BBC Radio Podcasts from World Book Club
Michelle De Kretser
The world's great authors discuss their best-known novel.
Ottessa Moshfegh: My Year of Rest and Relaxation
Ottessa Moshfegh discusses her second novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation
Meg Rosoff: How I Live Now
Novelist Meg Rosoff answers questions about one of her best-loved novels, How I Live Now
World Book Café: Oslo
World Book Café heads to Oslo to Europe’s largest Literature House
Anne Holt: 1,222
Norwegian crime writer Anne Holt discusses her novel 1,222
Douglas Stuart: Shuggie Bain
Douglas Stuart talks about his Booker Prize winning novel Shuggie Bain
Kate Mosse: Labyrinth
The world's great authors discuss their best-known novel.
Elif Batuman
American writer Elif Batuman discusses her novel The Idiot with readers around the world.
Ewald Arenz: Tasting Sunlight
Ewald Arenz answers readers' questions about his bestselling novel Tasting Sunlight
Women of the World: Edna O’Brien
Kim Chakanetsa in conversation with the acclaimed author Edna O’Brien.
Paul Auster: New York Trilogy
Harriett Gilbert talks to Paul Auster about his New York Trilogy
Edna O'Brien: The Country Girls
A 2008 interview with the acclaimed Irish novelist, who died in July 2024 aged 93
World Book Cafe: Toronto
World Book Café, the programme where writers reveal the secrets of their home cities
Kevin Kwan: Crazy Rich Asians
Kevin Kwan discusses his best-selling novel Crazy Rich Asians, with readers
Miriam Toews: Women Talking
The world's great authors discuss their best-known novel.
Percival Everett: The Trees
A powerful satire of revenge and social justice in America
Charlotte Wood: The Weekend
Charlotte Wood discusses her novel, The Weekend
Ann Patchett: The Dutch House
A dark fairytale set in post war America tracing a family across the decades
Madrid
World Book Café heads to Madrid to talk to writers about a new boom in feminist fiction.
Carlo Rovelli: Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
A dazzling and mind-bending introduction to the wonders of modern physics
Antonio Muñoz Molina: In the Night of Time
Antonio Muñoz Molina answers questions on his novel In the Night of Time
Shehan Karunatilaka: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Searing satire set amid the murderous mayhem of Sri Lankan civil war
AS Byatt - Possession
English author A. S Byatt talks to an audience about her novel 'Possession'.
Xiaolu Guo: A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
A romantic comedy told across the barrier of language and culture
Michael Chabon: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
Two Jewish boys in 1939 New York invent an anti-Fascist comic book hero
Audrey Niffenegger: The Time Traveler's Wife
A magical and unusual love story about time and patience and loss
Pilar Quintana: The Bitch
Love, loss and violence on the remote Pacific coast of Colombia
Sofi Oksanen: Purge
A harrowing portrait of Estonia's recent history, seen through the lives of two women
Judith Kerr: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Another chance to hear Judith Kerr talking about When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Curtis Sittenfeld: Prep
Teen dream of boarding school turns out to be hotbed of adolescent angst and ambition
Paul Theroux: Deep South
Paul Theroux turns his unflinching gaze on an American South too often overlooked
World Book Cafe: Paris
Meet authors Mahir Guven, Blandine Rinkel, Laurent Petitmangin and Capucine Delattre
Marie Darrieussecq: Pig Tales
Marie Darrieussecq in Paris discussing her feminist satire of sex, power and corruption.
Ayelet Gundar-Goshen: Waking Lions
A morally complex tale of guilt, survival, shame and desire in Israel.
Anuk Arudpragasam: A Passage North
A young Sri Lankan contemplates the horrifying aftermath of his country’s civil war
Sunjeev Sahota - The Year of the Runaways
A group of young Indians desperately seek a better life for themselves in Sheffield.
Tahmima Anam: A Golden Age
Passion, revolution and heroism against the backdrop of Bangladeshi War of Independence
Brit Bennett: The Vanishing Half
American writer Brit Bennett talks about her unputdownable novel, The Vanishing Half.
Ben Lerner: Leaving the Atocha Station
Searingly funny coming-of-age novel set in Madrid
Yaa Gyasi: Homegoing
The devastating legacy of slavery confronted through one family through the generations
Mohsin Hamid: Exit West
Mohsin Hamid's profound meditation on love, hope and the psychology of exile
World Book Cafe: Brooklyn
World Book Café, where writers reveal the secrets of their home cities, goes to Brooklyn.
Jennifer Egan: A Visit from the Goon Squad
Jennifer Egan answers audience questions about A Visit from the Goon Squad
Bryan Washington: Memorial
A portrait of an edgy gay relationship seen from both men’s point of view.
NoViolet Bulawayo: We Need New Names
Ten-year-old Darling from Zimbabwe has a choice: it's down or out
Kiley Reid: Such a Fun Age
A carefully observed study of class and race, and biting portrait of white urban affluence
Isabel Allende: Eva Luna
In Eva Luna, an orphaned girl tells stories to survive mid-century South America
Naoise Dolan: Exciting Times
Irish writer Naoise Dolan talks about her dazzling novel Exciting Times
Monique Roffey: The Mermaid of Black Conch
Harriett Gilbert talks to the award-winning Trinidadian-British author Monique Roffey
Burhan Sönmez: Istanbul, Istanbul
A powerfully political and intensely personal story of modern Turkish life
Wole Soyinka
Nobel Prize-winner Wole Soyinka discusses English PEN centenary and his new novel.
Maylis De Kerangal: Mend the Living
Award-winning French writer Maylis de Kerangal talks about her novel Mend the Living
Crime and Punishment: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Damnation and redemption in 19th Century St Petersburg
Jane Harper: The Dry
Australian author Jane Harper talks about her internationally garlanded thriller The Dry.
Manu Joseph: Serious Men
Manu Joseph discusses Serious Men, a satirical portrait of contemporary Indian society
Louise Penny: Still Life
Award-winning murder mystery set in rural Quebec from Canada’s queen of crime-writing
Robert Seethaler: A Whole Life
A mesmerizing tale of the beauty and harshness of a lonely life in the mountains
Tsitsi Dangarembga: Nervous Conditions
Tsitsi Dangarembga talks about her coming-of-age novel Nervous Conditions
Bill Bryson: Notes from a Small Island
Amusing and affectionate portrait of the island nation Bill Bryson proudly calls home
Sjón - Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was
Sjón answers questions from readers about his novel Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was.
Yaa Gyasi: Homegoing
We discuss the prize-winning novel Homegoing with its acclaimed Ghanaian author Yaa Gyasi
Yiyun Li: The Vagrants
We talk to acclaimed Chinese author Yiyun Li about her harrowing debut novel The Vagrants
Ali Smith: How to Be Both
We discuss the novel How to Be Both with its acclaimed British author Ali Smith
Elizabeth Strout: Olive Kitteridge
Harriett Gilbert talks to the world-renowned American author Elizabeth Strout
Helen Garner: The Spare Room
Friendship, caring, nursing and anger in a short, fierce novel from Australia
Bernardine Evaristo: Girl, Woman, Other
A novel that offers an unforgettable insight into life in today’s multi-cultural Britain
Deborah Levy - Hot Milk
A hypnotic tale of female sexuality set with the lush backdrop of southern Spain
Hilary Mantel - Bring Up the Bodies
The rise and fall of Cromwell, the most powerful minister in the court of King Henry VIII
Fatima Bhutto - The Shadow of the Crescent Moon
Five young Pakistani men and women try to live and love in a world on fire
Leïla Slimani - Lullaby
An acclaimed French thriller which probes at the fault lines of gender, class and race
Petina Gappah - The Book of Memory
A Zimbabwean woman charged with murdering her adoptive father awaits her execution
Naomi Alderman - The Power
A speculative fiction imagining women and a new ‘power’ helps them take over the world
Jenny Erpenbeck - Visitation
The horrors of twentieth century Germany filtered through the beauty of one house
David Nicholls - Us
David Nicholls talks about his internationally successful novel 'Us'.
