Elif Shafak on Writing, Memory and the Power of Fiction

Elif Shafak on Writing, Memory and the Power of Fiction

Bestselling novelist and President of the Royal Society of Literature Elif Shafak discusses literature, storytelling and the writing life. In this wide-ranging conversation, Elif reflects on the books that have guided her through difficult times, growing up between cultures, writing in both English and Turkish, and why stories can cross borders more easily than people can. She discusses her acclaimed novel There Are Rivers in the Sky, the experience of being put on trial following The Bastard of Istanbul, and the challenge of inhabiting voices as varied as sex workers, archaeologists and even a fig tree. Elif also opens up about her unusual writing process, why she writes amid a "hullabaloo" of noise, her thoughts on artificial intelligence and literature, and her forthcoming novel, In One Brief Moment All Eternity, which she describes as "the novel I always wanted to write." ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Rachel Clarke on The Story of a Heart

Women's Prize-winning author and palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke joins Tom's Book Club to discuss The Story of a Heart, the book that won the 2025 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction. Following the announcement of this year's Women's Prize winners, we're revisiting this conversation with Rachel about the extraordinary true story of Keira, a young girl whose donated heart saved another child's life. Rachel discusses how she first discovered the story, the families at its centre, and the remarkable history of heart transplantation. She also reflects on balancing medicine with storytelling, the emotional challenges of writing about grief and hope, and the response the book has received from readers. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Behind the Books: Katie Clapham on Life as a Bookseller

In the first episode of Behind The Books, a new series exploring the people and professions that shape the literary world, Tom is joined by independent bookseller Katie Clapham. Katie is the co-owner of Storytellers Inc. and the author of Receipts from the Bookshop, a diary of a year spent running a bookshop on the Lancashire coast. Released to coincide with Independent Bookshop Week, this conversation explores the realities of bookselling: choosing what to stock, recommending books to customers, the economics of running an independent bookshop, and why bookshops remain such important parts of their communities. Whether you're a book lover, aspiring bookseller, or simply curious about what goes on behind the scenes of the book world, this episode offers a fascinating insight into life in an independent bookshop. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Andrew Sean Greer on Villa Coco

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Andrew Sean Greer discusses his new novel, Villa Coco. Set in the Tuscan countryside, the novel follows a young American who finds himself working for an eccentric ninety-year-old Baronessa and drawn into a world of friendship, mystery and unexpected adventure. Andrew talks about the real-life experiences that inspired the book, writing comedy, creating memorable characters, balancing charm with emotional depth, and why he wanted to write a novel that brings readers joy. He also reflects on the influence of Graham Greene, whether there could be another Arthur Less novel, and what it was like to win the Pulitzer Prize for Less. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Maggie O'Farrell on Land

In this episode of Tom’s Book Club, Maggie O’Farrell discusses her new novel Land, a haunting historical novel set in post-Famine Ireland about memory, buried histories, family and survival. Maggie talks about the delayed train journey that first sparked the idea for the book, the real family history that informed the story, researching cartography and the Ordnance Survey, and writing a novel shaped by folklore, ghosts and the lingering scars of the Great Hunger. Plus, Maggie reflects on the extraordinary journey of Hamnet from bestselling novel to Oscar-nominated film adaptation, including her experience co-writing the screenplay and attending the Academy Awards. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.