Biographers in Conversation

Joshua Kendall: The Man Who Made Lists. Love, Death, Madness and the Creation of Roget’s Thesaurus.

Listen Later

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Joshua Kendall chats with Gabriella about the choices he made while writing The Man Who Made Lists, his biography of Peter Mark Roget, the eighteenth-century polymath who created the legendary Roget’s Thesaurus. 

Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: 

  • Why Joshua felt compelled to write The Man Who Made Lists. 
  • The meaning behind the book’s title. 
  • Why Joshua decided to open the biography with a tragic scene involving Peter Roget. 
  • How Joshua crafted a deeply nuanced portrait of Roget’s that conveys his complicated personality, relationships and behaviour.
  • How Joshua navigated the complexities of portraying mental illness. 
  • Why Joshua began each chapter with an exhaustive list of synonyms.
  • Joshua’s research strategy given Roget lived two centuries ago.
  • How Joshua corroborated the fragmentary evidence he discovered in the archives. 
  • How Joshua reconstructed scenes from Roget’s life that overflow with accurate historical details of famous people, events and settings.
  • The literary devices Joshua borrowed from novelists to create a captivating narrative. 

    • https://biographersinconversation.com

    Facebook: Share Your Life Story

    Linkedin: Gabriella Kelly Davies

    Instagram: Biographersinconversation

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    Biographers in ConversationBy Gabriella
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5

    5

    3 ratings

    More shows like Biographers in Conversation

    View all
    Late Night Live - Full program podcast by ABC listen

    Late Night Live - Full program podcast

    95 Listeners

    Health Report - Full program podcast by ABC listen

    Health Report - Full program podcast

    133 Listeners

    Conversations by ABC listen

    Conversations

    854 Listeners

    The Book Review by The New York Times

    The Book Review

    3,893 Listeners

    Big Ideas by ABC listen

    Big Ideas

    94 Listeners

    Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast by ABC listen

    Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

    47 Listeners

    Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

    Desert Island Discs

    2,001 Listeners

    The Bookshelf by ABC listen

    The Bookshelf

    36 Listeners

    The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

    The LRB Podcast

    290 Listeners

    The TLS Podcast by The TLS

    The TLS Podcast

    181 Listeners

    Chat 10 Looks 3 by Chat 10 Looks 3

    Chat 10 Looks 3

    243 Listeners

    Stories Behind the Story with Better Reading by Better Reading Podcast

    Stories Behind the Story with Better Reading

    13 Listeners

    The Book Show by ABC listen

    The Book Show

    20 Listeners

    The Rest Is Politics: US by Goalhanger

    The Rest Is Politics: US

    2,220 Listeners

    Secret Life of Books by Sophie Gee and Jonty Claypole

    Secret Life of Books

    35 Listeners