The Author Archive Podcast

Siba Shakib, ‘Afghanistan Where God Only Comes to Weep‘.

David Freeman in conversation with Iranian German film maker Siba Shakib when her best selling book 'Afghanistan, Where God Only Comes to Weep ' was first published in 2002.

So much of what Saba Shakib says is still very relevant and casts a light on the current situation.

 

Ross King, ‘The Bookseller of Florence‘, Adrian Levy on the terrible condition around the jade mines in Myanmar.

David Freeman talks to Ross King talking about his book 'The Bookseller of Florence'  which is all about the surprising trade in manuscripts and books in Renaissance Italy.

Adrian Levy tells David about his visit to the Jade mines of Myanmar and the inhuman conditions that he found there.

This visit was 20 years ago and one can only hope that conditions have improved.

Christina Lamb, Peter Ackroyd, Liza Pickard and Mark Bowden on Pablo Escobar.

The conversations in this episode were recorded in the Langham Hotel in West London 20 years ago.

Mark Bowden recounts the life of the mega rich drug dealer Pablo Escobar in his book 'Killing Pablo'.

Mark Bowden's  book is a type of biography and following  that Peter Ackroyd tells David Freeman about his fascinating biography of London.

A different dimension of London's history is told by Liza Pickard in her book 'Dr. Johnson's London'.

Finally the award winning journalist Christina Lamb tells the remarkable story of a rich eccentric who a hundred years ago built a replica of an English country house in the middle of Africa. 'The Africa House' is a an astonishing true story that would make an amazing film.

 

 

The two Johns behind QI, Sandi Toksvig, Jon Ronson and philosopher Simon Blackburn on being good

John Lloyd and John Mitchinson are the minds behind the TV show QI, and in this episode introduce their Book of General Ignorance. 

The original chair of QI was Stephen Fry and he was replaced by Sandi Toksvig. Here she introduces her story Melted into Air.

Journalist Jon Ronson explains how he researched his amazing book 'Them - Adventures with Extremists' and philosopher Simon Blackburn explores the notion of being good.  The interview was recorded 20 years ago but the quandaries remain just the same.

 

 

Philippa Gregory on the Boleyns, John Le Carre, Jilly Cooper and Maggie Gee.

In The Author Archive Podcast 2 John Le Carre talks about writing politics , and Mallory Blackman explains the political thinking behind Noughts and Crosses.

Maggie Gee gives the background to her novel The White Family that endeavours to explain prejudice and on the frothy side Jilly Cooper gives more background to how life might be in the English counties.

The episode concludes with two views of the Court of King Henry VIII, Philippa Gregory discusses her book about 'The Other Boleyn Girl' and Alison Weir explains how the king was totally surrounded by the people of the court all the time!