Book Club: Francis Spufford

Sam Leith's guest this week is Francis Spufford, whose fabulous new novel Nonesuch is a fantasy adventure set during the Blitz containing magical Nazis, nerdy TV techs and honest-to-goodness angels. He tells Sam about fantasy world-building and historical research, the pleasures and pitfalls of writing a female protagonist, why C S Lewis is as influential as Tolkien — and supersizing Dr Manhattan.You can read Philip Hensher's review of Nonesuch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What this episode covers

Sam Leith's guest this week is Francis Spufford, whose fabulous new novel Nonesuch is a fantasy adventure set during the Blitz containing magical Nazis, nerdy TV techs and honest-to-goodness angels. He tells Sam about fantasy world-building and historical research, the pleasures and pitfalls of writing a female protagonist, why C S Lewis is as influential as Tolkien — and supersizing Dr Manhattan.You can read Philip Hensher's review of Nonesuch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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This episode was published on February 26, 2026.

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