The Booker Prize Podcast

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

We're a month away from finding out which title will take home the 2023 Booker Prize so what better time to take a deep dive into this year's final six? This week, in the first of two parts, we're exploring half of the books. Listen in to hear what Jo and James make of them, whether virtuousness is a desirable quality in these novels and what the shortlist says about the state of fiction today. In this episode Jo and James discuss: Their overview of the 2023 shortlist, and what it says about the state of fiction today How these books would behave if they were guests in your house The common themes that run through these novels Jonathan Escoffery's If I Survive You Paul Harding's This Other Eden Sarah Bernstein's Study for Obedience Reading list: If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery This Other Eden by Paul Harding Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein 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

Spooky season is upon us. While the Booker Prizes' archive might not be filled to the rafters with tales of horror, Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny is certainly ghostly and horrifying – a perfect read for this time of year. Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022, Cursed Bunny, translated from Korean to English by Anton Hur, presents a collection of fantastically surreal stories that address the very real horrors of capitalism and the patriarchy.In this episode Jo and James talk about: Their own Halloween traditions Bora Chung and her background in writing The unexpected way the book found its way to western readers The stories in this collection, and which are their favourites Their theories on themes throughout the book and what the author is trying to say Whether these tales of terror are going to keep them up at night Reading list: Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree, translated by Daisy Rockwell The Vegetarian by Han Kang, translated by Deborah Smith Hags by Victoria Smith Further viewing: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, directed by Park Chan-wook Old Boy, directed by Park Chan-wook Lady Vengeance, directed by Park Chan-wook Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-ho Memories of Murder, directed by Bong Joon-ho 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

George Saunders is best known as a writer of short stories. In fact, he's often considered to one of the greatest living short story writers in the world. In 2017, however, he took home the Booker Prize for his first (and so far only) novel – the startlingly original Lincoln in the Bardo. The book follows Willie Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln, as he succumbs to illness and ends up in the bardo, a limbo-like state between the living and the dead. This week, George Saunders joins James and Jo to tell us all about how winning the Booker Prize changed his life, his writing, and what makes a great writer.In this episode Jo and James speak to George about: What it was like to win the Booker Prize, and how winning affected his work Why George decided to turn his hand to penning a novel – and whether he'll ever write another The differences between novel writing and short story writing How to write about historical figures without being trite His popular Substack, Story Club with George Saunders, which explores the art of writing (and analysing writing) Liberation Day, his latest collection of short stories Why channelling one's charm is an important aspect of great writing Reading list: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders 4321 by Paul Auster Autumn by Ali Smith Exit West by Mohsin Hamid Elmet by Fiona Mozley History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund Further reading: George Saunders, The Art of Fiction by Benjamin Nugent for The Paris Review My Writing Education: A Timeline by George Saunders for The New Yorker 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

Yoko Ogawa's The Memory Police, translated by Stephen Snyder, is a haunting and provocative fable about the power of memory and the trauma of loss, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020. On an unnamed island, things are disappearing and most of the island's residents are forgetting all about them. It starts small with hats and ribbons but it soon escalates. When a novelist discovers that her editor – who, for some reason, doesn't forget – is in danger from the draconian Memory Police, she concocts a plan to save him. Join us as we explore our latest Book of the Month.In this episode Jo and James: Share a brief author biography Summarise the novel's plot Consider whether the book is about totalitarian regimes or fascist politics, as many of the book's reviewers suggested, or whether it's about something altogether more mysterious Discuss how translations may affect our reading of the book, in quite significant ways Wonder whether forgetting is really that bad Suggest who should read the book Reading list: The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi Further reading:A profile of Yoko Ogawa in The New York TimesA 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

Last week we crowned the best Booker shortlist ever and this week, we're going even deeper into that list. In 2005, the odds were on Julian Barnes to win the Booker Prize with Arthur & George but the judges chose The Sea by John Banville. Arthur & George traces the intersecting lives of an obscure solicitor and the world-famous creator of Sherlock Holmes, while The Sea follows a man attempting to escape a recent loss while confronting a past trauma. So, we're taking a closer look at both books and asking: who was right – the Booker judges or the bookies?In this episode Jo and James: Give plot summaries of Arthur & George and The Sea Share a short biography of Julian Barnes and John Banville Discuss the merits of each novel Consider whether the bookies' favourite should have won the Booker Prize in 2005 Reading list: The Sea by John Banville Arthur & George by Julian Barnes On Beauty by Zadie Smith The Accidental by Ali Smith A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie In the Fold by Rachel Cusk A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel Saturday by Ian McEwan Further resources:How do you place a winning bet on the Booker Prize? via The AtlanticA 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

Following the Booker Prize 2023 shortlist announcement, Jo and James share a hot off the press reaction to this year's six finalists before heading onto the topic at hand: which year saw the best ever Booker Prize shortlist? To help Jo and James along the way, they're joined by Bob Jackson – a man who has read every single book ever shortlisted for the award. That's over 300 books, spanning from the Booker's inception in 1969 up to the present day. So, listen in and find out which shortlist gets crowned as the best one ever.In this episode Jo and James: Ask Bob to reveal his favourite (and least favourite) books from the Booker archive Hear how Bob approached his quest to reading every Booker-shortlisted book Discuss their contenders for which year's shortlist is best Argue it out until just one shortlist is crowned the winner Reading list: Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery This Other Eden by Paul Harding Prophet Song by Paul Lynch Western Lane by Chetna Maroo The Bee Sting by Paul Murray The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan How late it was, how late by James Kelman A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara The Bone People by Keri Hulme The Good Terrorist by Doris Lessing Last Letters from Hav by Jan Morris The Good Apprentice by Iris Murdoch The Battle of Pollocks Crossing by J.L. Carr Illywhacker by Peter Carey A Disaffection by James Kelman Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood Restoration by Rose Tremain The Book of Evidence by John Banville Jigsaw by Sybille Bedford The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes Small World by David Lodge Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner In Custody by Anita Desai According to Mark by Penelope Lively The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi The Keepers of Truth by Michael Collins When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro English Passengers by Matthew Kneale The Deposition of Father McGreevy by Brian O'Doherty Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien Hot Milk by Deborah Levy Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh All That Man Is by David Szalay His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet The Sellout by Paul Beatty The Sea by John Banville Arthur & George by Julian Barnes Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro On Beauty by Zadie Smith A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry The Accidental by Ali Smith Join the Booker Prize Book Club to connect with readers from across the world about all things Booker Prize 2023 and beyond.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

His Bloody Project tells the story of a fictional 19th-century triple murder in a remote crofting community, through the memoir of the accused and documents such as court transcripts, medical reports, police statements and newspaper articles. The book was shortlisted for the 2016 Booker Prize – and while Paul Beatty's The Sellout took home the award that year, His Bloody Project remained the bestseller of the bunch until the winner was announced. This week, its author Graeme Macrae Burnet joins us in the studio to tell us about the inspirations behind His Bloody Project, what it was like to be nominated for the prize again with Case Study in 2022 and what we can expect from him next.In this episode Jo and James speak to Graeme about: The plot of His Bloody Project and the real-life inspiration behind it How the Booker Prize transformed his writing career The power of ambiguity and allowing readers to make up their own minds Why thinking about readers' reactions while writing can undermine the authenticity of a story Why he doesn't plan his novels, so the process of writing remains somewhat of a mystery His lifelong fascination with the idea of madness and how views of mental health have changed over the centuries What we can expect from him next Reading list: His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet The Sellout by Paul Beatty Hot Milk by Deborah Levy Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh All That Man Is by David Szalay Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien I, Pierre Riviére, Having Slaughtered My Mother, My Sister, and My Brother edited by Michel Foucault Madness and Civilization by Michel Foucault Case Study 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