The London Magazine Podcast

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we speak to translator and editor Ann Goldstein, renowned for bringing Elena Ferrante’s work to English readers. A former editor at the New Yorker, Goldstein has also translated works by Primo Levi, Jhumpa Lahiri and, most recently, Donatella Di Pietrantonio’s The Brittle Age. In the episode, we discuss the oxymoron of the ‘celebrated translator’, her early encounters with Italian through Dante and the story of how she became Ferrante’s translator. Goldstein reflects on Ferrante’s unique syntax and style, as well as the broader challenges of Italian–English translation.Timestamps0.45 - The oxymoron of the ‘celebrated translator’2.44 - Dante, Italian language lessons and the New Yorker6.31 - Elena Ferrante: how it started8.05 - Ferrante’s style, syntax and appeal11.10 - Ann’s translation process: method vs instinct14.58 - Translating difficult subject matter16.09 - Technical problems in Italian–English translation23.09 - The ‘gold standard’ of translation?25.00 - Dealing with Ferrante fanaticsFollow The London Magazine Podcast here to never miss an episode. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we speak to short story writer and novelist Gurnaik Johal. Gurnaik’s 2022 collection We Move won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Tata Literature Live! Prize, and his debut novel, Saraswati, is out now with Serpent’s Tail.In the episode, we discuss maximalism in the novel, the Indian diaspora and the difficulty of writing about current events – ‘this is where I say to any budding writers out there: write historical fiction!’Timestamps1.35 - The escapism of writing a maximalist novel during COVID3.04 - Gurnaik reads an extract from Saraswati7.43 - Moving from short fiction to the novel9.36 - Research, knowledge acquisition and the editorial process12.53 - How to write about current events that are changing day by day14.24 - Maximalism and ambition in a debut novel19.39 - Seeing India through the eyes of the diaspora23.25 - Comedy and levity in the novel26.54 - Origin stories and myth29.08 - Writing ‘climate fiction’31.22 - The strange timewarp of publishingFollow The London Magazine Podcast here to never miss an episode. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we speak to award-winning cultural critic and novelist Leo Robson. Leo’s writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the London Review of Books, Granta and the New Left Review. He works for Literary Review and Granta, and The Boys is his first novel.In the episode, we talk about evoking London on the page, the strange nostalgia of the 2012 Olympics, the role of humour in serious writing and the virtues of obstinacy.Timestamps0.32 - The joys of book promotion2.43 - Leo reads an extract from The Boys8.25 - Writing a ‘London’ novel9.51 - The 2012 London Olympics and the legacy of New Labour14.12 - Chronologies, rites of passage and parody16.01 - The writing process and the evocation of place20.49 - Stefan Zweig, Wes Anderson, Alt-J and Mark Fisher’s temporal paradoxes28.22 - Iris Murdoch’s Under the Net and other inspirations30.06 - Light and dark: balancing humour and serious subjects in a novel33.45 - The process: writing cultural criticism vs writing fictionFollow The London Magazine Podcast here to never miss an episode. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we talk to writer Mark Bowles. Mark grew up between Bradford and Leeds, and went on to study English at Liverpool and Oxford Universities. His debut novel, All My Precious Madness, was published at the end of last year, and has been nominated for the Goldsmiths Prize and the Authors’ Club Best First Novel award.In the episode, we hear more about the writing and editing process for All My Precious Madness. We discuss corporate jargon, Mark’s love of espressos and whether or not his book can be called an anti-English novel.Timestamps0.37 - Mark Bowles in The London Magazine archives 2.58 - A passage from 'All My Precious Madness' 7.54 - Voice in the novel 10.15 - The virtues of exaggeration 13.50 - Ideas do not fully precede their expression 15.48 - Surprises when writing the novel 18.36 - Mark's love of espressos at Bar Termini 22.27 - 'All My Precious Madness' as a pro-European novel 24.24 - Aphorisms 29.58 - His next book? 31.57 - What Mark's been reading and enjoying recentlyFollow The London Magazine podcast here to never miss an episode. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we talk to designer and magazine aficionado Jeremy Leslie. Jeremy’s platform, magCulture, sells a huge range of magazines from its London shop and online, posts regular reviews and essays via its journal, runs annual conferences in London and New York, as well as recording a regular podcast of its own. A passionate advocate for editorial design, Jeremy has established himself as a commentator on the subject through the magCulture online Journal and a series of books.In the episode, we discuss the origins and growth of magCulture, as well as Jeremy’s personal favourite magazines. Jeremy also addresses the myth of ‘the end of print’ and shows how the industry has indeed changed, but for the better.Timestamps:1.03 – magCulture, murder and The London Magazine2.44 – The origins of magCulture5.52 – Early magazine influences10.48 – Devalueing print: the end of NME12.40 – Curating magCulture: what makes a good magazine?16.50 – The myth of 'the end of print' and how magazines have changed22.16 – What's doing well and what's lacking in magazine culture24.49 – Current favourite magazinesFollow The London Magazine podcast here to never miss an episode. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we talk to poet and editor Paul Stephenson about his debut collection, Hard Drive, that has been shortlisted for the Polari Book Prize this year. Paul has previously published three poetry pamphlets (Those People, The Days that Followed Paris and Selfies with Waterlillies), and he occasionally teaches for the Poetry School.We discussed absurdity and the limitations of language, poetry as a source of healing in times of grief and Paul’s broad use of form.Timestamps:0.05 – Intro 0.54 – Writing on trains and while travelling2.07 – Paul reads ‘Anglepoise’, ‘The Thesis’, ‘Signature’, ‘Collecting you from Golders Green’ and ‘The Hymn of Him’7.38 – Poetry as healing in times of grief10.31 – Use of form: Oulipo restraints 12.03 – Logistics of putting together a poetry collection15.08 – Absurdity, Auden and Alice Notley: the limitations of language19.06 – Humour and emotion in poetry22.32 – How to edit a poetry collection26.00 – Labelling the collection as a ‘queer’ book28.09 – The numerous meanings of the title: ‘Hard Drive’29.29 – Things that had to be left unsaid in the collection30.45 – The next book? Contemporary dating and situationships…33.37 – Poets and art Paul’s been enjoying recently35.22 – Paul reads ‘Writing to your Mother’

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we talk to Joshua Jones, writer and artist from Llanelli in south Wales. Joshua was a Literature Wales Emerging Writer and a Hay Festival Writer at Work. He has published various poetry pamphlets, including Three Months in the Zebra Room and The City on Film, both out this year. On this episode, we talk to Joshua about his book, Local Fires. A collection of interconnected short stories and his first work of fiction, Local Fires was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Polari First Book Prize. We chatted about the benefits of multiple POVs and interconnected stories, how not to get sued when writing autofiction and Joshua’s love of Chicago indie rock band, Joan of Arc.

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we talk to Claire Carroll, a regular London Magazine contributor who writes experimental fiction about the intersection of nature, technology, and desire. She is also a PhD researcher at Bath Spa and Exeter Universities, where she explores how experimental writing – particularly short stories and prose-poetry – can reimagine how humans relate to the natural and non-human world. On this episode, she joins us to talk all about her new short story collection, The Unreliable Nature Writer. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we talk to Orlando Whitfield, writer and self-proclaimed failed art dealer. Orlando started dealing art while still a student at Goldsmiths, and worked in and around the art world for fifteen years. His writing has appeared in the The Paris Review and The White Review, among other places. Orlando joins us to talk about his new book: All That Glitters: A Story Of Friendship, Fraud And Fine Art. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we talk to Dan Sperrin. Dan is a Junior Research Fellow in English at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, and The London Magazine's political cartoonist. He predominantly works on satire and satirists, with a special interest in the period 1660-1760. Dan talks to us about the state of satire in modern Britain, David Cameron's rogue return to cabinet, and where to draw the line - if there even is one - in cartooning. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

Please be aware that this episode contains discussions of abortion and strong language. On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we talk to writer Vida Adamczewski. Vida's writing has appeared in Ambit Magazine, Document Journal, Vittles and The Mays. In July 2021, a staged reading of Vida’s debut lyric play AMPHIBIAN was performed at the Playmill New Writers Festival at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington. For AMPHIBIAN, she was awarded the UEA New Forms Award 2022 by the National Centre for Writing. Amphibian and Other Bodies is her first collection. Vida talks to us about reproductive rights in the UK, corporeality, and literary 'form-fucking'. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we speak to Patrick Cash. Patrick holds a Masters in Creative Writing from Oxford and spent three months as writer-in-residence at Shakespeare & Company, Paris. He’s had two plays published by Bloomsbury and written for Vice, Dazed and Attitude. His writing has been selected for the BBC Drama Room and The London Library’s Emerging Writers Programme 22/23. He’s currently working on a short story collection, Nightlife. In his work as a relationship manager at Arts Council England, Patrick talks to us about his role and helps to demystify the ACE funding application process. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine podcast, we speak to Tom Conaghan. Tom is the publisher of Scratch Books - a small press dedicated to the craft of the short story. Tom's reviews and essays have appeared in The Observer, The TLS, The Irish Times, The LA Review of Books, amongst others. And, most importantly, Tom is a judge for our 2023 Short Story Prize. We spoke to him about Chekov, the Irish literary renaissance, and all things short fiction. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine podcast, we speak to Jiaqi Kang. Jiaqi is currently a DPhil candidate in Art History candidate at the University of Oxford and founding editor-in-chief of Sine Theta, an international, print-based creative arts magazine for the Sino diaspora. Last year, they won The White Review Short Story Prize with 'Class of 1985', commended as "a story that sings with romance and intelligence". We spoke to them about autofiction, the Sino diaspora, and post-socialist art debates in China. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine podcast, we speak to Phoebe Hurst. Phoebe is currently an assistant editor at the Guardian and is a former managing editor at VICE. Her short fiction has previously been shortlisted for the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award and longlisted for the Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize. We spoke to her about her new story, 'The Dump', as featured in our June/July issue of the magazine. To discover more content exclusive to our print and digital editions, subscribe here to receive a copy of The London Magazine to your door every two months, while also enjoying full access to our extensive digital archive of essays, literary journalism, fiction and poetry.

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we speak with Ella Griffiths. Ella is an editor at Faber & Faber and the person behind the wonderful Faber Editions series. We chatted about her foreword to 'The Shutter of Snow' in our Feb/March issue of the magazine, the origins of Faber Editions itself and what the Faber archive is really like. Subscribe to The London Magazine now for just £33 a year https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/subscription/To feature in a future episode, send us your Literary Dilemmas https://bit.ly/3xVhPaNYou can follow us on Instagram @thelondonmagazine, and on Twitter @thelondonmag.

On this episode of The London Magazine Podcast, we speak with Max Wilkinson.Max is a playwright and screenwriter whose award-winning play, Rainer, about a voyeuristic delivery rider riding around London, played at the Arcola Theatre last summer and is being produced for BBC Radio Four’s Afternoon play slot. His new piece, ‘Death of a Go-Go driver’, part of a longer play titled 'Ghost City', appeared in the January/February edition of the magazine.We chatted about his presentation of London, why Old Kent Road can teach you everything you could hope to know about life and the ways in which artists like Burial and Aphex Twin influence his writing.Oh, and we also introduce a new member of TLM team - hey Jamie!Subscribe to The London Magazine now for just £33 a year https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/subscription/To feature in a future episode, send us your Literary Dilemmas https://bit.ly/3xVhPaNYou can follow us on Instagram @thelondonmagazine, and on Twitter @thelondonmag.

We spoke to poet and essayist from Newry, Co. Down, James Connor Patterson. His debut collection bandit country has been nominated for the T.S. Eliot Prize 2022, and his writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Irish Times, New Statesman, Poetry Review and The Stinging Fly, among others.We discuss two poems from bandit country in our December/January issue, the lingering effects of the Troubles on the 'ceasefire generation', and James gives one of our listeners advice on finding your authentic voice when writing.Subscribe to The London Magazine now for just £33 a year https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/subscription/Grab a copy of our December/January 2023 issue to support the UK's oldest literary journal https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/product/single-issue/To feature in a future episode, send us your Literary Dilemmas https://bit.ly/3xVhPaNYou can follow us on Instagram @thelondonmagazine, Facebook 'The London Magazine' and on Twitter @thelondonmag.

We spoke to Matthew Turner, senior lecturer at Chelsea College of Arts who is currently finishing his first short story collection. His essays, reviews and short stories have been published in Art Review, Frieze, Gorse and elsewhere. In 2021 his story ‘Loom’ was included in Salt’s Best British Short Stories.We discuss his new story in our December/January issue, 'Still Life', share our experiences with the supernatural, and Matthew gives one of our listeners his best tips for finding a mentor and community in the literary world.Read Matthew's story 'Still Life' here: https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/article/fiction-still-life-by-matthew-turner/.. Get a copy of 'Loom' here: https://gordianprojects.com/loom/.Subscribe to The London Magazine now for just £33 a year https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/subscription/Grab a copy of our December/January 2023 issue to support the UK's oldest literary journal https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/product/single-issue/To feature in a future episode, send us your Literary Dilemmas https://bit.ly/3xVhPaNYou can follow us on Instagram @thelondonmagazine, Facebook 'The London Magazine' and on Twitter @thelondonmag.

We spoke to award-winning poet, playwright, author and educator, Joelle Taylor. Her most recent collection, C+NTO & Othered Poems (Westbourne Press, 2021) was the winner of the T.S. Eliot Award 2021. She is co-curator and host of Out-Spoken Live, a live poetry and performance club in residence at the Southbank Centre.We discuss her new poem in our October/November issue, 'the o god', as well as her award-winning collection C+NTO & Othered Poems, and Joelle gives one of our listeners her best tips for finding a literary community.Read Joelle's poem 'the o god' here: https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/article/poetry-the-o-god-by-joelle-taylor/. Grab a copy of C+NTO & Othered Poems here: https://saqibooks.com/books/the-westbourne-press/cnto/.Subscribe to The London Magazine now for just £33 a year https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/subscription/Grab a copy of our October/November issue to support the UK's oldest literary journal https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/product/single-issue/To feature in a future episode, send us your Literary Dilemmas https://bit.ly/3xVhPaNYou can follow us on Instagram @thelondonmagazine, Facebook 'The London Magazine' and on Twitter @thelondonmag.

We are joined by writer and publisher Sam Mills, author of The Quiddity of Will Self, and the memoir The Fragments of my Father (Fourth Estate, 2020). She is the co-founder of indie press Dodo Ink.We discuss the enduring fascination with Pierre de Laclos' 1779 novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses and the many adaptations that have followed it, including the 1988 film staring Glenn Close and John Malkovich. Sam gives a listener some expert advice on memoir-writing, and reads from her beautiful memoir, The Fragments of my Father, which shines a light on being a carer.To read Sam's essay 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses: A Book That Keeps Burning', go to : https://bit.ly/3CbVVRC. Grab a copy of The Fragments of my Father here: https://bit.ly/3EOUoUzSubscribe to The London Magazine now for just £33 a year https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/subscription/Grab a copy of our October/November issue to support the UK's oldest literary journal https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/product/single-issue/To feature in a future episode, send us your Literary Dilemmas https://bit.ly/3xVhPaNYou can follow us on Instagram @thelondonmagazine, TikTok @thelondonmag and on Twitter @thelondonmag

We spoke to poet Holly Pester about her new 'Café Poems' in our August/September 2022 issue, as well as her 2021 poetry collection 'Comic Timing'.We are treated to some wonderful readings by Holly, discuss the role that poetry plays in finding new ways of thinking while confronting everyday issues, and Holly gives one of our listeners some writing advice in our 'Literary Clinic'.To read Holly's 'Café Poems', go to: https://bit.ly/3SdSPUl. You can grab a copy of 'Comic Timing' here: https://bit.ly/3RdXVyT.Subscribe to The London Magazine now for just £33 a year https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/subscription/Grab a copy of our August/September issue to support the UK's oldest literary journal https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/product/single-issue/To feature in a future episode, send us your Literary Dilemmas https://bit.ly/3xVhPaNYou can follow us on Instagram @thelondonmagazine, TikTok @thelondonmag and on Twitter @thelondonmag

We spoke to author and poet Keiran Goddard about his new story in our August/September 2022 issue, 'A Season for Every Activity', as well as his 2022 novel 'Hourglass'. We discuss the importance of finding your authentic voice when writing, how to sound funny on the page, and Keiran gives one of our listeners some writing advice in our 'Literary Clinic'.To read Keiran's new story, go to: bit.ly/3zsr15Q. You can grab a copy of 'Hourglass' here: bit.ly/3BKe62a.Subscribe to The London Magazine now for just £33 a year https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/subscription/Grab a copy of our June/July issue to support the UK's oldest literary journal https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/product/single-issue/To feature in a future episode, send us your Literary Dilemmas https://bit.ly/3xVhPaNYou can follow us on Instagram @thelondonmagazine, TikTok @thelondonmag and on Twitter @thelondonmag

We spoke to writer Nell Stevens about her new short story in our June/July issue, 'Pulse', the release of her debut novel, 'Briefly, A Delicious Life' and judging our Short Story Prize 2022.Listen to hear Nell's best tips on writing while juggling work and family time, Chopin's music and horny ghosts!Enter our Short Story Prize 2022 here: https://bit.ly/3R74mUWTo read Nell's new story, grab a copy of our June/July 2022 issue here: bit.ly/2Q9cHvo.Subscribe to The London Magazine now for just £33 a year https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/subscription/Send us your Literary Dilemmas https://bit.ly/3xVhPaNYou can follow us on Instagram @thelondonmagazine and on Twitter @thelondonmag

We spoke to author Jessie Greengrass about her new story in our June/July 2022 issue, 'A Lone Astronaut Watches the World End', as well as her 2021 novel 'The High House'.We discuss the role of the writer in the climate crisis, the power of the monologue and Jessie gives one of our listeners some great writing advice in our 'Literary Clinic'.To read Jessie's new story, go to: https://bit.ly/3z4GGK7. You can grab a copy of 'The High House' here: https://bit.ly/3y59aCR.Subscribe to The London Magazine now for just £33 a year https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/subscription/Grab a copy of our June/July issue to support the UK's oldest literary journal https://www.thelondonmagazine.org/product/single-issue/Send us your Literary Dilemmas https://bit.ly/3xVhPaNYou can follow us on Instagram @thelondonmagazine and on Twitter @thelondonmag