Meet the Writers

Tom Chivers is a poet and publisher who has long been fascinated by London, the city he grew up in and continues to call home. His fascination is not with the landmarks and monuments that are easy to spot but with what lies underneath the city: the hidden and submerged past that is buried below its streets. He speaks to Georgina Godwin about his new book ‘London Clay’. Combining history, geology and memoir, it takes us on eight fascinating journeys in the depths of the city.

Georgina Godwin talks to Will Storr. His critically acclaimed books are about everything from ghosts to selfies, but at the heart of his work is a desire to look deep into the human experience and explore just why we think or behave the way we do. His new book ‘The Status Game’ argues that competition for status underpins all human activity.

The Women’s Prize for Fiction is one of the greatest annual, international celebrations of female creativity. It is now in its 26th year and it honours outstanding, ambitious, original fiction written in English by women from anywhere in the world. The 2021 award was won by Susanna Clarke for her novel ‘Piranesi’. Georgina Godwin went along to the party to celebrate her success.

Writing for ‘The New York Times’, Christopher Clarey has captured the drama of sport for more than 25 years. He speaks to Georgina Godwin about his new book ‘The Master’, which tells the story of the greatest player in men’s tennis, Roger Federer.

Georgina Godwin meets publisher Christopher MacLehose and acclaimed Indian author Anuradha Roy. MacLehose, a leader in translated literature in the UK, is reported to have brought works into English from 34 languages. He recently launched Mountain Leopard Press, which focuses on translation as well as contemporary literature. One of its lead titles is ‘The Earthspinner’, the fifth novel by Anuradha Roy.

This edition of ‘Meet The Writers’ takes a slightly different direction as Georgina Godwin speaks to Phil Manzanera. He is a writer – but one who uses notes and staves rather than words. Manzanera shot to fame in the 1970s as lead guitarist with seminal band Roxy Music and is also a record producer, who has worked with some of the most celebrated musicians in the world.

Georgina Godwin speaks to academic John Wiseman about his new book ‘Hope and Courage in the Climate Crisis: Wisdom and Action in the Long Emergency’, which draws on science, philosophy, indigenous cultures, spiritual traditions and more to inspire action as we face ecological calamity.

Georgina Godwin speaks to author, broadcaster and screenwriter Sarfraz Manzoor about his new book ‘They’, which examines divisions between white and Muslim communities in the UK and the possibility of a brighter future.

Georgina Godwin sits down with Deborah Moggach in the acclaimed author’s garden on the UK’s south coast to discuss her brilliant new novel, ‘The Black Dress’. It follows Pru, who becomes a serial funeral crasher in the hope of curing her loneliness after her husband leaves her out of the blue.