Héctor Abad - Oblivion
A tribute to the author's father who was murdered by Columbian paramilitaries in 1987
Ann Cleeves - Raven Black
Ann Cleeves discusses her novel Raven Black with Harriett Gilbert and the WBC audience
Chigozie Obioma - The Fishermen
Acclaimed Nigerian writer Chigozie Obioma talks about his novel The Fishermen
Andrea Levy - Small Island
Another chance to hear Andrea Levy talking about her prize-winning novel Small Island.
Siri Hustvedt - What I Loved
Award-winning writer Siri Hustvedt discusses her novel What I Loved with the WBC audience.
Donna Leon - Death at La Fenice
Donna Leon discusses her celebrated novel Death at La Fenice.
Tessa Hadley - The Past
British author Tessa Hadley talks to Harriett Gilbert about her award-winning novel.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o - A Grain of Wheat
A special edition from Nairobi University's bustling bookshop, where Ngugi was a director.
JoJo Moyes - Me Before You
JoJo Moyes discusses her wildly popular novel Me Before You
Lee Child - Killing Floor
Leading thriller writer Lee Child discusses Killing Floor and its hero Jack Reacher
Chan Koonchung - The Fat Years
Chan Koonchung joins the World Book Club to discuss his dystopian novel The Fat Years
Lijia Zhang: Lotus
In Beijing discussing Lotus, about a migrant worker who ends up a prostitute in Shenzen
Kate Atkinson: Life After Life
Kate Atkinson discusses her celebrated novel Life After Life
James Ellroy - American Tabloid
American Tabloid exposes the underbelly of a country on the brink of Kennedy's golden age
Hilary Mantel: Bring Up the Bodies
World Book Club discusses Bring Up the Bodies with Man Booker prize-winner Hilary Mantel
Anuradha Roy: An Atlas of Impossible Longing
Indian writer Anuradha Roy discusses her much-loved novel, An Atlas of Impossible Longing
Amy Bloom: Away
Writer Amy Bloom's novel, Away, is a searing tale of migration, exile, and motherhood
Sarah Waters: Tipping the Velvet
Harriett Gilbert talks to British writer Sarah Waters about her novel, Tipping the Velvet
Celeste Ng: Everything I Never Told You
Celeste Ng discusses her bestsellling novel Everything I Never Told You
Junot Diaz: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Dominican-American writer Junot Diaz on his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Jackie Kay: Trumpet
This month World Book Club talks to Scottish poet Laureate Jackie Kay
Agatha Christie
Sophie Hannah and James Prichard discuss Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Richard Flanagan: Narrow Road to the Deep North
Richard Flanagan talks about his Man Booker Prize-winning novel
Alan Hollinghurst: The Line of Beauty
Alan Hollinghurst talks about his Man Booker Prize-winning novel, The Line of Beauty.
Jane Gardam - Old Filth
Jane Gardam discusses her novel Old Filth with the World Book Club audience
Sebastian Barry - The Secret Scripture
World Book Club talks to author Sebastian Barry about his novel The Secret Scripture.
Delphine de Vigan - No and Me
French writer Delphine de Vigan discusses her prize-winning novel No and Me.
Tim Winton - Cloudstreet
Tim Winton discusses his novel Cloudstreet with the World Book Club audience.
Jeffrey Archer - Kane and Abel
British author Jeffrey Archer discusses his novel Kane and Abel.
Derek Walcott - Omeros
Another chance to hear Nobel laureate Derek Walcott discuss his epic poem Omeros.
Robert Harris - Imperium
Robert Harris discusses the first of his Roman trilogy, Imperium.
Joël Dicker - The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair
Swiss writer Joël Dicker talks about his novel The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair.
Laura Restrepo - Delirium
Colombian author Laura Restrepo discusses her novel Delirium in Cartagena.
Karl Ove Knausgaard - A Death in the Family
Acclaimed Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgaard talks about his book A Death in the Family
Margaret Drabble - The Millstone
Margaret Drabble discusses her novel The Millstone.
Crime and Punishment
Boris Akunin and Dr Sarah Young discuss Dostoyevsky’s classic novel Crime and Punishment.
Anne Enright - The Gathering
Anne Enright discusses her Man Booker Prize winning novel The Gathering.
DBC Pierre - Vernon God Little
DBC Pierre discusses his book Vernon God Little and answers questions from the audience
Juan Gabriel Vasquez - The Sound of Things Falling
Juan Gabriel Vasquez discusses his novel The Sound of Things Falling.
