London Review Bookshop Podcast

In Catherine Lacey’s dystopian thriller, recently published in paperback by Granta, CM Lucca, widow of a recently deceased avant-garde artist, sets out to write a biography of the woman she idolised. Her quest leads her, through a maze of pseudonyms, half-truths and outright fabrications, on a journey into the Southern Territory, a fascist theocracy that seceded from the Union after the Second World War. Lacey, author of three previous novels and one of Granta’s ‘Best of Young American Novelists’, was joined in conversation about her work by Jen Calleja, translator, co-founder of micro-press Praspar and author of Vehicle (Prototype).Find more events at the Bookshop: https://lrb.me/eventspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Palestinian writer and journalist Yasmin Zaher’s debut novel The Coin (Footnote Press) has been hailed as ‘already a masterpiece’ (Slavoj Žižek), ‘a filthy, elegant book’ (Raven Leilani) and ‘bonkers’ (Elif Batuman). A young Palestinian woman, wealthy but stateless and with no access to her wealth, finds her life and sense of self unravelling as she teaches underprivileged children at a New York middle school, gets involved in a money-making scheme selling Birkin bags and becomes unhealthily obsessed with health and cleanliness.Zaher read from her novel, and was joined for discussion by poet and novelist Sheena Patel (I'm a Fan).Get the book: https://lrb.me/thecoinpodFind more events at the Bookshop: https://lrb.me/thecoinpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘There are very few writers with as clear and thrilling a love for the stuff of language as Eley Williams’, writes Jon McGregor. Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good revels in the same inventiveness and experimentation that made her debut collection of short stories, Attrib. and Other Stories, so beloved; courtroom artists, childhood crushes, scholarly annotators and editors of canned laughter take their place in a joyful panoply exploring the nature of relationships both intimate and transient. Williams was in conversation with So Mayer, author of Truth & Dare (Cipher Press). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Published to coincide with the poet’s 85th birthday, Ash Keys (Jonathan Cape) presents a new selection of Longley’s finest works. Born in Belfast in 1939, his verse inhabits the landscapes Ireland’s west, at the same time occupying a space within a distinctly European tradition, ranging freely across the continent's histories, tragedies and triumphs. ’One of the most perfect poets alive,’ writes Sebastian Barry. ‘There is something in his work both ancient and modern. I read him as I might check the sky for stars.’Michael Longley was joined for this reading and discussion by fellow poet Declan Ryan, whose most recent collection Crisis Actor is published by Faber.Get the book: https://lrb.me/ashkeyspodFind more events at the Bookshop: https://lrb.m/eventspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.