys Boyd about the book, which takes on greed, capitalism and questions of good and evil from the perspective of a being who must transport a soul to the afterlife. It's called “Vigil.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Elizabeth Strout is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Things We Never Say, Tell Me Everything; Lucy by the Sea; Oh William!, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize; Olive, Again; Anything Is Possible, winner of the Story Prize; My Name Is Lucy Barton; The Burgess Boys; Olive Kitteridge, winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Abide with Me; and Amy and Isabelle, winner of the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize. She has also been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize in London. Elizabeth joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about finding her voice, how she's never been a plotter, how her new novel, The Things We Never Say, came to her, how characters arrive, theme, setting, the worst advice she's ever been given, exposing yourself as a writer, and so much more. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It's stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you'll find an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It's perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. (Recorded on July 6, 2026) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and screenwriter Tom Rob Smith. Tom wrote his first novel, "Child 44", about a serial killer in Soviet Russia, at the age of 26. After publication in 2008, the novel went on to sell over two million copies, with translations in 35 languages. It won the International Thriller Writer Award for Best First Novel, the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, and became the first thriller to be longlisted for the Booker Prize. In 2015 "Child 44" was also turned into a film starring Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman. Tom's other novels include "The Farm", "Cold People" and most recently "Twenty Years Together". His work for the screen includes the BBC show "London Spy", which was nominated for a Bafta, and the FX series "American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace", which won a Golden Globe. We spoke to Tom about his bestselling debut, his screenwriting projects, and going in a different direction with his new book. In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes. We've also made (yet) another update for those who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon. We've added a further 70 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New Yorker, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the Guardian Long Read. The whole compendium now runs to a magisterial 230 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a call with Simon and Rachel.A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via Amazon or Waterstones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amy breaks down Japan's most prestigious literary prizes — starting with the twin titans of the Japanese book world, the Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes, both announced twice a year, every January and July, on the very same day. Up your knowledge ahead of the next announcement of the winners on July 15, at around 6 pm! Most Japanese literature fans can probably guess who the Akutagawa Prize is named after (hint: Rashomon) — but how many know who the Naoki Prize honors? And while the Tanizaki and Mishima Yukio Prizes might be obvious, can you guess what the Noma Prize is for? Or what genre dominates that newspaper-sponsored heavyweight, the Yomiuri Prize? Amy sorts them all out — the history, the famous winners, and the controversies, including the AI scandal that rocked the Akutagawa Prize when 2024 winner Rie Kudan admitted to using ChatGPT in her prize-winning novel. Plus: how Japan's prize culture differs fundamentally from English-language institutions like the Booker Prize, Pulitzer or Nobel Prize for Literature — and why winning in Japan can launch a career instead of just crowning one. The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press. Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
Douglas Stuart is one of those unicorn authors who seemed to have appeared out of thin air and took the literary world by storm. His 2019 debut novel, Shuggie Bain, would be rejected 44 times before winning the Booker Prize, becoming a finalist for the National Book Award and being named the Sunday Time's 25 Best Novels of the 21st Century. Then would come Young Mungo in 2022, which sealed Douglas's standing as a literary genius. He has since been published in the New Yorker at least three times. John of John came out in May. It was an instant Oprah pick and another literary masterpiece. He joins Marrie Stone to talk about it. They chat about Douglas's unlikely path to success and how he taught himself the craft. They discuss his research process and how he immersed himself in a part of the world – and a part of his own country – that he didn't know. And he shares how his approach to every novel has differed, what his 20 years in the textile industry taught him about writing, why he feels unqualified to offer any advice, and so much more. For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It's stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you'll find an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It's perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. (Recorded on June 23, 2026) Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett Host: Marrie Stone Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)
