In the inaugural episode of Harper Podcast, the award-winning Amitav Ghosh speaks to Amrita Tripathi about Smoke and Ashes, and how his research into the opium trade for the Ibis trilogy led to this incredible work of non-fiction, as well as more on his own journey.

We discuss his own writing career – what’s changed about how he writes and what hasn’t! As well as the climate change crisis, the rise and rise of AI and what he’s been reading and would highly recommend.