In his latest book In Writing (Hamish Hamilton) psychoanalyst and regular LRB contributor Adam Phillips celebrates the art of close reading and asks what it is to defend literature in a world that is increasingly devaluing language. Through a vivid series of readings of writers he has loved, from Byron and Barthes to Shakespeare and Sebald, Phillips draws on ... Show More
Oct 7
Transitions: Sita Balani & Jay Bernard
In Transitions, the latest title in MACK’s ‘Discourse’ series writers Sita Balani and Jay Bernard, guided by Stuart Hall’s notion of ‘conjuncture’, draw on literature, social theory, and lived experience to offer an urgent account of our fractured present. Their dialogue takes in ... Show More
58m 5s
Oct 1
Amy Larocca and Gaby Wood: ‘How to Be Well’
In How to Be Well, journalist and essayist Amy Larocca takes on the behemoth which is the contemporary ‘wellness’ industry, in prose which Joanna Rakoff has described as a ‘magical synthesis of crackerjack reporting, incisive cultural commentary, and, most importantly, elegant, s ... Show More
59m 10s
Sep 23
Edna Bonhomme & Lola Olufemi: Tending to Our Wounds
Haitian-American scholar Edna Bonhomme, now based in Berlin, is well placed to unpick what it means to be Black at home and abroad. In Tending to Our Wounds, part memoir, part history, part polemic, she unlearns the lies that she was told about slavery and colonialism, and charts ... Show More
1h 16m
Nov 2025
Adam Levin Reads David Foster Wallace
Adam Levin joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Backbone,” by David Foster Wallace, which was published in The New Yorker in 2011. Levin, a winner of the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award, is the author of the story collection “Hot Pink” and the novels “T ... Show More
1h 8m
Oct 2021
160 - You Are Here (For Now) — with Adam JK
Adam J. Kurtz (aka Adam JK) is a designer, artist, and speaker whose illustrative work is rooted in honesty, humor and a little darkness.
In this episode, we welcome Adam back to the show to talk about what it’s like writing a book about optimism when it feels like you’re living ... Show More
1h 15m
Nov 2022
Ian McEwan with Nihal Arthanayake
<p>This week on the Penguin Podcast, Nihal is joined by author, screenwriter, booker winner and one of Britain's best-loved writers, Ian McEwan.</p><br><p>He joins us to talk about his brand new novel, Lessons.</p><br><p>Ian also discusses the delight of discovery when writing, t ... Show More
47m 18s
Apr 2024
David Bezmozgis Reads Sarah Shun-lien Bynum
David Bezmozgis joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Likes,” by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, which was published in The New Yorker in 2017. Bezmozgis is a filmmaker and writer. He has published two story collections and two novels, “The Free World,” which was a finalist for the ... Show More
1h 10m