The Booker Prize Podcast

Esi Edugyan’s thrilling novel follows the astonishing adventures of its titular character, Washington Black, whose escape from the brutal cane plantations of Barbados was only the beginning. Shortlisted for the 2018 Booker Prize and set to be released as a glitzy television adaptation starring Sterling K Brown and co-produced by Edugyan later this year, what better excuse to dive into the novel? In this episode Jo and James: Introduce our April Monthly Spotlight pick Share a brief biography of Esi Edugyan and her work to date Summarise the novel Discuss the plot and their thoughts Suggest the kind of reader who will love the book Reading list: The Second Life of Samuel Tyne by Esi Edugyan Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/half-blood-blues Washington Black by Esi Edugyan: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/washington-black Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-amber-spyglass Any Human Heart by William Boyd: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/any-human-heart This Other Eden by Paul Harding: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/this-other-eden A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1984, many assumed that J.G. Ballard's Empire of the Sun had the Booker Prize in the bag. But actually, it was Anita Brookner's Hotel du Lac that clinched the prize in the end. This week, we're exploring the bookies' favourite vs the Booker winner to ask which book should have won: Brookner's short, quiet novel set in a genteel Swiss hotel or Ballard's long and action-packed autobiographical epic set in wartime Shanghai. In this episode Jo and James: Discuss the Booker Prize 1984 shortlist Share a brief biography of Anita Brookner Summarise the plot of Anita Brookner's Hotel du Lac Explore the characters in Brookner's novel Share a brief biography of J.G. Ballard Summarise the plot of Empire of the Sun Who should read these books Discuss their thoughts on both novels and which they think should have won the Booker Prize 1984 Reading list: Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/empire-of-the-sun Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/hotel-du-lac Small World by David Lodge: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/small-world Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/flauberts-parrot In Custody by Anita Desai: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/in-custody According to Mark by Penelope Lively: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/according-to-mark A full transcript of the episode is available at our website: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/the-booker-prize-podcast-episode-37-empire-of-the-sun-or-hotel-du-lac Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a big week in the literary calendar (if we do say so, ourselves), as we've just announced this year's International Booker Prize longlist. To mark the occasion, James is joined by Fiammetta Rocco, the administrator of the International Booker Prize, and Eleanor Wachtel, chair of the 2024 judging panel. Listen in as they discuss the prize, this year's longlisted books and why translated fiction matters. Conversation topics in this episode: Fiammetta shares how the International Booker Prize began, and how it works in tandem with the Booker Prize The importance of translators The surging popularity of translated fiction, especially amongst younger readers What it's like to be a judge for the International Booker Prize Common themes in contemporary literature across the world The 2024 longlist Reading list: Not a River by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/not-a-river Simpatía by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, translated by Noel Hernández González and Daniel Hahn: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/simpatia Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/kairos The Details by Ia Genberg, translated by Kira Josefsson: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-details White Nights by Urszula Honek, translated by Kate Webster: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/white-nights Mater 2-10 by Hwang Sok-yong, translated by Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/mater-2-10 A Dictator Calls by Ismail Kadare, translated by John Hodgson: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/a-dictator-calls The Silver Bone by Andrey Kurkov, translated by Boris Dralyuk: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-silver-bone What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma, translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/what-id-rather-not-think-about Lost on Me by Veronica Raimo, translated by Leah Janeczko: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/lost-on-me The House on Via Gemito by Domenico Starnone, translated by Oonagh Stransky: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-house-on-via-gemito Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior, translated by Johnny Lorenz: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/crooked-plow Undiscovered by Gabriela Wiener, translated by Julia Sanches: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/undiscovered A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the third and final installment in our mini-series where we revisit Booker Prize novels whose cinematic adaptations were nominated at the Academy Awards. In this episode, we’re taking a closer look at The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, which won the 1989 Booker Prize. Ishiguro’s moving portrait of the perfect English butler was adapted four years later by James Ivory, in a film which received eight nominations at the Oscars. Tune in to hear Jo and James discuss the novel – which also happens to be our March Monthly Spotlight – and its silver screen counterpart. In this episode Jo and James: Share a brief biography of Kazuo Ishiguro Summarise the plot of the book, and share their thoughts on it Explore the character of Stevens and the idea of dignity which he based his life on Discuss the narrative devices Ishiguro uses throughout the novel Delve into James Ivory’s adaptation, and the differences between book and film Reading list: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-remains-of-the-day An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/an-artist-of-the-floating-world A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to the second of our Booker at the Oscars mini-series where we explore Booker Prize novels whose silver screen adaptations went on to experience Academy Award success. This time we're revisiting The English Patient, the joint Booker Prize 1992 winner by Michael Ondaatje (the other winner was Barry Unsworth's Sacred Hunger) and its silver screen counterpart, directed by Anthony Minghella. In this episode Jo and James: Share a brief biography of Michael Ondaatje Summarise the plot of the book, and discuss their thoughts on it Explore the four main characters we meet in the novel Delve into Anthony Minghella's film adaptation and the differences between book and film Reading list: The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-english-patient Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/sacred-hunger Black Dogs by Ian McEwan: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/black-dogs Butcher Boy by Patrick McCabe: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-butcher-boy Warlight by Michael Ondaatje: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/warlight Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje The Histories by Herodotus In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When does a book transcend from contemporary literature to a classic? Does someone have to confirm its classic status? And can all Booker Prize novels be considered classics just by being part of the Booker canon? This, and more, is what Jo and James are trying to get to the heart of in this week's episode. Listen in as they discuss what makes a classic novel and chat about which Booker books should be known as classics. In this episode Jo and James: Consider what makes a classic Each pick three novels from the Booker Library that are – or should be – considered classics Discuss the plots of their chosen novels and why they are deserving of classic status Reading list: Something to Answer For by P.H. Newby: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/something-to-answer-for A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/a-month-in-the-country How Late It Was, How Late by James Kelman: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/how-late-it-was-how-late St. Urbain's Horseman by Mordecai Richler: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/st-urbains-horseman Atonement by Ian McEwan: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/atonement The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-remains-of-the-day The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-handmaids-tale Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/shuggie-bain Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/schindlers-ark The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-english-patient Autobiography by Morrisey The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/midnights-children The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-siege-of-krishnapur The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-conservationist Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/oscar-and-lucinda The Ghost Road by Pat Barker: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-ghost-road Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/disgrace Staying On by Paul Scott: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/staying-on The Famished Road by Ben Okri: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-famished-road Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/cloud-atlas The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-line-of-beauty Autumn by Ali Smith: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/autumn Crudo by Olivia Laing No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/no-one-is-talking-about-this Waterland by Graham Swift: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/waterland G. by John Berger: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/g Read Alex Clark's piece, “Which novels in the Booker Prize archives should be considered classics?”: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/which-booker-prize-novels-should-be-considered-classics A full transcript of the episode is available at our website: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/the-booker-prize-podcast-episode-33-what-makes-a-classic-novel Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Oscars season so we're off to the movies. Welcome to the first in a new mini-series where we explore Booker Prize novels whose silver screen adaptations went on to experience Oscar glory. We're starting with Schindler's Ark, the Booker Prize 1982 winner, which also happens to be the first Booker-winning novel to become a film that won a Best Picture Oscar. Listen in as we dive into the book and its film counterpart. In this episode Jo and James: Share a brief biography of Thomas Keneally Revisit the origin story of Schindler's Ark Consider whether “non-fiction novels” are really novels Summarise the plot of the book, and discuss their thoughts on it Explore the character of Oskar Schindler Delve into Steven Spielberg's adaptation, Schindler's List, and the differences between book and film Reading list: Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner Erasure by Percival Everett The Trees by Percival Everett The Place at Whitton by Thomas Keneally The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith by Thomas Keneally Gossip from the Forest by Thomas Keneally Confederates by Thomas Keneally An Ice-Cream War by William Boyd The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Take a look at all of the TV and film adaptations of Booker Prize novels here. And to watch the full interview with Thomas Keneally, head to our YouTube channel here. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sally Rooney is one of the best-loved writers of her generation and her second novel, Normal People, has been overwhelmingly popular across the world – first in book form and then its TV adaptation. Nominated for the Booker Prize 2018, Normal People follows Marianne and Connell as they come of age and figure out their place in the world. It's a love story that has touched readers everywhere but it's also a novel that has something to say about class and politics, in particular. So tune in to this episode to hear Jo and James discuss our February Monthly Spotlight pick. In this episode Jo and James: Consider how the book became so popular Whether the haters have a leg to stand on Share a brief biography of Sally Rooney Summarise the plot of Normal People Discuss the themes explored in the novel Reading list: Normal People by Sally Rooney Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A happy Burns Night to one and all. In honour of this day of celebration for ol' Rabbie Burns, and by extension all Scottish literature, we're taking a dive into one of the most popular Booker Prize winners: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. The novel, Stuart's debut, presents a blistering and heartbreaking exploration of the unsinkable love that only children can have for their damaged parents. In this episode Jo and James: Share a brief biography of Douglas Stuart Summarise the plot of Shuggie Bain Discuss their thoughts on the novel Delve into the characters, particularly Shuggie and his mother, Agnes Consider the idea of the divided self in Scottish literature Reading list: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart Loitering With Intent by Muriel Spark His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's winter in the northern hemisphere right now and we are simply filled with the urge to hibernate. If you're feeling the same vibe and want to stay in with a good book, allow us to recommend three short books that could keep you company through a weekend. Listen in this week to hear Jo and James discuss some of the most bijou of novels from the Booker Prize and International Booker Prize archive. Reading list: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald Boulder by Eva Baltasar, translated by Julia Sanches A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A.S. Byatt's Possession is a blockbuster of a novel, loved by both critics and readers. If you haven't already read it, you've probably heard of it. (And if you haven't heard of it, well, we're here to fill you in.) Possession won the 1990 Booker Prize and it's a romp of a novel that's part detective thriller and part romance. It also happens to be the subject of our first Monthly Spotlight of 2024 – formerly known as Book of the Month – so tune in as we delve into the book and the life of its author. In this episode Jo and James: Share a brief biography of A.S. Byatt Explore Byatt's literary rivalry with her writer sister, Margaret Drabble Summarise the plot of Possession Hear a clip of Byatt reading from the book at the 1990 Booker Prize ceremony Discuss their thoughts on the novel Reading list: Possession by A.S. Byatt: https://thebookerprizes.com/archive/books/possession An Awfully Big Adventure by Beryl Bainbridge: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/an-awfully-big-adventure The Gate of Angels by Penelope Fitzgerald: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-gate-of-angels Lies of Silence by Brian Moore: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/lies-of-silence Amongst Women by John McGahern: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/amongst-women Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/solomon-gursky-was-here The Virgin in the Garden by A.S. Byatt The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt The Biographer's Tale The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-childrens-book A full transcript of the episode is available at our website: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/the-booker-prize-podcast-episode-28-possession-by-as-byatt Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WARNING: this episode contains some adult language. We’re back after our festive hiatus – and how better to start the year than with a rundown of some of the most-anticipated reads of 2024. This week, Jo and James are joined by journalist and TLS podcast host Alex Clark, so listen in as they discuss the books, by Booker Prize authors and beyond, that we should all keep an eye out for this year. 2024 reading list: Long Island by Colm Tóibín The Women Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle James by Percival Everett Choice by Neel Mukherjee What Will Survive of Us by Howard Jacobson Parade by Rachel Cusk The Spoiled Heart by Sunjeev Sahota The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry The Underground Sea by John Berger The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain by Kazuo Ishiguro Knife by Salman Rushdie My Heavenly Favourite by Lucas Rijneveld, translated by Michele Hutchison The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner Mr Geography by Tim Parks Fourteen Days: A Collaborative Novel Day by Michael Cunningham Enlightenment by Sarah Perry Godwin by Joseph O'Neill Caledonian Road by Andrew O'Hagan Other books mentioned: Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín The Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle Paula Spencer by Roddy Doyle The Committments by Roddy Doyle The Snapper by Roddy Doyle The Van by Roddy Doyle Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle Two Pints by Roddy Doyle The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Sellout by Paul Beatty The Trees by Percival Everett Erasure by Percival Everett Suder by Percival Everett The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee Who's Sorry Now? by Howard Jacobson Kalooki Nights by Howard Jacobson J by Howard Jacobson The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson Live a Little by Howard Jacobson Mother's Boy by Howard Jacobson The Dog's Last Walk: (and Other Pieces) by Howard Jacobson The Outline trilogy by Rachel Cusk Into the Fold by Rachel Cusk Second Place by Rachel Cusk Self-Portrait by Celia Paul The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota China Room by Sunjeev Sahota City of Bohane by Kevin Barry Beatlebone by Kevin Barry Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie The Discomfort of Evening by Lucas Rijneveld, translated by Michele Hutchison The Hours by Michael Cunningham The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry Virginia Woolf's Nose by Hermione Lee Mayflies by Andrew O'Hagan A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. You can listen to Alex's podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-tls-podcast/id868068396 Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our last episode of the year (time flies!), we catch up with International Booker Prize 2023 winners Georgi Gospodinov and Angela Rodel. The winning novel, Time Shelter, follows an enigmatic therapist who runs a ‘clinic for the past’ that offers a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s sufferers. It was the first book from Bulgaria to win the International Booker – and, in fact, to be shortlisted – and its win has been received with much excitement in Gospodinov's home country and beyond. This week, we catch up with author and translator to find out how the award has changed their lives and what they've been up to since their win. In this episode Jo and James speak to Georgi and Angela about: The book, its plot and its themes What the night of their International Booker Prize win was like How their lives have changed since winning the prize What it means for translators to receive recognition alongside the writers they work with The importance of music in their work The unique working relationship between writers and translators Why Bulgarian literature deserves more recognition and which books to look out for A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara Cox, host of BBC Two's TV book club, Between the Covers, joins Jo and James to discuss our December Book of the Month: Any Human Heart by William Boyd. Told through the journals of Logan Mountstuart, it's an engrossing – and often funny – novel that takes in many of the defining events of the 20th century and the people who shaped them. The Booker Prize 2002-longlisted book was recently discussed on Between the Covers, so tune in to our podcast as Sara, James and Jo talk about William Boyd's beloved novel, as well as Sara's own reading habits and inspirations. In this episode Jo, James and Sara talk about: The idea behind television book club Between the Covers The variety of books guests have been bringing to this series of Between the Covers The novels that got Sara into reading at a young age Sara's favourite Booker Prize books How Sara balances reading and her own writing – and whether what she's reading influences her work What the book clubbers on Between the Covers thought of Any Human Heart A brief summary of Any Human Heart and a discussion about its plot Who they'd recommend the book to Reading List: Any Human Heart by William Boyd: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/any-human-heart Life of Pi by Yann Martel: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/life-of-pi The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Pessimism is for Lightweights by Salena Godden Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume Catherine Cookson novels Jilly Cooper novels Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/paddy-clarke-ha-ha-ha John Boyne novels Margaret O'Farrell novels Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/redhead-by-the-side-of-the-road A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/a-spool-of-blue-thread A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Step behind the velvet rope and let Jo and James take you on a VIP tour of the Booker Prize 2023 award ceremony. Listen in as they speak to some of this year's shortlisted authors and judges, as well as other guests at the ceremony and hear, first-hand, how the shortlisted authors felt in the run up to the announcement, how the judges enjoyed being part of the jury and what it feels like to be a guest at one of the most exciting events in the booklover's calendar. In this episode Jo and James speak to: Paul Lynch, 2023 Booker Prize winner Paul Murray, 2023 Booker Prize shortlistee Robert Webb, 2023 Booker Prize judge Adjoa Andoh, 2023 Booker Prize judge Graeme Macrae Burnet, 2016 Booker Prize longlistee Frederick Studemann, literary editor of the Financial Times A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hot off the press, we're bringing you The Booker Prize Podcast's reaction to the Booker Prize 2023 winner. Recorded at the Booker Prize award ceremony on 26 November, Jo and James share their thoughts on the winning book and hear directly from winner Paul Lynch and Esi Edugyan, chair of judges and previous Booker Prize nominee. That's not all for this week though, as we'll be back with a special episode in our usual Thursday slot. A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're only three days away from finding out who will take home the Booker Prize 2023 so who better to speak to than last year's winner? Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka won the prize for his searing satire The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida in 2022, and the 13 months since his win has been a whirlwind of activity. This week, Shehan joins us on the podcast to tell us all about the past year and what the 2023 winner can expect on the night of the award ceremony and beyond. In this episode Jo and James speak to Shehan about: What it's like to be at the Booker Prize award ceremony – and how it felt to be announced as the 2022 winner The strangeness of winning the Booker Prize amidst economic crisis and civil unrest in Sri Lanka The impossibility of making an acceptance speech in one minute Why he paints his fingernails black How he spent his prize money The whirlwind that has been the 13 months since he won the Booker Prize His daily writing and reading routine Books and authors mentioned: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka Agatha Christie Salman Rushdie Raymond Chandler John le Carré Armistead Maupin A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Iris Murdoch was a prolific writer, completing 26 novels and several philosophy books in her lifetime. She still holds the record for most Booker Prize shortlistings (a joint record with Margaret Atwood) and the Booker Prize trophy has recently been renamed the 'Iris' in her honour. This month, we've picked The Black Prince, which was shortlisted for the Booker in 1973, as our Book of the Month. It's a part-thriller, part-love story that follows Bradley Pearson – an elderly writer with a ‘block’. Adding and contributing to his torment are a host of predatory friends and relations: his melancholic sister, his ex-wife and her delinquent brother, and a younger, deplorably successful writer, Arnold Baffin. In this episode Jo and James share: Their thoughts on Iris Murdoch's novels Why Murdoch was an exceptionally funny writer, as well as a gifted one A brief biography of Murdoch A summary of The Black Prince What they thought about The Black Prince Who should read The Black Prince Reading list: The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-black-prince The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-sea-the-sea Under the Net by Iris Murdoch A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch The Bloater by Rosemary Tonks A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we're bringing you a special episode recorded live at Cheltenham Literature Festival in October. Tune in as James is joined by all six Booker Prize 2023 shortlisted authors and we get to hear all about their books, the varied inspirations behind them and why and how they write. Reading list: If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery This Other Eden by Paul Harding Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein Chetna Maroo's Western Lane Paul Lynch's Prophet Song Paul Murray's The Bee Sting A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we hurtle towards the Booker Prize 2023 announcement later this month, we're continuing our deep dive into this year's shortlist. This week, in the second of two parts, Jo and James take a closer look at the remaining three books. Listen in to hear what they make of them and which book they think will take home the prize this year. In this episode Jo and James discuss: Chetna Maroo's Western Lane Paul Lynch's Prophet Song Paul Murray's The Bee Sting Their winner predictions for this year's Booker Prize Reading list: Western Lane by Chetna Maroo Prophet Song by Paul Lynch The Bee Sting by Paul Murray A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices