Michel Faber is one of the most acclaimed contemporary novelists in the English language; a master of the form able to move effortlessly between historical, contemporary, and futuristic settings in pursuit of emotional truth. But music, not literature, is his first love, and in his new book Listen he draws on that passion to investigate why music matters to us and how it works its magic. The owner of thousands upon thousands of records, Michel draws on an encylopedic knowledge of both mainstream and avante garde musics to get to approach that seemingly ineffable question: why do we listen?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices