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Talking Books

Interviews with well-known authors from Britain and around the world, looking at what drives their work and concentrating on their literary life story.

World Service,38 episodes

Episodes

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Susan Hill
Razia Iqbal talks to her about The Woman in Black which is about to be released as a film.
25 mins
Caryl Phillips
Caryl Phillips on how travel and life as an immigrant has shaped his writing.
25 mins
Jeffrey Eugenides
Razia Iqbal talks to him about being an immigrant in the melting pot of the United States.
25 mins
Alaa Al Aswany
Razia Iqbal talks to the Egyptian author of the bestselling Yacoubian Building.
25 mins
Nawal Al Saadawi
Razia Iqbal talks to the feminist campaigner Nawal Al Saadawi.
25 mins
Justin Cartwright
Razia Iqbal's guest is the novelist Justin Cartwright
25 mins
Toni Morrison
How much has changed for black Americans since Obama entered the White House?
25 mins
Richard Ford
"I'm dyslexic... I see language as objects on a page" author Richard Ford on writing
25 mins
Joyce Carol Oates
The prolific writer and academic Joyce Carol Oates on how she finds work rewarding
25 mins
Paul Auster
Razia Iqbal talks to US author Paul Auster about his work, and his book Winter Journal.
25 mins
Mohsin Hamid
Award-winning Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid on his passion for fiction
06 May 2013,25 mins
Aminatta Forna
Why author Aminatta Forna is drawn to the topics of betrayal, love and loss
13 May 2013,25 mins
Tracy Chevalier
Historical novelist Tracy Chevalier on why she wants to bring the past to life
20 May 2013,25 mins
Michael Frayn
Playwright and novelist Michael Frayn on why he wants to make his readers laugh
27 May 2013,25 mins
Mohammed Hanif
On writing about minorities, contradictions in society and making his readers laugh
28 Mar 2014,24 mins
Kamila Shamsie
The novelist talks about the themes of loyalty and belonging
04 Apr 2014,24 mins
Toni Morrison
"Our story... That wasn't anywhere" author Toni Morrison on African American literature
13 Jun 2014,24 mins
Karl Ove Knausgaard
Karl Ove Knausgaard and what motivated him to expose intimate details of his life
20 Jun 2014,24 mins
Jung Chang
The author on the imperial concubine, Cixi, who ruled China for half a century
27 Jun 2014,24 mins
Germaine Greer - Author
A conversation with Germaine Greer at the Hay Festival in Wales in front of an audience
29 May 2015,25 mins
Kazuo Ishiguro
A conversation with author Kazuo Ishiguro in front of an audience at Hay Festival, Wales
05 Jun 2015,25 mins
Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Noah Harari on his book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
12 Jun 2015,25 mins
Anne Enright
Ireland’s first Laureate for Fiction Anne Enright on love, sex, secrets and Irish history
19 Jun 2015,25 mins
Author Marlon James
Jamaican-born author Marlon James on his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings
22 Jul 2016,23 mins
Author Tahmima Anam
Author Tahmima Anam on her first novel , A Golden Age, about Bangladesh's Liberation war
29 Jul 2016,23 mins
Author Peter Carey
Author Peter Carey on his novels and issues with privacy
05 Aug 2016,23 mins
Lionel Shriver
The author talks about her novels We Need to Talk about Kevin, and The Mandibles
12 Aug 2016,23 mins
Adhaf Soueif
Renowned authors from around the world on what drives their work and their literary life
07 Jul 2017,23 mins
Sebastian Barry
Author Sebastian Barry on his writing career and latest novel Days Without End
21 Jul 2017,23 mins
Elizabeth Strout - Author
Pulitzer prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout on what drives her and her literary career
28 Jul 2017,23 mins