Georgina Godwin sits down with bestselling author, journalist and documentary-maker Thomas Harding. They discuss his new book, ‘The Maverick: George Weidenfeld and the Golden Age of Publishing’, which tells the story of the legendary publisher after moving to London just before the Second World War as a penniless Austrian-Jewish refugee, Weidenfeld went on to become a world-famous literary figure, publishings works such as ‘Lolita’ and ‘Double Helix’ and championing writers like Joan Didion, Henry Miller and JD Salinger. 

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British author Neil Blackmore’s third novel, ‘The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle’, was shortlisted for the Polari Prize for LGBT+ fiction, while his 2021 novel, ‘The Dangerous Kingdom of Love’, was included in ‘The Times’ list of the best historical fiction. He speaks to Georgina Godwin about ‘Radical Love’, published earlier this year, and attitudes to sexual identity and morality in Regency England. He also talks about his unexpected popularity among German readers, his 20-year hiatus from writing and what it truly means to be radical.

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The award-winning Canadian author, activist and filmmaker Naomi Klein speaks to Georgina Godwin about her latest book, ‘Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World’. Since publishing her debut book, ‘No Logo’, in 1999, she has become one of the world’s foremost public intellectuals, regularly featuring on lists of the most influential people around the globe. In ‘Doppelganger’, she confronts her own double – a woman who shares her name but has radically different views – while considering the instability of identity and what it’s like to be freed from her own paranoia about brand and public image. For Klein, the doppelganger is a “narrow aperture” through which everything, from conspiracy theories and anti-vaxxers to projected doubling and the double-consciousness of minority communities, can be examined.

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This week, Georgina Godwin meets bestselling British novelist Lisa Jewell. The Londoner started out working in the pattern room at fashion chain Warehouse but, after taking creative-writing classes, she realised that she wanted to be an author. It was a bet with a friend while on holiday in Malta that pushed her to write the first three chapters of her novel ‘Ralph’s Party’. A quarter of a century later, her books have sold 10 million copies and have been translated into 29 languages. She tells us about how ending a coercive marriage in her twenties gave her new clarity, why she loves writing about teenagers and what it’s like to be one of the key names at a publishing company. She also introduces us to her latest psychological thriller, ‘None of This Is True’, in which a podcaster becomes the subject of her own true-crime show. 

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Belgian-American pilot, author and writer, Mark Vanhoenacker, joins Georgina Godwin at Monocle’s studio in London to discuss his third book ‘Imagine a City: a Pilot’s Love Letter to the World’s Greatest Cities’. The book chronicles his journey from dreaming of glittering metropolises as a child in Massachusetts to exploring the world as a pilot. Vanhoenacker discusses everything from his love for language learning, his affinity for Japanese culture and his lengthy aviation career.

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The French novelist, screenwriter, journalist and director Antoine Laurain joins Georgina Godwin at Monocle’s London studios to discuss his tenth novel, ‘An Astronomer in Love’. He takes inspiration from the true story of Louis XV’s astronomer and combines it with a beautiful, modern Parisian love story. Laurain also talks about how his work in the antiques business inspired his first book, ‘The Portrait’, as well as the distinctive character of the French publishing industry and what it’s like to meet bookish British royalty. 

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Sitting down with Georgina Godwin this week is the hugely acclaimed novelist, short-story writer and critic Amanda Craig. She returns to the show with her latest novel, ‘The Three Graces’. Set in contemporary Tuscany, the book examines the current state of Europe and explores difficult themes such as migration, racial discrimination and ageing. Craig opens up about her first experience of being published, navigating the “chick lit” genre and how Victorian literature inspired the array of more than 100 characters who appear – and often reappear – in her books. 

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Georgina is joined by Calder Walton, a historian of intelligence and global security at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is a world-leading expert in intelligence history, great-power conflict, espionage and grand strategy. He also regularly contributes to the ‘BBC’, ‘Foreign Policy’ and ‘The Washington Post’. His new book ‘Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West’, builds on secret archives and exclusive interviews with former agents to tell the story of the century-long secret war between Russia and the West.

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