Award-winning novelist and founder of The Novelry Louise Dean on what separates storytelling from beautiful prose, planning a novel without killing the joy, and how to edit your own first draft. You'll learn Why learning to craft perfect sentences can quietly delay your path to publication. How a single shift from style to storytelling turns a promising writer into a published one. What treating each chapter like a short story does to the terror of a blank novel. The reason every novel is a moral journey (and why you have to throw rocks at your hero). A one-page planning method that steers a draft without smothering the joy of writing it. The one question every writer should be able to answer about their reader. Why your main character should never be a thinly veiled version of yourself. When you can't afford an editor, how to run a developmental edit on your own work. What to do in the month after finishing a first draft A five-part structure built for the long moral journey of a novel, and why three acts fall short. Resources & Links
Anna and Geoff react to the 2026 Women's Prize winners: Virginia Evans' THE CORRESPONDENT for Fiction, which prompts Geoff to recommend 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD, and Lyse Doucet's THE FINEST HOTEL IN KABUL for Non-Fiction. Our book of the week is JOHN OF JOHN by Douglas Stuart, the Booker Prize-winning author of SHUGGIE BAIN. Set in the remote Scottish Hebrides among a weaving community, this story of John and his son Cal was an Oprah Book Club pick, a finalist for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and picked by many as a Most Anticipated Book of 2026. Is it more Brokeback Mountain or Greek tragedy, or something else? Coming up: HOUR OF THE STAR by Clarice Lispector translated by Benjamin Moser. Follow us! Email: Booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras Substack: Books On The Go Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
John Ross chats with Eryk, his Formosa Files co-host, about the International Booker Prize-winning novel Taiwan Travelogue. Set in colonial Taiwan in 1938, the story is told by narrator Aoyama Chizuko, a young Japanese novelist, who, accompanied by her brilliant Taiwanese interpreter, Chi-chan, travels around the island in search of memorable meals. The original Chinese edition came out in 2020. It caused quite a stir, as author Yang Shuang-zi was misleadingly credited as being the translator. (No translation was needed, however – this story was entirely fictional, not the rediscovered Japanese text it purported to be.) The English edition, translated by Lin King, was published by Graywolf Press in late 2024 to much acclaim. John has some strong opinions on the book and does not hold back in expressing them. Publisher link: https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/taiwan-travelogue The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press. Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.
Ruth Ozeki is a novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest. Her new short story collection is called The Typing Lady and Other Fictions. Her novels — My Year of Meats , All Over Creation, A Tale for the Time Being, and The Book of Form and Emptiness — have been translated and published in over thirty countries. Her third novel, A Tale for the Time Being, won the LA Times Book Prize, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. The Book of Form and Emptiness was the winner of the 2022 Women's Prize for Fiction as well as the 22nd Annual Massachusetts Book Award, the BC Yukon Book Prize, and the Julia Ward Howe Prize for Fiction. She is Professor Emerita of English Language & Literature at Smith College, where she was the Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities. Support First Draft and listen ad-free and pitch-free with monthly extras at www.patreon.com/firstdraftwriters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Booker Prize-winning author, Salman Rushdie, talked to Brendan about recovering from a knife attack which saw him lose his right eye, how laughter helped in his recovery, his thoughts on the US v Iran war, how free speech has never been more under threat and his new collection of short stories, ‘The Eleventh Hour'
Send us Fan MailWith Counterpoint Press's new editions of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's work (including her Booker-Prize winning novel Heat and Dust and a new short story collection Disinheritance: The Rediscovered Stories) we're inspired to revisit our 2022 episode on this prolific writer of fiction and films. Pivotal to the success of Merchant/Ivory films like A Room With a View and Howard's End, Jhabvala used her experiences as an "initiated outsider" to tell stories brimming with nuance, humor, truth and beauty.Mentioned in this episode:Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer JhabvalaDisinheritance: The Rediscovered Stories by Ruth Prawer JhabvalaBrigitte Hales Disenchanted (2022 film)Merchant Ivory ProductionsA Room with a View (1985 film)Howard's End (1992 film)The Householder by Ruth Prawer JhabvalaNissim EzekielThe Householder (1963 film)Heat and Dust (1983 film)Support the showFor episodes and show notes, visit: LostLadiesofLit.comSubscribe to our substack newsletter.Follow us on instagram @lostladiesoflit. Email us: Contact — Lost Ladies of Lit Podcast
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and journalist John Lanchester. John has written six works of fiction including "The Debt to Pleasure", "Capital" and "Fragrant Harbour" and four of non-fiction including "Whoops! Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay". His books have won the Hawthornden Prize, the Whitbread First Novel Award, the E. M. Forster Award and the Premi Llibreter, been longlisted for the Booker Prize and translated into 25 languages. The television mini-series adaptation of "Capital" won an International Emmy Award. He is a contributing editor to the London Review of Books and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. We spoke to John about his long relationship with the LRB, his state of London novel "Capital" and his new novel, "Look What You Made Me Do." In addition to the standard audio format, the podcast is now available in video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes. We've also made (yet) another update for those who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon. We've added a further 70 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New Yorker, Bloomberg Businessweek, and the Guardian Long Read. The whole compendium now runs to a magisterial 230 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (one is left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a call with Simon and Rachel.A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via Amazon or Waterstones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Douglas Stuart is one of the most successful writers in Britain today. He is celebrated globally for his honest portrayals of human relationships and working-class life. In 2020 he won the Booker Prize for his debut novel Shuggie Bain, a searingly honest novel set in 1980s Glasgow about a boy named Shuggie trying to save his mother, Agnes, from alcoholism and poverty. His second novel Young Mungo, a story of the dangerous first love of two young men, was released in 2022 and became a number one Sunday Times Bestseller. In May 2026, Stuart joined us live in London for an evening on identity, resilience, and the themes of his new novel John of John. In John of John, Stuart returns to the themes of class, family, masculinity, and sexuality. It is the story of John-Calum Macleod, who returns to his childhood home on the island of Harris. Out of money and with little to show for his art school education, he sinks back into his old life, caught between the two poles of his childhood: his father John, a sheep farmer, weaver, and pillar of their local Presbyterian church, and his Glaswegian grandmother Ella, who has kept a faltering peace with her son-in-law for decades. --- This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Douglas Stuart is one of the most successful writers in Britain today. He is celebrated globally for his honest portrayals of human relationships and working-class life. In 2020 he won the Booker Prize for his debut novel Shuggie Bain, a searingly honest novel set in 1980s Glasgow about a boy named Shuggie trying to save his mother, Agnes, from alcoholism and poverty. His second novel Young Mungo, a story of the dangerous first love of two young men, was released in 2022 and became a number one Sunday Times Bestseller. In May 2026, Stuart joined us live in London for an evening on identity, resilience, and the themes of his new novel John of John. In John of John, Stuart returns to the themes of class, family, masculinity, and sexuality. It is the story of John-Calum Macleod, who returns to his childhood home on the island of Harris. Out of money and with little to show for his art school education, he sinks back into his old life, caught between the two poles of his childhood: his father John, a sheep farmer, weaver, and pillar of their local Presbyterian church, and his Glaswegian grandmother Ella, who has kept a faltering peace with her son-in-law for decades. --- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Happy blue moon, everyone! Yes, it is indeed the second full moon of the month which brings us a second May chapter of 3 Books. This one features an author I've been hoping to have on our show for years. Join me in welcoming the Booker Prize–winning novelist, deeply philosophical storyteller, and one of Canada's most distinctive literary voices ... Mr. Yann Martel! Yann is best known for 'Life of Pi', the global phenomenon that won The Booker Prize in 2002, sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and was later adapted into an Academy Award–winning film. Born in Salamanca, Spain in 1963, Yann spent his childhood in Spain, Portugal, Alaska, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Canada. Yann's work is deeply shaped by a pulsing curiosity, philosophy, and research. He journeyed through India while developing 'Life of Pi', visited Holocaust memorial sites while writing 'Beatrice and Virgil', and even launched a "guerilla book club" called '101 Letters to a Prime Minister', where he mailed books to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper every two weeks for four years. Yann's newest novel, 'Son of Nobody', is a (new!) ancient retelling of the Trojan War told through the modern lens of a Canadian researcher who discovers this poem while exploring themes of homesickness, regret, ambition, love, and grief. Tune in as we discuss Yann's writing routines, the importance of stories, AI in the world of publishing, racism in Australia, art as a co-creation between writer and reader, the beauty of the prairies, and of course, Yann Martel's most formative books... Let's flip the page to Chapter 161 now...
