logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2022
35m 3s

FT Weekend: Author Elif Batuman. Plus, o...

Financial Times
About this episode

This week, we talk to the author Elif Batuman about her new novel ‘Either / Or’. The book is set in the 1990s, and follows Elif’s fictionalised alter ego, Selin, as she navigates life as a Harvard student. Elif reflects on looking back at the ’90s from a contemporary perspective and talks about what we’ve learnt since. Then, we hear about feedback from deputy FT Magazine editor Esther Bintliff. We live in a culture obsessed with feedback. But what kind of feedback is actually effective? 


--------------

Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.

--------------

Links and mentions from the episode: 

Either/Or by Elif Batuman is available in all good bookstores. 

–  Esther’s piece on feedback, https://www.ft.com/content/a681ac3c-73b8-459b-843c-0d796f15020e 

– Bradley Whitford describing the three-step reaction on WTF with Marc Maron  http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-909-bradley-whitford

– If you want to hear Kim Scott talking about Radical Candour at Inbound Bold Talks, 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj9GLeNCgm4 

–  Elif Batuman is on Twitter @BananaKarenina. Esther is on Twitter @estherbintliff. 

—-------------

Special offers for FT Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial can be found here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast

Want to join us at the FT Weekend festival in London on September 3rd? Buy a ticket at ft.com/ftwf. And here’s a special £20 off promo code, specifically for FT Weekend listeners: FTWFxPodcast22

--------------

Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco.

Silicon Valley clip in this episode is courtesy of HBO. 





See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Up next
Today
Global copper market weighs Trump tariff threat
The UK and France have pledged for the first time to co-ordinate the use of their nuclear weapons, and the copper markets are reeling from US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 50 per cent tariffs on the metal. Plus, Nvidia has hit a record market capitalisation at $4tn.Me ... Show More
7m 18s
Yesterday
BCG tries to limit Gaza work fallout
EU negotiators are closing in on a trade deal with Donald Trump that would cement higher tariffs than those granted to the UK, and Boston Consulting Group’s chief executive said the group’s involvement with a postwar plan for Gaza had been “reputationally very damaging”. Plus, Eu ... Show More
10m 31s
Jul 8
Liechtenstein's zombie-trust apocalypse
US President Donald Trump extended tariff deadlines, and Liechtenstein’s trust industry is in a crisis spurred by American sanctions against Russia. Plus, Shein filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong, and Elon Musk is trying to save Tesla from Trump. Mentioned in this ... Show More
11m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
The stories we tell, with Elif Shafak
This week we bring you one of the most popular episodes from our archive: a conversation with Elif Shafak, the most widely read woman novelist in Turkey. She and Lilah discuss national identity, the generational pain of conflict, and writing in countries that don't have freedom o ... Show More
29m 46s
Apr 2022
Poet Maria Stepanova. Plus: Inside the FT newsroom
This week, guest host Marc Filippino discusses the FT's war coverage in Ukraine with our Editor, Roula Khalaf. How does a news organisation make decisions during wartime? Then Marc talks with Maria Stepanova, author of In Memory of Memory, which was short-listed for the Booker Pr ... Show More
29m 43s
Aug 2021
Trailer: Introducing the FT Weekend podcast
Welcome to our new show: FT Weekend. Every Saturday, from September 4, join host Lilah Raptopoulos for inspiring conversations, in-depth storytelling, a bit of escapism and a lot of fun. Brought to you by the award-winning Life & Arts journalists at the Financial Times.We love he ... Show More
3m 42s
May 2024
Billie Eilish still doesn’t care, and it’s still working
Billie Eilish’s new album Hit Me Hard and Soft has been hailed by critics as her best album yet. She describes it as an “album-ass album”, meant to be listened to in its entirety, but it’s also provocative: it takes on fame and body-shaming ("People say I look happy just because ... Show More
23m 41s
May 2022
The story of a stolen cookbook. Plus, Elizabeth Strout
In the 1930s, Alice Urbach wrote a beloved cookbook in Vienna. But during the Holocaust it was stolen: Aryanized, peppered with Nazi ideology and republished under someone else's name. The publisher refused to change it back for more than 85 years. Alice got her intellectual righ ... Show More
27m 52s
Sep 2023
Money Clinic live: How to get a pay rise
We all want to feel properly rewarded for the work we do, but getting a pay rise is a tough nut to crack. How do you even start the conversation? At the recent FT Weekend Festival in London, presenter Claer Barrett put listeners’ questions to Isabel Berwick, host of the FT’s Work ... Show More
42m 11s
Feb 2022
The international mystery of the 'Hum'
Russia has invaded Ukraine. We begin this episode with a visit from FT Weekend editor Alec Russell, a week after he joined us to discuss his years covering the fall of communism in eastern Europe. How can we make sense of this? Then, we go searching for the Hum, a mysterious nois ... Show More
37m 5s
Jan 2024
Tim Harford’s advice for how to do less
Tim Harford is a busy guy. He’s got two podcasts, has written 10 books, and has a standing column in the FT called the Undercover Economist. But recently he’s been trying to do less – and not just less bad stuff. He’s cutting down on good things, too, like kickboxing practice and ... Show More
16m 1s
Dec 2021
Predictions for 2022: Britney, flip phones and the metaverse
It's our final episode of 2021, and we are marking the end of one unpredictable year and the start of another. What do you think will happen in 2022? Matt Vella, FT Weekend Magazine editor, joins Lilah to discuss listeners’ cultural predictions. A lot of them had an air of nostal ... Show More
27m 57s
Apr 2022
Weekend: episode two of a new podcast
Ease into the weekend with our brand new podcast, showcasing some of the best Guardian and Observer writing from the week, read by talented narrators. In this episode, Marina Hyde looks at the new additions to Downing Street (2m00s), Hadley Freeman interviews Hollywood actor Will ... Show More
49m 39s