The Penguin Podcast

By Penguin Books UK

Society & Culture Arts Literature

What's The Penguin Podcast about?

Conversations with some our of leading authors and creative thinkers, as we seek to understand how they write and where their ideas come from. Guests bring to the interview a handful of objects that have inspired their work. #PenguinPodcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Debut Novelists to Look Out...

01.12.2022

A new year = new books, and there are plenty of brilliant new stories to look out for this year. To get your 2022 reading list started, we've brought together five of this year's most exciting debut novelists. Speaking to ...

The Penguin Podcast episodes:

05.27.2020 Noam Chomsky with Nihal Arthanayake Considered the Founder of Modern Linguistics and voted the World’s Top Public Intellectual, Noam joins Nihal to discuss his prescient 2017 book ‘Optimism Over Despair’, which has just been made into an audiobook. It takes the form of a series ...
05.20.2020 Curtis Sittenfeld with Nihal Arthanayake American author Curtis Sittenfeld joins Nihal to discuss her latest book ‘Rodham’ which explores what would have happened if Hillary hadn’t married Bill Clinton. Curtis chats to Nihal (down the line from Minnesota) about how she went viral (it involves ...
05.13.2020 Brian Greene with Nihal Arthanayake World renowned physicist Brian Greene joins Nihal to discuss his latest book ‘Until The End of Time’ – which provides us with a clearer sense of how we came to be, a picture of where we are now, and a ...
05.06.2020 David Harewood with Nihal Arthanayake Actor David Harewood joins Nihal to discuss narrating the Penguin classic ‘The War Of The Worlds’ by H.G. Wells. David has played major roles such as the CIA’s David Estes in Homeland and Captain Poison in Blood Diamond. David tells ...
04.29.2020 Mark Gatiss with Nihal Arthanayake Actor, comedian, and author Mark Gatiss joins Nihal Arthanayake to discuss narrating the brand new audiobook of Bram Stokers’ ‘Dracula’ and the BBC Radio dramatisation of M.R. James’ ‘Ghost Stories’. Mark has written and acted in the likes of Dr. ...
04.22.2020 George Monbiot with Nihal Arthanayake Are you missing the outdoors? Rewild your inner life with George Monbiot as he discusses Feral – the now-classic book that launched the rewilding movement. A respected environmental campaigner, investigative journalist and self-confessed professional troublemaker, George has won the UN ...
04.08.2020 Denise Mina with Katy Brand Denise Mina’s latest novel ‘Conviction’ was selected by Reese Witherspoon’s book club and won the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2019. She chats to Katy about her sources of inspiration, why she adores podcasts and what ...
03.25.2020 Bernardine Evaristo with Nihal Arthanayake Bernardine won the Booker prize last year with her novel ‘Girl, Woman, Other’, one of Barack Obama’s top books of 2019 and hailed 'book of the decade' by The Sunday Times and The Guardian. Bernardine brings objects into the studio ...
03.11.2020 Anne Enright with Nihal Arthanayake Booker prize winner, Anne Enright chats to Nihal about her new novel ‘Actress’ - the story of a legendary theatre star seen through the eyes of her daughter. Anne, who was the first Laureate for Irish fiction, tells Nihal how ...
02.26.2020 William Gibson with Nihal Arthanayake William Gibson, author of the seminal speculative fiction novel 'Neuromancer', chats to Nihal about why his work has never predicted the future, why punk was the last pre-digital counterculture and on spending the afternoon with Mick Jagger (who is a ...
02.12.2020 Andrew Hunter Murray with Katy Brand Andrew Hunter Murray, writer for the BBC’s QI programme and co-host of the hugely successful ‘No Such Thing as a Fish’ podcast, chats to Katy Brand about his new thriller set in 2059. Used to researching unusual facts and writing ...
01.29.2020 Sophie Aldred with Katy Brand The 13th Doctor meets classic Doctor Who companion Ace, in a novel written by Sophie Aldred (who played Ace alongside Sylvester McCoy in the BBC TV series). Sophie joins Katy in the studio to talk about writing 'Dr Who: A ...
01.15.2020 RJ Palacio with Nihal Arthanayake ‘Wonder’ has sold well over 15 million copies and was made into a major feature film starring Julia Roberts. Its author RJ Palacio has written and illustrated a new graphic novel ‘White Bird’ that sees a ‘Wonder’ character explore his ...
12.18.2019 Paul McCartney with Nihal Arthanayake Sir Paul McCartney talks about his new children’s book ‘Hey Grandude’. In a special Christmas edition, the rock superstar tells Nihal about persuading John Lennon to believe in himself, the one famous person that even he feels nervous around and ...
12.04.2019 Jonathan Safran Foer with Katy Brand Jonathan Safran Foer is the American author of bestselling novels ‘Everything is Illuminated’ and ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’. His books have been made into major feature films starring the likes of Tom Hanks, with his latest work 'We are ...
11.20.2019 Madness frontman Suggs with Nihal Arthanayake Suggs chats to Nihal about Madness' new book 'Before We Was We', which charts the very funny and moving story of the band's early days. Madness, who've been together for 40 years, have played on top of Buckingham Palace, at ...
11.05.2019 Philip Pullman LIVE with Sophie Dahl ‘His Dark Materials’ author Philip Pullman, talks to Sophie Dahl live from the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford. Philip has a new novel in The Book of Dust trilogy entitled ‘The Secret Commonwealth’, which continues the story of his protagonist Lyra, ...
10.23.2019 Jacqueline Wilson with Katy Brand Jacqueline Wilson has a new Tracey Beaker book: ‘We Are the Beaker Girls’. The former children’s laureate, who has sold over 40 million books, talks to Katy Brand about how she gets inspired, bringing objects into the studio that help ...
10.09.2019 Emma Kennedy with Katy Brand Emma Kennedy, author, actress and TV writer talks to Katy Brand about her new book ‘The Things We Left Unsaid’. Emma’s previous books include ‘The Tent, The Bucket and Me’ which was adapted into The Kennedys for the BBC. She ...
09.25.2019 Rory Sutherland with Katy Brand Rory Sutherland, the charismatic Vice Chairman of advertising agency Ogilvy, tells Katy how thinking counterintuitively can lead to success. Using examples from his Ted Talks (viewed 6.5 million times), his new book ‘Alchemy’ and the objects he brought in - ...
09.11.2019 Malorie Blackman LIVE with Nihal Arthanayake In this special LIVE edition from the Lowry in Manchester, Malorie Blackman OBE talks about the long-awaited fifth book in her Noughts and Crosses Series: ‘Crossfire’. Malorie has written over 70 books, is a former Children’s Laureate and has artists ...
08.28.2019 Jonathan Coe with Nihal Arthanayake Jonathan Coe, author of political satires ‘What a Carve Up!’ and ‘The Rotters’ Club’ chats to Nihal about his new novel ‘Middle England’. Jonathan brings with him objects that have inspired his work and reveals what it’s like to be ...
08.14.2019 Diana Evans with Katy Brand Bestselling author Diana Evans (‘26a’, ‘The Wonder’) is the perfect guest for this podcast. She tells Katy how objects are an integral part of her writing process and brings some along including a mini London telephone box and her trusty ...
07.31.2019 Kit De Waal with Katy Brand Kit De Waal, author of the critically acclaimed bestseller ‘My Name is Leon’ joins Katy in the studio. Kit talks about her latest book ‘The Trick to Time’ and brings objects that have inspired her including a track by Scott ...
07.17.2019 Howard Jacobson with Nihal Arthanayake Howard Jacobson joins Nihal in the studio to chat about his new book ‘Live a Little’. Howard, who has written sixteen novels including Booker prize-winning ‘The Finkler Question’, brings objects that have inspired him including a playbill and a painting. ...
07.03.2019 Mark Haddon with Katy Brand Mark Haddon tells Katy Brand how art inspires him – choosing objects including an oil painting and a David Hockney print to explain. The award-winning ‘Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ author also talks about his new book ...
06.19.2019 Nigella Lawson with Katy Brand Nigella talks about her first cookbook ‘How To Eat’, which is 20 years old and has now been made into an audiobook. She tells Katy why she thought this would the only book about food she would write, why some ...
06.05.2019 Elif Shafak with Nihal Arthanayake Bestselling Turkish-British author Elif Shafak, chats to Nihal about the brilliant idea behind her new novel ’10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World’ (10:38 is the period of time a brain can still be active after death). Elif, who ...
05.22.2019 Philippa Perry with Nihal Arthanayake 'The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read’ by Philippa Perry recently topped the Sunday Times Bestseller List and has been called ‘a parenting book for people who don’t normally buy them’. Philippa, a psychotherapist and broadcaster, talks about not ...
05.08.2019 John Boyne with Nihal Arthanayake John Boyne, bestselling author of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ chats to Nihal Arthanayake about harnessing ideas around his new YA book ‘My Brother’s Name is Jessica’. John brings objects into the studio that have inspired him including a ...
04.24.2019 Ian McEwan with Katy Brand Booker prize-winning author Ian McEwan visits the Penguin studio to talk about his new novel ‘Machines Like Me’ - set in an alternatives 1980’s in which synthetic humans are on sale. Ian and Katy talk about the ethics of AI, ...
04.10.2019 Matt Parker with Katy Brand What happened when engineers fixed an aeroplane window with bolts ever so slightly too short (spoiler: the pilot did not stay seated). Mathematician and stand-up comedian (yes, he does both), Matt Parker, explains to Katy Brand how maths mistakes in ...
03.27.2019 Best Of (Part 2) with Katy Brand In this special edition, Katy Brand selects highlights from past episodes featuring Stephen Fry, Salman Rushdie, Ruby Wax, Zadie Smith, Caitlin Moran, Romesh Ranganathan, Reggie Yates, Ian Rankin, Michael Palin, Pat Barker, Arundhati Roy, Michael Morpurgo and many more. #PenguinPodcast ...
03.13.2019 Marlon James with Nihal Arthanayake Man Booker prize winner Marlon James tells Nihal why his new novel ‘Black Leopard, Red Wolf’ is a sort of African ‘Game of Thrones’. The Jamaican author of ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings’ talks about objects that inspire his ...
02.27.2019 Simon Amstell with Katy Brand Simon Amstell - comedian, presenter, director and writer talks to Katy Brand about his new book ‘Help’, a memoir interspersed with sections of his stand-up gigs. Simon brings with him objects that have helped him to write and create (including ...
02.13.2019 Imogen Hermes Gowar with Katy Brand ‘The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock’ was nominated for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and was The Times Historical Fiction Book of the Year. Imogen Hermes Gowar talks to Katy Brand about the highs and lows of huge success as a ...
01.30.2019 Best Of (Part 1) with Katy Brand In this special edition, Katy Brand selects some of the best bits from past episodes featuring Johnny Marr, Romesh Ranganathan, Ruby Wax, Tim Peake, Zadie Smith, Sebastian Faulkes, William Boyd, Jeff Kinney, Michael Palin, Pat Barker and Caitlin Moran. #PenguinPodcast ...
01.16.2019 Romesh Ranganathan with Nihal Arthanayake Comedian Romesh Ranganathan tells Nihal why he thinks Richard Pryor is the greatest stand-up of all time and how he practices his set in front of an imaginary audience in his garage. Romesh’s chosen inspirational objects include a Public Enemy ...
12.21.2018 Michael Morpurgo with Katy Brand Michael Morpurgo has written a new version of ‘The Snowman’ inspired by the original story by Raymond Briggs which is now 40 years old. The author of 130 books including War Horse, Michael tells Katy why Christmas is so special. ...
12.19.2018 Marcus Zusak with Katy Brand Markus Zusak, author of ‘The Book Thief’ (which spent over 500 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list) joins Katy Brand. He talks about his much anticipated new book ‘Bridge of Clay’ and why it took him over 13 ...
12.05.2018 Pat Barker with Katy Brand Pat Barker, bestselling author of the Regeneration trilogy and Booker Prize winner talks to Katy Brand about her latest book ‘Silence of the Girls’ based on the Trojan wars. Pat also brings in objects to the Penguin studio that have ...
11.21.2018 Michael Palin with David Baddiel A special live edition of the Penguin Podcast with comedian, actor, and writer Michael Palin is hosted by David Baddiel. Having been in Monty Python’s Flying Circus and made award-winning travel documentaries around the world, Palin talks about his latest ...
11.07.2018 Tim Peake with Katy Brand Could you make the grade as an astronaut? Katy Brand talks to Tim Peake about his new ‘Astronaut Selection Test Book’. Tim reveals what is was like hanging onto the outside of the International Space Station with one hand (whilst ...
10.24.2018 Helena Kennedy with Nihal Arthanayake Lawyer, broadcaster and author Helena Kennedy talks to Nihal Arthanayake about her latest novel, ‘Eve Was Shamed’. The book comes 25 years after her first book ‘Eve Was Framed’ which led to a number of key reforms for women. Her ...
10.10.2018 William Boyd with Nihal Arthanayake Bestselling author William Boyd tells Nihal Arthanayake about his writing methodology; years of research before he even sits down to write. Known for writing novels which span continents and timescales, commissioned by the Fleming Estate to write a James Bond ...
09.26.2018 Colm Tóibín with Katy Brand Bestselling author Colm Tóibín tells Katy Brand why he returns to the theme of home again and again in his work and what it’s like writing about violence for the first time. Colm wrote ‘Brooklyn’, which was made into a ...
09.12.2018 Sebastian Faulks with Nihal Arthanayake Bestselling author Sebastian Faulks tells Nihal Arthanayake how he creates characters, harnesses history to build stories and how he came up with ideas for his new novel ‘Paris Echo’. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Sebastian’s novel ‘Birdsong’ which ...
08.29.2018 Viv Groskop with Katy Brand Journalist and novelist Viv Groskop joins Katy Brand in the Penguin studio to talk about her Book ‘The Anna Karenina Fix’, a very funny memoir and self-help book which explains how Russian literature has some valuable life lessons. As a ...
08.15.2018 Claire Tomalin with David Baddiel Biographer Claire Tomalin joins David Baddiel in the Penguin studio to chat about the art of writing about other people’s lives. She has written bestselling biographies including Mary Wollstonecraft, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen and has been called ‘one of ...
08.01.2018 Jane Fallon with David Baddiel Bestselling author Jane Fallon joins David Baddiel in the Penguin studio to talk about her new book ‘Faking Friends’. Jane is an award-winning TV producer behind shows such as This Life and EastEnders and has written eight books – selling ...

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