A glamorous life and career in New York's fashion industry was everything Douglas Stuart worked for. So why did he walk away from it all? And how did he go from fashion designer to Booker Prize winning author? Douglas's first two novels, Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo, were critically acclaimed hits. He continues the streak with John of John, a moving novel about a young man returning home to a remote Scottish island steeped in religion and tradition. It's one of the hottest books of spring and an Oprah's Book Club pick. This week, Douglas joins Mattea Roach to talk about his major career change, diving into Hebridean culture and drawing on his own upbringing for the novel. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:For Jeanette Winterson, stories are essential to survival Why you can't forget your first love Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
The best of Arena's week with actor / screenwriter on his new film Power Ballad, starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas... music and chat with singer songwriter Wallis Bird... and Booker Prize winner Douglas Stuart on his latest novel, "John of John"
The Booker Prize winning American author George Saunders talks to John Wilson about his cultural influences. He made his name as a writer of satirical or absurdist short stories which often explore contemporary consumerist society, always underpinned with a strong sense of human compassion and empathy. In 2017, his first full length novel Lincoln In The Bardo - about Presidential grief amid a cacophony of spiritual voices - won the Booker Prize and became a global bestseller. His latest novel Vigil once again explores death and the afterlife. George Saunders teaches creative writing at Syracuse University, New York, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in American literature.Producer: Edwina Pitman
Douglas Stuart was born and raised in Glasgow. After graduating from the Royal College of Art, he moved to New York, where he began a career in fashion design. Shuggie Bain, his first novel, won the Booker Prize and both 'Debut of the Year' and 'Book of the Year' at the British Book Awards. It was also shortlisted for the US National Book Award for Fiction, among many other awards. His second novel, Young Mungo, was a number one Sunday Times Bestseller. His short stories have appeared in The New Yorker. On this, the 1000th episode of Little Atoms, he talks to Neil Denny about his new novel John of John. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Seán's guest moved from a career in fashion in New York to becoming a Booker prize winning novelist.Douglas Stuart, author of the new title ‘John of John', joins to share his story.
Samira Ahmed is joined by writer Matt Cain and critic Suzi Feay to review:Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stuart's new novel John of John, set on the Isle of Harris. New series The Boroughs, which stars Alfred Molina and Geena Davis in a retirement community, executive produced by Stranger Things' Duffer Brothers. And Holy Pop!, a new exhibition at Somerset House in London that celebrates fandom.Also, film critic Tim Robey joins Samira from the Cannes Film Festival to talk through some of his highlights.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Lucy Collingwood
When Douglas Stuart won the Booker Prize with his debut, Shuggie Bain, it announced the arrival of a distinctive new voice in fiction. Now, after two novels set in his native Glasgow, his third takes us to the Isle of Harris for another close study of family dynamics, repressed emotion and the irrepressible urge towards self-expression. We sat down to speak with him about this change of location and the impact of its rurality, what he learned from his encounters with the local community and more about his own journey from a childhood with no books, to a life now filled with their riches.
Rachel Naylor visits the Booker Prize-winning author Thomas Keneally in his home in Sydney, Australia, to see how he writes his latest book. He gives Rachel a tour of his neighbourhood Manly, a seaside suburb in the Northern Beaches, famous for its ferry, surfing and his beloved Sea Eagles, the rugby league team. Rachel accompanies Thomas, known for writing Schindler's List, on his daily walk around North Head, in Sydney Harbour National Park, taking in the breathtaking views, navigating the swamp and avoiding the spiders. Thomas, who has written more than 50 books, shows Rachel round his library and they discuss ageing, feeling adrift and his first rejection. As he contemplates retirement, he also talks about his recent ill health and how he wants to write the best book written by someone aged over 90. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from In the Studio, exploring the processes of the world's most creative people.
One of Ireland's best loved writers, Roddy Doyle is in NZ for the Auckland Writer's Festival. He pops into the studio to speak with Susie ahead of his first appearance this afternoon. From his breakthrough novel The Commitments, which was adapted into a major film, to his Booker Prize-winning Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, Roddy brings working class Ireland to life. Last year he crossed over from Booker Prize winner to Chair of the Booker Prize Judges. His latest book is Life Without Children.
Like the main character in his Booker Prize-winning novel 'Shuggie Bain,' writer Douglas Stuart grew up in Glasgow, working class, queer, and with a mother addicted to alcohol. His first career was in fashion, designing underwear for Calvin Klein. “Sometimes when I'm in an audience now and I feel a little nervous, I have a joke to myself and think, how many people in this audience have worn the underwear that you designed?” He spoke with Terry Gross about his new novel, ‘John of John.'Later, Richard Gadd, creator and star of the Netflix show ‘Baby Reindeer' talks with Tonya Mosley about his new series, ‘Half Man.' It's about two boys who become brothers when their mothers fall in love. They spend the next 30 years trying to survive each other.David Bianculli reviews the latest adaptation of ‘Lord of the Flies.'See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
Sarah Jessica Parker discusses being a book publisher, a reader, a Booker Prize judge, and how she knew she had to publish The Radiant Dark while SJPLit author Alexandra Oliva takes us behind the scenes of her new novel in a special episode of Poured Over taped at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC with host Miwa Messer. This episode of Poured Over was hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. New episodes land Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays) here and on your favorite podcast app. Featured Books (Episode): The Radiant Dark by Alexandra Oliva The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Milkman by Anna Burns A Place for Us Fatima Farheen Mirza I Am You by Victoria Redel Flesh by David Szalay The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Flashlight by Susan Choi The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits Universality by Natasha Brown Audition by Katie Kitamura
Megan Boxall is a 33-year-old runner who has been running clockwise around the coast of Britain, aiming to complete the equivalent of 200 marathons in 204 days. She began at Sizewell Beach in Suffolk in October and is now just one day away from that same point, having circumvented the whole island. Megan joins Anita Rani to talk about how she is feeling so near to completion.Violent sexual content in the mainstream is reshaping society, according to Clare McGlynn, a Professor of Law at Durham University, whose first book, Exposed, was published yesterday. In Clare's view, the problem isn't porn per se – it's patriarchal porn; Pornographic content that was once niche and difficult to find – including incest, racism and rape - has been normalised and is widely consumed. Clare joins Anita to discuss the harms of extreme pornography.The prevalence of chronic pain is higher among women than men, but for millions of people living with it, the hardest part can be the sense that it is taking over their life. New research from University of Warwick shows how ‘mental defeat' drives suffering and causes people with chronic pain to withdraw from everyday activities. Anita speaks to Professor Nicole Tang, lead researcher and Fiona, a former nurse who has lived with chronic pain for over 30 years.Samantha Harvey, winner of the 2024 Booker Prize with novel Orbital, has adapted Barbara Pym's 1977 book - Quartet in Autumn - for the stage. This is Harvey's debut play and it opened last night at the Arcola Theatre in London. Samantha talks to Anita about what drew her to choose Pym's book, about four lonely 60-something office workers.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt
Host Jason Blitman talks to Pulitzer Prize-winner Elizabeth Strout about her latest novel, The Things We Never Say. Conversation highlights include:
Douglas Stuart won the coveted Booker Prize in 2020 for his debut novel, "Shuggie Bain," about a boy in 1980s working-class Glasgow caring for his mother as she struggled with alcoholism. Geoff Bennett spoke to Stuart about his latest book, "John of John," which follows a young man as he returns to his home in the islands off the coast of Scotland. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
Douglas Stuart won the 2020 Booker Prize for his debut novel "Shuggie Bain," about a boy in 1980s Glasgow caring for his mother struggling with alcoholism. His latest novel "John of John," out today, follows a young man returning to his hometown on a rural Scottish island and grappling with his identity, religion and father. Geoff Bennett spoke with Stuart for our "Settle In" podcast. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
Douglas Stuart won the coveted Booker Prize in 2020 for his debut novel, "Shuggie Bain," about a boy in 1980s working-class Glasgow caring for his mother as she struggled with alcoholism. Geoff Bennett spoke to Stuart about his latest book, "John of John," which follows a young man as he returns to his home in the islands off the coast of Scotland. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
In the 200th episode of Gays Reading, host Jason Blitman talks to Booker Prize-winning novelist, Douglas Stuart (Shuggie Bain, Young Mungo) about his latest book, John of John. Conversation highlights include:
Like a number of his characters, Booker Prize-winning novelist Douglas Stuart grew up working class and queer in Glasgow. He went on to have a career in fashion, which plays into his latest novel, John of John. “It's hard to tell people about grief. It's hard to talk to people about poverty... and so I'd got very used to the silence in my own life, and my writing is the only thing that allows me to connect with myself,” Stuart told Terry Gross. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
Howard Jacobson has screamed "liar" at the BBC, lost friends over a newspaper article, and started asking his wife whether it's still safe to live in London. Now he's written a novel about all of it. *Howl* is the story of Ferdinand Draxler — Jewish headmaster, reluctant marcher, man on the edge — who watches the world he believed in applaud the October 7th massacre and descends into a rage that may or may not be madness. Jacobson says he borrowed quite a lot from the last two years of his life. In this Unholy Conversations episode, Jacobson talks with Yonit and Jonathan about the ungovernable anger behind the novel, why he chose comedy as the only honest vehicle for it, the friends who wrote accusing him of celebrating Palestinian deaths, the Manchester synagogue where he was bar mitzvahed and which was attacked on Yom Kippur, and the question he can't shake: what would we have done in Berlin in 1932? Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/aB-eNbxb41w
TODAY on The Great Women Artists podcast is the esteemed writer, Deborah Levy on avant-garde pioneer Gertrude Stein. The author of several novels, including August Blue, Hot Milk and Swimming Home, alongside the critically acclaimed Living Autobiography trilogy (some of my favourite books of all time): Things I Don't Want to Know, The Cost of Living and Real Estate, Deborah Levy is one of the most recognisable and influential writers working today. She has been shortlisted twice each for the Goldsmiths Prize and the Booker Prize, is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and has written for the Royal Shakespeare Company. But the reason why we are speaking with Levy today is because she has just published a new novel, My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein, which follows a narrator who has travelled to Paris to find out more about Stein, the enigmatic, trailblazing writer and patron; a woman who bolted through the 19th to the 20th century and paved the way for modernism as we know it today, with her daring, experimental writing, from Tender Buttons to The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, and her patronage of artists such as Picasso, Cezanne, and Matisse – and I can't wait to find out more. My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein https://www.waterstones.com/book/my-year-in-paris-with-gertrude-stein/deborah-levy/2928377373535 THIS EPISODE IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY THE LEVETT COLLECTION: www.famm.com/en/ www.instagram.com/famm_mougins // www.merrellpublishers.com/9781858947037 Follow us: Katy Hessel: @thegreatwomenartists / @katy.hessel Sound editing by Mikaela Carmichael Music by Ben Wetherfield
The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker
Douglas Stuart reads his story “A Private View,” from the April 20, 2026, issue of the magazine. Stuart has published two novels, “Shuggie Bain,” which won the Booker Prize in 2020, and “Young Mungo,” released in 2022. His new novel, “John of John,” will be published in May. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices