The Booker Prize Podcast
The Booker Prize
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A weekly podcast featuring lively conversations and fascinating insights from the Booker Prizes. Join us as we revisit winning novels from years past, speak to authors and experts from the literary world and peer behind the curtain of this year's International Booker Prize and Booker Prize.
Available episodes
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4 days ago
The Sea or Arthur and George: The Booker vs the Bookies
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 and George but the judges chose The Sea by John Banville. Arthur and George traces the intersecting lives of an obscure solicitor and the world-famous creator of Sherlock Holmes, while The Sea follow 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 and 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 Atlantic
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.
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Sep 22, 2023
A Booker Prize 2023 Shortlist Reaction + The Best Shortlist Ever
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.
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Sep 14, 2023
Our September Book of the Month: His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
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.
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Sep 7, 2023
Back to School with Ian McEwan's Atonement
🚨 An advance warning that this episode features spoilers for Atonement.
September is here, which means it's the start of another academic year. So get out your brand new stationery and settle down as we head back to school... no polyester uniforms or exams though, don't worry. This week, we're taking a look at Booker-nominated books that feature on school syllabuses in the UK and, particularly, we're diving into Ian McEwan's Atonement. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2001, the novel explores how a young girl’s imagination runs riot with far-reaching and devastating consequences.
In this episode Jo and James discuss:
Their favourite Booker-nominated books that feature on school syllabuses
A brief history of Ian McEwan's writing career
The plot of Atonement
The characters and themes of the novel
How Joe Wright's film adaptation of Atonement compares to the books
The Booker Clinic: books to help quell homesickness
Reading list:
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh
A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Saturday by Ian McEwan
Spies by Michael Frayn
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Waterland by Graham Swift
Love and Summer by William Trevor
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
Oxygen by Andrew Miller
number9dream by David Mitchell
Hotel World by Ali Smith
Now We Shall Be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller
The Dark Room by Rachel Seiffert
Black Dogs by Ian McEwan
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
Further Resources:
Ian McEwan on BBC Radio 4's This Cultural Life
Ian McEwan on his novels as A-Level set texts via The Guardian
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.
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Aug 31, 2023
The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens – The First Woman to Win the Booker Prize
In 1970, when the Booker Prize was still in its infancy (its second year running, in fact), the prize was awarded to Bernice Rubens. Rubens was the first woman to win the award and is still the only Welsh person to ever win the prize. 2023 marks the centenary of Rubens' birth so, this week, we're taking a closer look at The Elected Member – a piercing novel that explores what happens to a respectable, close-knit Jewish family when their prodigious son becomes a middle-aged drug addict.
In this episode Jo and James:
Ponder the weight of being the eldest child
Share a brief biography of Bernice Rubens
Give a slightly spoiler-y summary of The Elected Member
Discuss whether parental expectation can turn from encouragement to abuse
Consider how love can be damaging
Wonder why Bernice Rubens has fallen off the radar
Decide who should read The Elected Member
Reading list:
The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
Bruno's Dream by Iris Murdoch
Mrs Eckdorf in O'Neill's Hotel by William Trevor
Eva Trout by Elizabeth Bowen
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
When I Grow Up by Bernice Rubens
The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis
In Transit by Brigid Brophy
The Fire-Dwellers by Margaret Laurence
The Hungry Grass by Richard Power
Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark
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.
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Aug 24, 2023
The Sellout: The first American novel to win the Booker Prize
In 2014, the Booker Prize broadened its submission rules to allow books from any nationality, as long as they were written in English and published in the UK. This change in eligibility led to worries around whether American novels would dominate the award's nominations, but it wasn't until 2016 when Paul Beatty scooped the prize with The Sellout that the prize went to an author from the States. The Sellout is a biting satire on race relations told through its protagonist, who is on trial for trying to reinstate slavery and segregation – and this week on the podcast, we're revisiting the story.
In this episode Jo and James:
Consider what the inclusion of American authors and novels has meant for the Booker Prize
Share a brief biography of Paul Beatty
Give a slightly spoiler-y summary of The Sellout
Discuss whether the novel is an on-point laugh-a-minute satire or a relentlessly nihilistic trudge
Try to get to the bottom of what Paul Beatty is trying to say through this novel
Chat about whether the question of who something is for can really be answered authentically
Suggest who should read The Sellout
Reading list:
The White Boy Shuffle
Tuff
Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor
Slumberland
The Sellout
Further resources:
Paul Beatty's 2016 Booker Prize acceptance speech
Dear Britain, please take your Booker Prize back home by Ron Charles for The Washington Post
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.
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Aug 17, 2023
An Interview with 2015 Booker Prize Winner Marlon James
Cast your minds back to the heady days of 2015... It's early autumn and Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life is hotly-tipped to scoop the Booker Prize but the judges award that year's prize to A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James – an epic novel inspired by the true story of an attempted assassination attempt on Bob Marley. This week, Marlon James joins Jo and James on the podcast to tell us how winning the Booker Prize changed his life, his writing, and what he's working on next.
In this episode Jo and James speak to Marlon about:
Why Marlon didn't think he was going to win the Booker Prize
How he spent his prize money
The reception A Brief History of Seven Killings received in Marlon's home country, Jamaica, versus further afield
Get Millie Black, the new original HBO / Channel 4 crime drama he's working on
TikTok and why reading is not the same as identifying as a reader
How he loves writing but hates coming up with ideas for new work
The new novel he's writing
Reading list:
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
Satin Island by Tom McCarthy
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma
The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Further resources:
Marlon and Jake Read Dead People
A 10th anniversary edition of A Brief History of Seven Killings will be published, with a new introduction, in June 2024.
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.
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Aug 9, 2023
Our August Book of the Month: Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark
Muriel Spark was a prolific poet and novelist who was nominated for the Booker Prize three times over the course of her writing career. In 1981, Spark's Loitering with Intent was shortlisted for the prize alongside that year's eventual winner Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. The novel is a wonderfully gossipy and entertaining literary joyride which sees a would-be novelist takes inspiration from her life only to find the tables are mysteriously turned – and it's our August Book of the Month.
In this episode Jo and James:
Continue getting to know each other by chatting about the life event James would start his memoir with and Jo's favourite albums of all time
Share a brief biography of Muriel Spark
Give a slightly spoiler-y account of what happens in Loitering with Intent
Discuss how much of Muriel Spark's writing may be influenced or based on her own life
Consider why Muriel Spark is not as widely read now as she once was
Who should read Loitering with Intent
Reading list:
Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark
The Public Image by Muriel Spark
The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan
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.
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Aug 3, 2023
The Booker Prize 2023: Longlist Reaction
This week, we're joined by Frederick Studemann, literary editor of the FT, to bring you a Booker Prize longlist reaction hot off the press. Listen in as Fred, James and Jo share their opinions of this year's longlist as a whole, and give you a flavour of each of the 13 books that make up this year's Booker Dozen: it's speed dating meets the Booker Prize.
Books discussed in this episode:
A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry
Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney
This Other Eden by Paul Harding
Pearl by Siân Hughes
All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
In Ascension by Martin MacInnes
Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
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.
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Jul 27, 2023
The Strange Case of Vernon God Little
What exactly is “a Booker book”? Some might jump to a specific kind of high-minded, serious fiction, while others argue for a broader definition inclusive of more mainstream titles. Over the years, the pendulum has swung between the two and in 2003, DBC Pierre's debut, Vernon God Little, was awarded the prize. In this episode, we take a closer look at the novel and why it was an unexpected winner.
In this episode, Jo and James talk about:
Their childhood reading inspirations
A brief – and slightly spoiler-y – summary of Vernon God Little
The reaction to its 2003 Man Booker Prize win
The author behind the novel, DBC Pierre
Whether Vernon God Little stands up to reading 20 years after its release
Books to read after reading Vernon God Little
Books and authors discussed in this episode:
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Rudyard Kipling
Charles Dickens
Vladimir Nabokov
Virginia Woolf
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy by Philip Pullman
The Moomins books by Tove Jansson
Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner
Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Schopenhauer's Telescope by Gerard Donovan
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Us by David Nicholls
The Patrick Melrose novels by Edward St. Aubyn
Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi
Philip Larkin
A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.
If you've got a problem you'd like some literary help with, email us at contactus@bookerprizefoundation.org using the subject line “The Booker Clinic”.
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.
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Jul 20, 2023
Summer Special: The Booker Prizes Does Love Island
The sun is shining, the sea is glistening and we're heading off to Booker Island – our very own version of Love Island. This week we're pairing up fictional characters from novels in the Booker archive, so tune in to find out who's coupled up, who's getting mugged off and who's getting dumped in our quest to find the ultimate literary romantic couple.
Books discussed in this episode:
Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller
The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Atonement by Ian McEwan
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Us by David Nicholls
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Any Human Heart by William Boyd
G by John Berger
Mother's Milk by Edward St Aubyn
Normal People by Sally Rooney
A full transcript of the episode is available on 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.
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Jul 13, 2023
Why The Amber Spyglass is the only children’s book nominated for The Booker Prize
Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass is the third and concluding volume of the epic His Dark Materials trilogy – and might just be the only children’s book ever nominated for The Booker Prize. The story follows the journey of Lyra – a young girl destined to bring about unfathomable change in her world and beyond. It was longlisted for The Booker Prize in 2001, alongside Ian McEwan’s Atonement, David Mitchell’s number9dream and that year’s winner, Peter Carey’s True History of the Kelly Gang.
In this episode, Jo and James talk about:
The animal forms their daemons would take
A brief – and slightly spoiler-y – summary of what happens in The Amber Spyglass, as well as the previous books in the trilogy
Whether The Amber Spyglass is really a children's book
The literature that has inspired His Dark Materials
Whether more children's books should be in contention for The Booker Prize
The Booker Clinic: Books to rediscover the joys of reading
Books discussed in this…
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Jul 6, 2023
Introducing July's Book of the Month: The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Warning: this episode contains references to suicide.
The Vegetarian, an International Booker Prize winner and the first of Han Kang's books to be translated into English, explores shame, desire and our faltering attempts to understand each other. In 2016, the International Booker Prize moved from a bi-annual award recognising an author's body of work to a prize that celebrated an individual book translated into English, giving its author and translator equal billing – The Vegetarian was the first novel to win the revamped prize, and this month we're revisiting the story to explore it more deeply.
In this episode Jo and James chat about:
Jo and James' best and worst ever meals, spurred on by the omnipresence of food throughout The Vegetarian
A slightly spoiler-y account of what happens in the novel and whether it's about Korean society and the pressures faced by women living under the patriarchy... even though the author has stressed that this isn’t the case
Whether Yeong-hye, t…
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Jul 6, 2023
The Best Booker Books of All Time (Maybe)
In our first episode, our hosts – author and critic Jo Hamya and broadcaster and critic James Walton – get to know each other by discussing their favourite books from the Booker Library – the name we give to all the books that have been nominated for (or won!) the International Booker Prize and Booker Prize over the last 50-odd years.
This episode contains significant plot details.
In this episode Jo and James talk about:
Why No One is Talking About This, a novel that captures our deep entanglement with the internet through its blend of laugh-out-loud humour and beautifully-observed prose, could have won the 2021 Booker Prize.
Why Patrick McCabe's The Butcher Boy’ a 1992 Booker shortlistee that follows a young man's descent into madness in small-town Ireland, isn't a virtuous read but it is one that will blow your socks off.
Books discussed in this episode:
Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler
Th…
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Jun 29, 2023
Launching 6 July: The Booker Prize Podcast
Only one week to go until the release of The Booker Prize Podcast. We'll be revisiting past longlisted, shortlisted and winning Booker novels to see if they've stood the test of time. Sometimes our hosts will love them and sometimes, well, they might not... Stay tuned until 6 July.
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.
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Jun 22, 2023
Introducing The Booker Prize Podcast
Launching on 6th July, this is a weekly podcast featuring lively conversations and fascinating insights from The Booker Prizes. Join us as we revisit winning novels from years past, speak to authors and experts from the literary world and peer behind the curtain of this year's prizes.
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.
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