The Booker Prize Podcast

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan: April's Monthly Spotlight

Listen Later

Esi Edugyan’s thrilling novel follows the astonishing adventures of its titular character, Washington Black, whose escape from the brutal cane plantations of Barbados was only the beginning. Shortlisted for the 2018 Booker Prize and set to be released as a glitzy television adaptation starring Sterling K Brown and co-produced by Edugyan later this year, what better excuse to dive into the novel?


In this episode Jo and James:

  • Introduce our April Monthly Spotlight pick
  • Share a brief biography of Esi Edugyan and her work to date
  • Summarise the novel
  • Discuss the plot and their thoughts
  • Suggest the kind of reader who will love the book


    • Reading list:

    • The Second Life of Samuel Tyne by Esi Edugyan
    • Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/half-blood-blues
    • Washington Black by Esi Edugyan: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/washington-black
    • Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby
    • The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-amber-spyglass
    • Any Human Heart by William Boyd: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/any-human-heart
    • This Other Eden by Paul Harding: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/this-other-eden


      • A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.

      Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes.


      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      The Booker Prize PodcastBy The Booker Prize
      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4

      4.4

      61 ratings

      More shows like The Booker Prize Podcast

      View all
      The New Yorker: Fiction by The New Yorker

      The New Yorker: Fiction

      3,367 Listeners

      The Book Review by The New York Times

      The Book Review

      3,930 Listeners

      Ask Penguin by Penguin Books UK

      Ask Penguin

      150 Listeners

      In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

      In Our Time

      5,538 Listeners

      World Book Club by BBC World Service

      World Book Club

      375 Listeners

      Backlisted by Backlisted

      Backlisted

      593 Listeners

      The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker by The New Yorker

      The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker

      2,132 Listeners

      Bookclub by BBC Radio 4

      Bookclub

      242 Listeners

      The Paris Review by The Paris Review

      The Paris Review

      801 Listeners

      The Waterstones Podcast by Waterstones

      The Waterstones Podcast

      38 Listeners

      On the Road with Penguin Classics by Penguin Random House UK

      On the Road with Penguin Classics

      27 Listeners

      NPR's Book of the Day by NPR

      NPR's Book of the Day

      672 Listeners

      The Radio 2 Book Club by BBC Radio 2

      The Radio 2 Book Club

      11 Listeners

      Take Four Books by BBC Radio 4

      Take Four Books

      5 Listeners

      A Good Read by BBC Radio 4

      A Good Read

      43 Listeners