Tan Twan Eng - The Garden of Evening Mists
Tan Twan Eng discusses his novel The Garden of Evening Mists.
Charlotte Brontë - Jane Eyre
Writers Claire Harman and Tracy Chevalier discuss Charlotte Bronte's classic Jane Eyre.
Nuruddin Farah - Maps
Somali writer Nuruddin Farah will be discussing his novel Maps with Harriett Gilbert
Judith Kerr - When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Judith Kerr will be talking about her novel When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Cees Nooteboom - The Following Story
Multiple award-winning Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom on his novel The Following Story
Elizabeth Gilbert: Eat, Pray, Love
Elizabeth Gilbert talks about her phenomenally successful novel Eat, Pray, Love
Leila Aboulela - Minaret
Harriet Gilbert talks to Sudanese writer Leila Aboulela about her novel Minaret.
Jonathan Franzen - Freedom
Epic of contemporary love and marriage capturing the temptations and burdens of liberty
Deborah Moggach - Tulip Fever
A richly imagined historic tale of art, beauty,lust and greed in.1630s Amsterdam.
Andrey Kurkov - Death and the Penguin
Ukrainian author Andrey Kurkov discusses his novel Death and the Penguin
Jeanette Winterson - Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Jeanette Winterson discusses her novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Mark Haddon on his best-selling novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Yasmina Khadra - The Swallows of Kabul
Algerian novelist Yasmina Khadra on his searing novel, The Swallows of Kabul
Marian Keyes - Rachel's Holiday
Irish author Marian Keyes discusses her novel Rachel's Holiday
Guenter Grass - The Tin Drum
Another chance to hear Guenter Grass discuss The Tin Drum
JD Salinger - The Catcher In The Rye
A discussion recorded in the fabled Algonquin Hotel, New York
Anne Tyler
Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist Anne Tyler on her novel Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
William Gibson
William Gibson discusses his influencial science fiction novel Neuromancer
Daniel Kehlmann
Daniel Kehlmann talks about his internationally acclaimed novel Measuring the World
Marilynne Robinson
Marilynne Robinson on her novel Gilead, which won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Herman Koch
Dutch writer Herman Koch on his bestselling novel The Dinner
Kathy Reichs - Deja Dead
Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan in most successful crime novel debut ever
Pat Barker - Regeneration
The author discusses the psychological impact of World War I
Janice Galloway
Award-winning writer Janice Galloway on her novel The Trick Is to Keep Breathing
Jostein Gaarder
Jostein Gaarder on his novel Sophie’s World, the story of a teenage girl and a philospher
Per Petterson
Norwegian author of Out Stealing Horses takes questions from a rapt audience
Maya Angelou - I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou reflects on some of her earliest and most difficult memories
Harlan Coben
Best-selling writer Harlan Coben on his thriller Six Years
Malorie Blackman: Noughts and Crosses
The British writer talks about her page-turning novel for teenagers and young adults
Elif Shafak - The Forty Rules of Love
A novel about love, mysticism and the life of the Sufi poet Rumi
Christos Tsiolkas
Author of award-winning novel The Slap on why his book has polarised opinions
Pat Barker
Harriett Gilbert talks to Pat Barker about her classic novel Regeneration
Brian Aldiss
Author Brian Aldiss talks about his classic sci-fi novel Greybeard
Albert Camus - The Outsider
Camus's classic is discussed by his biographer Oliver Todd and Professor David Walker
Jhumpa Lahiri
The Indian-American author on her book of short stories Unaccustomed Earth
Neil Gaiman
British writer Neil Gaiman talks about and reads extracts from his book American Gods
Ahdaf Soueif - The Map of Love
Egyptian author Ahdaf Soueif on what has gone wrong in Egypt in her eyes
Amit Chaudhuri
Harriett Gilbert talks to Amit Chaudhuri about his book The Immortals.
Mohsin Hamid
Author Mohsin Hamid on his book The Reluctant Fundamentalist, now made into a film
World Book Club: The Great Gatsby
American Classic: Jay McInerney talks to Harriett Gilbert about F Scott Fitzgerald's novel
John Grisham - A Time To Kill
Harriett Gilbert talks to author John Grisham about his book A Time To Kill.
Romesh Gunesekera - Reef
Harriett Gilbert talks to Romesh Gunesekera about his book Reef.
David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas
David Mitchell talks to Harriett Gilbert about his book Cloud Atlas.
Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is 200 years old, but the story still resonates. Why?
CK Stead - My Name Was Judas
CK Stead talks to Harriett Gilbert about his book My Name Was Judas.
Paul Auster - New York Trilogy
Harriett Gilbert talks to author Paul Auster about his New York Trilogy.
Javier Marias - A Heart So White
Javier Marias taks to Harriett Gilbert about his novel A Heart So White.
Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper
Jodi Picoult talks to Harriett Gilbert in front of an audience about My Sister's Keeper.
Jeanette Winterson - Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
Jeanette Winterson discusses her novel Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit with Harriet Gilbert
Amitav Ghosh - The Shadow Lines
Amitav Ghosh talks about his novel The Shadow Lines with Harriet Gilbert.
Howard Jacobson - The Finkler Question
Howard Jacobson discusses his Man Booker Prize winner The Finkler Question.
Andrea Levy - Small Island
Andrea Levy discusses her prize-winning book Small Island.
Peter Ackroyd - Hawksmoor
Harriett Gilbert talks to Peter Ackroyd about his novel Hawksmoor.
Toni Morrison - Beloved
Harriett Gilbert talks to author Toni Morrison about her book Beloved.
Jonathan S Foer - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Harriett Gilbert talks to Jonathan S Foer, author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
Charles Dickens - Great Expectations
Harriett Gilbert talks to Claire Tomalin about Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations.
Witi Ihimaera - The Whale Rider
Witi Ihimaera, a prominent Maori writer on his book The Whale Rider.
Penelope Lively - Moon Tiger
Penelope Lively talks to Harriett Gilbert about her book Moon Tiger.
David Grossman - To the End of the Land
The Israeli author talks about his book, To the End of the Land
Lionel Shriver - We Need To Talk About Kevin
Harriett Gilbert talks to Lionel Shriver about her novel We Need To Talk About Kevin.
Hisham Matar - In The Country Of Men
Harriett Gilbert talks to Hisham Matar about his debut novel In The Country Of Men.
Colm Toibin - Brooklyn
Poignant tale of young Irish woman trying to make a new life in 1950s New York
Henning Mankell - Faceless Killers
Scandi-noir at its best - Swedish sleuth Kurt Wallander's first murder mystery
Val McDermid - A Place of Execution
Taut psychological suspense thriller set in Peak District that unfolds like a Greek drama
Boris Akunin - The Winter Queen
Detective Erast Fandorin investigates a student's apparent suicide in 19th-century Moscow
Jo Nesbo - The Redbreast
Dysfunctional Norwegian detective Harry Hole navigates a World War Two ghost story
Javier Cercas - Soldiers Of Salamis
Acclaimed Spanish writer Javier Cercas talks about his haunting novel Soldiers of Salamis
PJ O'Rourke - Eat The Rich
Harriett Gilbert talks to the US satirist PJ O'Rourke about his book Eat The Rich
Bernhard Schlink - The Reader
Harriett Gilbert talks to Bernhard Schlink about his novel The Reader.
Damon Galgut - The Good Doctor
Damon Galgut discusses his novel The Good Doctor, and answers questions from listeners
Kamila Shamsie - Burnt Shadows
Kamila Shamsie discusses her novel Burnt Shadows on World Book Club
Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver talks about her highly acclaimed novel The Poisonwood Bible
World Book Club: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Harriett Gilbert talks to Carlos Ruiz Zafon about his novel The Shadow of the Wind.
World Book Club: David Mitchell
Harriett Gilbert talks to David Mitchell about his novel Cloud Atlas.
World Book Club: Richard Ford
Richard Ford discusses his classic novel 'The Sportswriter' with Harriett Gilbert and a...
World Book Club: J.M.G. Le Clezio
Nobel prize winner JMG Le Clezio discusses his acclaimed novel Desert.
World Book Club: John Boyne
John Boyne discusses his acclaimed novel 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' with Harriett...
World Book Club: Andrea Levy
Harriet Gilbert talks to Andrea Levy about Small Island, a heart-warming and tale of lo...
Kiran Desai
Kiran Desai discusses her novel The Inheritance of Loss with Harriett Gilbert.
World Book Club: James Ellroy
James Ellroy discusses his novel American Tabloid with Harriett Gilbert and an invited ...
World Book Club: Alaa Al Aswany
Alaa Al Aswany talks about his acclaimed novel The Yacoubian Building.
World Book Club: Gunter Grass
Half a century on from its first publication, G�nter Grass will be talking about The T...
World Book Club: Lionel Shriver
Lionel Shriver discusses her best selling novel We Need To Talk About Kevin.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun
Harriett Gilbert talks to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about her novel Half of a Yellow Sun.
Nawal El Saadawi - Woman At Point Zero
Harriett Gilbert talks to Nawal El Saadawi about her novel Woman At Point Zero
Episode 1
Harriett Gilbert talks to writer Kate Grenville about her book The Secret River.
Mohsin Hamid - The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Mohsin Hamid talks to Harriett Gilbert about his novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Episode 1
Harriett Gilbert talks to David Guterson about his novel Snow Falling on Cedars.
Toni Morrison - Beloved
Harriett Gilbert talks to Toni Morrison about her novel Beloved.
Derek Walcott
Harriett Gilbert talks to Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott about his epic poem Omeros.
Episode 1
Harriett Gilbert talks to Alice Walker about her novel The Color Purple.
Annie Proulx
Annie Proulx talks about her works 'The Shipping News' & 'Brokeback Mountain'.
26/08/2008
David Lodge discusses his acclaimed novel 'Nice Work'.
Chinua Achebe
Marking the 50th anniversary of the publication of the acclaimed novel Things Fall Apart.
John Irving
American author John Irving discusses his bestselling novel 'The World According to Garp'.
28/05/2008
Harriett Gilbert talks to Khaled Hosseini about his book The Kite Runner.
Sebastian Faulks
Best-selling English writer Sebastian Faulks talks about his novel Birdsong.
Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley discusses A Thousand Acres, her ambitious re-imagining of King Lear.
Patricia Cornwell
Patricia Cornwell talks about Post Mortem, the first novel in her Kay Scarpetta series.
Edna O'Brien
Irish writer Edna O'Brien discusses her novel about adolescence, The Country Girls.
Umberto Eco
Italian author Umberto Eco discusses his novel The Name of the Rose
Sara Paretsky
American crime writer Sara Paretsky talks about her detective novel 'Indemnity Only'.
Michael Ondaatje
Sri Lankan-born, Canadian author Michael Ondaatje discusses his novel The English Patient.
Armistead Maupin
Harriett Gilbert talks to author Armistead Maupin about his novel Tales of the City.
Thomas Keneally: Schindler's Ark
Thomas Keneally discusses his novel, Schindler's Ark.
Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins answers questions from listeners about his best-seller, The Selfish Gene.
Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka talks about his memoirs Ake: The Years of Childhood.
Mario Vargas Llosa
World Book club with author Mario Vargas Llosa.
Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh talks about his books Trainspotting & If You Liked School, You'll Love Work.
Iain Banks
Iain Banks answers questions about his controversial first novel, The Wasp Factory.
Yann Martel: Life of Pi
Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi.
Rose Tremain - Restoration
Rose Tremain answers questions from listeners about her best-seller, Restoration.
William Boyd - Brazzaville Beach
William Boyd discusses his novel Brazzaville Beach with Harriett Gilbert
John Le Carre
Interview with John le Carre about his recent novel “The Perfect Spy”.
Frank McCourt
Frank McCourt joins an audience of listeners to discuss his book Angela's Ashes.
Arnold Wesker
Arnold Wesker joins an audience to discuss his classic play Chicken Soup with Barley.
Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss his novel Black & Blue.
Joanna Trollope
The World Book Club talks to author Joanna Trollope about her book The Rector's Wife.
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut joins an audience to answer questions about his novel Slaughterhouse-Five.
Orhan Pamuk
Orhan Pamuk joins an audience to answer questions about his novel My Name is Red.
Alexander McCall Smith
From the British Library in London, Alexander McCall Smith talks and answers questions.
Scott Turow
Scott Turow joins an audience to answer questions about his novel Presumed Innocent.
Louis De Bernieres - Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Louis De Bernieres answers questions about his novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman talks about his book and takes questions on his book The Northen Lights.
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou answers questions about her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie talks to an audience and takes questions on his book Midnight's Children.
Andre Brink
Andre Brink joins an audience of listeners to discuss his novel A Dry White Season.
Joyce Carol Oates
Author of "Blonde" Joyce Carol Oates answers questions about her novel.
Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes joins an audience to discuss his novel The Death of Artemio Cruz.
Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby talks to an audience about Fever Pitch, his book about being a football fan.
Vikram Seth - A Suitable Boy
Vikram Seth joins an audience of listeners to discuss his novel A Suitable Boy.
Ian McEwan - Atonement
Ian McEwan discusses his 20th century familiy saga about the need for atonement
Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith talks to an audience about her novel 'White Teeth'.
PD James
P.D. James joins an audience of listeners to discuss her novel 'Original Sin'.
Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist
Writer Paulo Coelho talks about his book The Alchemist.
Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro joins listeners to discuss his novel The Remains Of The Day
Anita Desai - Fasting, Feasting
Anita Desai joins an audience of listeners to discuss her novel 'Fasting, Feasting'.
Roddy Doyle
Roddy Doyle talks about his novel The Commitments. Presented by Harriett Gilbert.
Amoz Oz
Amos Oz joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss his novel 'My Michael'.
Gillian Slovo
South African novelist, Gillian Slovo talks about her novel 'Red Dust'.
Tracy Chevalier
Tracy Chevalier joins an audience to discuss her novel 'Girl With A Pearl Earring'.
Martin Cruz Smith
Author Martin Cruz Smith talks about his novel Gorky Park.
Amy Tan
Amy Tan joins an audience of listeners to discuss her novel The Joy Luck Club.
Isabelle Allende - The House of Spirits
Isabel Allende joins an audience to discuss her novel 'The House of the Spirits'.
Frederick Forsyth - The Day of the Jackal
Frederick Forsyth joins an audience to discuss his novel 'The Day of the Jackal'.
Peter Carey
Peter Carey joins an audience of listeners to discuss his novel 'Oscar and Lucinda'.
Ruth Rendell - A Judgement in Stone
Popular British crime writer Ruth Rendell talked to the programme about her work.
Julian Barnes
Julian Barnes joins a World Service audience to discuss his novel 'Flaubert's Parrot'.
Jung Chang
Chinese writer Jung Chang joins a World Service audience to discuss her novel Wild Swans.
Terry Pratchett - The Colour of Magic
Author Terry Pratchett talks about his Discworld book The Colour Of Magic.
Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood.
Doris Lessing
A tribute to Dorris Lessing who was the oldest winner of the Nobel Prize for literature
Hanif Kureishi
Hanif Kureishi joins an audience to discuss his book 'The Buddha of Suburbia'.
V S Naipaul - A House for Mr Biswas
Nobel Prize winner V. S Naipaul discussess his book 'A House for Mr Biswas'.
Ben Okri
Nigerian born writer Ben Okri discusses his novel The Famished Road.
Arundhati Roy - The God of Small Things
Indian writer and activist Arundhati Roy talks about winning the Booker Prize in 1997
Martin Amis - Money: A Suicide Note
Martin Amis joins an audience of listeners to answer questions about his novel Money.
Stephen King
What makes Stephen King, not only the Master of Horror, but more than that?
Garrison Keillor - Lake Wobegon Days
Harriett Gilbert talks to American writer Garrison Keillor on his book Lake Wobegon Days.
David Hare
Interview with the playwright and director, David Hare.
Maya Angelou
Interview with American poet, memoirist, actress, Maya Angelou.
Chenjerai Hove - Ancestors
Harriett Gilbert talks to the Zimbabwean novelist Chenjerai Hove about Ancestors
Bahaa Taher
Bahaa Taher is an Egyptian novelist who won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
Iain Sinclair
Interview with Iain Sinclair on his book, 'London Orbital'. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert.