The Guardian Books podcast
The Guardian Books podcast is our weekly look at the world of books, poetry and great writing presented by Claire Armitstead, Richard Lea, & Sian Cain. With in-depth interviews with leading authors and investigations into the thematic trends in contemporary writing, this is the perfect book worm’s companion
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The Dragon of Palma de Mallorca, read by Andrew Scott – Travel folktales for kids podcastThe Spanish island city is terrorised by a fearsome dragon. But is it really a dragon, or something else?
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Hay festival 2017: Cory Doctorow, Helen Fielding and Shashi Tharoor – podcastWe gaze uneasily to the future with Doctorow, look back on the history of the British Raj with Tharoor, and some comic relief comes from Fielding’s hapless heroine Bridget Jones
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The wandering knight of Zagreb, read by Andrew Scott – Travel folktales for kids podcastA knight loses his way in a haunted forest and is close to death – until salvation arrives in the form of a beautiful maiden
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Islands and literature, from Iceland to Jamaica - books podcastAs the Brexit boat prepares to set sail, writers from islands around the world explain what it means to be from a small place surrounded by sea
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Pinocchio and the Field of Miracles, read by Andrew Scott – Travel folktales for kids podcastThe stories of the little wooden puppet who dreams of becoming a real boy were born in Tuscany. But how?
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Funny memoirs with Patricia Lockwood – books podcastWe talk to the poet-turned-memoirist about Priestdaddy, her account of growing up with a Catholic priest for a father, and discuss our favourite funny autobiographies
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Jack, the Giant Killer, read by Andrew Scott – Travel folktales for kids podcastCormoran is a bloodthirsty giant who preys on a Cornish village – until a brave little boy named Jack decides to stand up to him
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Tony Harrison at 80 - books podcastVanessa Redgrave, Blake Morrison and Melvyn Bragg are among the stars of page and stage who celebrate one of the UK’s most versatile – and angry – poets
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Writing about working class life with Lisa McInerney and Lynsey Hanley – books podcastIrish author McInerney talks about writing working class characters in her novel The Blood Miracles, while social historian Hanley talks about Richard Hoggart’s groundbreaking study, The Uses of Literacy
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Neil Gaiman on American Gods, Norse Mythology and more – books podcastThe much-loved author talks about seeing American Gods adapted for TV, his love for Norse mythology – and his many other projects
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The shadows of war in Primo Levi and Xan Brooks - books podcastSeventy years on, Philippe Sands discusses the abiding relevance of If This Is a Man, and we meet the author of The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times
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Sara Baume, Peter Bazalgette and the art of empathy – books podcastNovelist Sara Baume discusses her novel A Line Made by Walking, while broadcaster Peter Bazalgette makes the case for prioritising compassion in The Empathy Instinct
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George Saunders and the Baileys women's prize – books podcastIn this week’s podcast we speak to Saunders about his novel Lincoln in the Bardo, and rate the finalists for this year’s Baileys women’s prize for fiction
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Man Booker International prize and Dorthe Nors – books podcastThis week’s podcast heads abroad as we look at the longlist for this year’s Man Booker International prize and speak to longlisted author Dorthe Nors
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Being a radical optimist with Mohsin Hamid – books podcastHamid talks about his latest novel Exit West, in which a couple use doors to move between cities and realities – and we have a chat about speculative fiction
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Baileys longlist author Ayòbámi Adébáyò, and London book fair – books podcastNigerian writer Ayòbámi Adébáyò pops into the studio to talk about her debut novel Stay With Me, and we look at what’s happening at the London book fair
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Women challenging the patriarchy – one podcast at a timeTo mark International Women’s Day, the Guardian’s podcasters pick some favourite episodes featuring inspirational women
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Daniel Dennett on consciousness and 100 years of Anthony Burgess – books podcastThe influential thinker talks about From Bacteria to Bach and Back, and we discuss the A Clockwork Orange author’s legacy
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Fact or fiction: autobiographical novels with Édouard Louis – books podcastLouis’s acclaimed debut The End of Eddy sparked a media hunt for the truth in France due to its blend of narrative and autobiographical fact. We speak to him about his novel’s reception, plus discuss the best and worst of autofiction
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Reclaiming history with Yaa Gyasi and Chibundu Onuzo - books podcastThe authors of two buzzy new novels, Homegoing and Welcome to Lagos, explore ancient and modern stories of west Africa
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Michael Chabon on The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – books podcastThe Pulitzer prize-winning novelist looks back on a modern classic at a Guardian book club event
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Sebastian Barry on his Costa-winning novel Days Without End – books podcastIn the week Sebastian Barry picked up his second Costa book of the year award, he joins us in the studio to read from and discuss Days Without End
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The biography of a paperback – books podcastWe chart the business of making books from manuscript to bookshop shelf and beyond
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Searching for alien life with Jim Al-Khalili – books podcastAs 21st-century telescopes transform the hunt for extraterrestrials from SF to hard science, physicist Jim Al-Khalili examines the prospects for finding life in space
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Alan Bennett discusses Keeping On Keeping On – books podcastA national treasure reads from the latest volume of his diaries and discusses finding inspiration in the everyday
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The Last Poets – books podcastFamed for militant spoken-word poetry about black America from the height of the civil rights struggle, the Last Poets join us to perform and talk about their own battles
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Books of the year, with Sarah Perry and Francis Spufford - podcastCosta contenders The Essex Serpent and Golden Hill bring historical fiction to the fore as we predict the books that will last from 2016
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Deadly beauty with Ruth Padel and Lucinda Hawksley – books podcastPoetry and poison combine as we look at a lavishly illustrated history of arsenic in the home and a book-length Christmas poem
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Nadja Spiegelman and Alex Wheatle - books podcastHow life stories play out in memoir and fiction with the authors of family memoir I’m Supposed to Protect You from All This and YA award-winner Crongton Knights
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Margaret Drabble and the Ruby Dolls - books podcastThe challenges of ageing and the dark side of fairy stories examined in a novel, The Dark Flood Rises, and the cabaret Brides of Bluebeard
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Alan Moore talks to Stewart Lee – books podcastThe comics legend tells the standup comic why his latest project is a small-town novel set in the Midlands, running to 1,280 pages and titled Jerusalem
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Nordic noir with Kati Hiekkapelto and Antti Tuomainen – books podcastWe investigate crime fiction from the frozen north with two of Finland’s rising literary stars
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Climate change with Amitav Ghosh and Aaron Thier – books podcastAmitav Ghosh discusses the failure of literary culture to confront climate change, while Aaron Thier tells us how his novel spanning a millennium reflects current fears
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Jonathan Safran Foer on his novel Here I Am – books podcastThe American writer discusses his first novel in 11 years, books he hasn’t finished – and how his fiction is driven by instinct
Podcast Richard Ford discusses his family memoir – books podcast