World Book Club
By BBC World Service
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Podcast Description
World Book Club invites the globe’s great authors to discuss their best known novel. This monthly programme, presented by Harriett Gilbert, includes questions by World Service listeners.
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 |
WBC: Amitva Ghosh | Amitav Ghosh talks to Harriett Gilbert and a theatre audience at the Nehru Centre in London about his haunting novel The Shadowlines, in this the last of our London Calling series of progammes focussing on the UK capital. | 5/26/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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2 |
WBC: Howard Jacobson | Howard Jacobson discusses his Booker Prize winning novel The Finkler Question with Harriett Gilbert and a theatre audience at the first London Soho Festival. | 5/19/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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3 |
WBC: Andrea Levy London Calling | British novelist Andrea Levy revisits the London setting of her bestselling novel Small Island and then chats to Harriett Gilbert and a studio audience about it. | 5/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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4 |
WBC: Peter Ackroyd | In a series of World Book Clubs focussing on London Harriett Gilbert talks to bestselling author Peter Ackroyd and an audience about his award-winning novel Hawksmoor in St George's Church Bloomsbury. | 5/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
WBC: Toni Morrison Repeat | A Repeat of the World Book Club in which Harriett Gilbert talks to bestselling US author Toni Morrison about her acclaimed novel Beloved | 4/7/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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6 |
WBC: Jonathan Safran Foer | Jonathan Safran Foer talks to Harriett Gilbert and a studio audience about his novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. | 3/3/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
7 |
WBC: Charles Dickens - A Celebration | On the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens Harriett Gilbert talks to Simon Callow and Claire Tomalin in London and guests around the world about Dickens and perhaps his greatest work Great Expectations | 2/4/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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8 |
WBC: Witi Ihimaera | Maori novelist Witi Ihimaera discusses his haunting novel The Whale Rider with presenter Harriett Gilbert and an audience at the Cheltenham Literary Festival. | 1/7/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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9 |
WBC: Penelope Lively | Acclaimed British writer Penelope Lively discusses her Booker Prize-winning novel Moon Tiger with Harriett Gilbert, a studio audience and listeners around the world. | 12/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
10 |
WBC: David Grossman | Acclaimed Israeli writer David Grossman talks to presenter Harriett Gilbert and a studio audience about prize-winning novel To the End of the Land. | 11/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
11 |
WBC: Lionel Shriver - Repeat | Lionel Shriver talks to Harriett Gilbert and a group of readers in and out of the studio about her controversial novel We Need to Talk about Kevin. | 10/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
12 |
WBC: Hisham Matar | Libyan writer Hisham Matar talks to Harriett Gilbert and a studio audience about his chilling novel 'In the Country of Men'. | 9/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
13 |
WBC: Colm Toibin | Award-winning writer Colm Toibin talks to Harriett Gilbert and a studio audience about his haunting novel Brooklyn. | 8/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
14 |
WBC: Henning Mankell | Internationally acclaimed Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell discusses his bestselling thriller Faceless Killers with Harriett Gilbert and an audience in St Mary Magdeleine Church in Woodstock, England | 7/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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15 |
WBC: Val McDermid | Acclaimed crime writer Val McDermid talks to Harriett Gilbert and a studio audience about her bestselling thriller A Place of Execution. | 6/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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16 |
WBC: Boris Akunin | Boris Akunin talks to Harriett Gilbert, a studio audience and listeners around the world about his bestselling crime novel The Winter Queen | 5/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
17 |
WBC: Jo Nesbo | Bestselling Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo talks to Harriett Gilbert, a studio audience and readers around the world about his gripping novel The Redbreast. | 4/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
18 |
WBC: Javier Cercas | Bestselling author Javier Cercas talks to Harriett Gilbert, a studio audience and World Book Club listeners from around the world about his prize-winning novel The Soldiers of Salamis. | 3/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
19 |
WBC: PJ O'Rourke | American satirist PJ O'Rourke discusses his book Eat the Rich with presenter Harriett Gilbert, a studio audience and listeners from around the world. | 2/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
20 |
WBC: Bernhard Schlink | Acclaimed German writer Bernhard Schlink talks to Harriett Gilbert and an audience at the Cheltenham Literary Festival about his celebrated novel The Reader | 1/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
21 |
WBC: Damon Galgut | Bestselling South African writer Damon Galgut talks to Harriett Gilbert and a studio audience about his Booker Prize shortlisted novel The Good Doctor. | 12/4/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
22 |
WBC: Kamila Shamsie | Celebrated Anglo-Pakistani writer Kamila Shamsie talks to Harriett Gilbert and an audience of readers at The Drill Hall Theatre in London about her award-winning novel Burnt Shadows. | 11/6/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
23 |
WBC: Barbara Kingsolver | Celebrated American writer Barbara Kingsolver talks to Harriett Gilbert and a studio audience about her bestselling novel The Poisonwood Bible. | 10/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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24 |
WBC: Carlos Ruiz Zafon | Carlos Ruiz Zafon talks to Harriett Gilbert and a studio audience about his bestseller The Shadow of the Wind. | 7/3/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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25 |
WBC: David Mitchell | David Mitchell talks to Harriett Gilbert and a studio audience about his multiple prize-winning bestseller Cloud Atlas. | 6/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
26 |
WBC: Richard Ford | Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Richard Ford talks to Harriett Gilbert and a studio audience about his bestselling novel The Sportswriter | 5/1/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
27 |
WBC: JMG LeClezio | French Nobel Laureate JMG LeClezio talks to Harriett Gilbert and a small studio audience about his novel Desert. | 4/3/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
28 |
WBC: John Boyne | Set during World War II, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which has sold an astonishing 5 million copies worldwide, tells the story of Bruno, the nine-year-old son of the commandant of a concentration camp. Devastated at leaving his old life behind in Berlin, the novel charts Bruno’s forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence, a friendship which has startling and far-reaching consequences. | 3/6/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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29 |
WBC: Andrea Levy | Winner of the UK's Whitbread Prize for Best Novel, the Orange Prize, and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Small Island is a heart-warming and thought-provoking tale of love, friendship and immigration set in London during and after World War II. It focuses on the diaspora of Jamaican immigrants, who, escaping economic hardship on their own "small island," move to England, the Mother Country, for which the men have fought during World War II. Told through the intertwining stories of three very different characters the reception offered by an exhausted postwar Britain is not quite the warm embrace that they’d hoped for. | 2/6/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
30 |
WBC: Kiran Desai | Indian writer Kiran Desai discusses her internationally best-selling work, The Inheritance of Loss. | 1/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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31 |
WBC: James Ellroy | The great crime novelist James Ellroy discusses the first of three part trilogy about the American underworld, American Tabloid. | 12/5/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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32 |
WBC: Alaa Al-Aswaany | Egyptian writer Alaa Al-Aswaany discusses his best-selling novel, The Yacoubian Building, a moving study of politics and power in downtown Cairo. | 11/7/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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33 |
WBC:Gunter Grass | World famous German writer Gunter Grass talks about his controversial masterpiece, The Tin Drum, on World Book Club. | 10/3/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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34 |
WBC: Lionel Shriver | American writer Lionel Shriver discusses her novel, We Need to Talk about Kevin. | 7/9/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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35 |
WBC:Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discusses her novel Half of a Yellow Sun. | 6/4/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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36 |
WBC: Nawal El Sadaawi | Renowned Egyptian writer Nawal El Saadawi discusses her classic novel Woman at Point Zero with Harriett Gilbert on World Book Club. | 4/30/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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37 |
WBC: Kate Grenville | Harriett Gilbert talks to the Australian author Kate Grenville about her book, The Secret River. | 4/3/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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38 |
WBC: Moshin Hamid | Harriett Gilbert talks to Mohsin Hamid about his novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist. | 3/7/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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39 |
WBC: David Guterson | Harriett Gilbert talks to David Guterson, in front of an invited audience, about his bestselling courtroom thriller Snow Falling on Cedars. | 2/9/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
40 |
WBC: Toni Morrison | In front of an audience at the South Bank Arts Centre, London, Harriett Gilbert talks to Toni Morrison about her prize-winning book Beloved. | 2/9/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
41 |
WBC: Derek Walcott | Harriett Gilbert talks to Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott about his epic poem Omeros, which explores ancient themes of displacement and exile in a modern Caribbean setting. | 12/16/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
42 |
WBC: Alice Walker | Harriett Gilbert talks to iconic African American writer Alice Walker, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel 'The Color Purple'. | 11/18/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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43 |
WBC: Annie Proulx | American writer Annie Proulx talks about her prize-winning novel 'The Shipping News' and her short story 'Brokeback Mountain'. | 9/30/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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44 |
WBC: David Lodge | Harriett Gilbert talks to one of Britain's most popular comic writers David Lodge, about his prize-winning novel Nice Work. | 8/27/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
45 |
WBC: Chinua Achebe | To mark the 50th anniversary of the first publication of the acclaimed African novel ‘Things Fall Apart’, we are repeating the memorable World Book Club with bestselling Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. | 7/30/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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46 |
WBC: John Irving | American author John Irving discusses his bestselling novel 'The World According to Garp', the tragicomic lifestory of the author TS Garp. | 6/25/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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47 |
WBC: Khaled Hosseini | Bestselling writer Khaled Hosseini discusses The Kite Runner, his first novel set in Afghanistan, which has sold 15 million copies. | 5/27/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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48 |
WBC: Sebastian Faulks | Best-selling English writer Sebastian Faulks talks about his heart-rending novel of love and war, Birdsong. | 5/2/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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49 |
WBC: Jane Smiley | Best-selling American author Jane Smiley discusses A Thousand Acres, her ambitious reimagining of Shakespeare's King Lear transposed onto an Iowan farmstead, which won the Pulitzer Prize. | 4/1/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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50 |
WBC: Patricia Cornwell | American crime writer Patricia Cornwell talks about Post Mortem, the first novel in her celebrated Kay Scarpetta series. | 2/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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51 |
WBC: Edna O'Brien | Irish writer Edna O'Brien discusses The Country Girls, her novel about adolescence set in 1950's Ireland. | 1/31/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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52 |
WBC: Umberto Eco | Italian author Umberto Eco discusses his novel 'The Name of the Rose', set in a 14th century Franciscan monastery. | 12/25/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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53 |
WBC: Sara Paretsky | American crime writer Sara Paretsky talks to Harriett Gilbert about her detective novel 'Indemnity Only'. | 11/28/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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54 |
WBC: Michael Ondaatje | A special fifth-anniversary edition of the World Book Club with the Sri Lankan-born, Canadian author Michael Ondaatje who discusses his best-loved novel'The English Patient'. | 11/2/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
55 |
WBC: Armistead Maupin | Harriett Gilbert talks to American author Armistead Maupin about his novel Tales of the City. | 9/25/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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56 |
WBC: Thomas Keneally | The World Book Club discuss Thomas Keneally's novel Schindler's Ark. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. | 6/26/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
57 |
WBC: Richard Dawkins | Richard Dawkins answers questions from an audience and sent in by BBC listeners about his international best-seller, The Selfish Gene. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. | 6/7/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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58 |
WBC: Wole Soyinka | Wole Soyinka talks about his memoirs Ake: The Years of Childhood. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert | 5/29/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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59 |
WBC: Mario Vargas Llosa | World Book club with author Mario Vargas Llosa. | 4/29/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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60 |
WBC: Irvine Welsh | Author Irvine Welsh talks about his internationally best-selling novel Trainspotting and If You Liked School, You'll Love Work. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. | 4/29/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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61 |
WBC: Iain Banks | Scottish author, Iain Banks answers questions from an audience and sent in by BBC listeners about his controversial first novel, The Wasp Factory. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. | 3/1/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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62 |
WBC: Yann Martel | Yann Martel, author of The Life of Pi. | 1/29/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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63 |
WBC: Rose Tremain | Rose Tremain answers questions from an audience and sent in by World Service listeners about her international best-seller, Restoration. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. | 1/18/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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64 |
WBC: William Boyd | William Boyd joins Harriett Gilbert and an audience of World Service listeners to discuss his novel Brazzaville Beach. | 12/27/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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65 |
WBC: John Le Carre | Interview with special guest John le Carre about his recent novel “The Perfect Spy” Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. | 12/25/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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66 |
WBC: Frank McCourt | Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. Frank McCourt joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss his book Angela's Ashes. | 10/31/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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67 |
WBC: Arnold Wesker | Arnold Wesker joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss his classic play Chicken Soup with Barley. Presented by Harriett Gilbert. | 10/6/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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68 |
WBC: Ian Rankin | Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. Ian Rankin joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss his novel Black and Blue. | 8/28/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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69 |
WBC: Joanna Trollope | The World Book Club talks to author Joanna Trollope about her book The Rector's Wife. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. | 7/25/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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70 |
WBC: Kurt Vonnegut | Kurt Vonnegut joins an audience of World Service listeners to answer questions about his novel Slaughterhouse-Five | 5/30/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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71 |
WBC: Orhan Pamuk | Orhan Pamuk joins an audience of World Service listeners to answer questions about his novel My Name is Red (Benim Adim Kirmizi). | 4/25/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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72 |
WBC: Alexander McCall Smith | From the British Library in London, Alexander McCall Smith talks to the programme as well as an audience for a question and answer session. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert | 3/25/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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73 |
WBC: Scott Turow | Scott Turow joins an audience of World Service listeners to answer questions about his 1987 crime novel Presumed Innocent. | 2/9/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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74 |
WBC: Louis De Bernieres | The British author, Louis De Bernieres answers questions from an audience and sent in by BBC listeners about his novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. | 1/5/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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75 |
WBC: Philip Pullman | Philip Pullman talks about his book and takes questions on his book The Northen Lights part of the His Dark Materials trilogy. | 11/17/05 | Free | View In iTunes |
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76 |
WBC: Maya Angelou | Maya Angelou answers listeners questions about her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. | 10/7/05 | Free | View In iTunes |
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77 |
WBC: Salman Rushdie | Salman Rushdie talks to an audience and takes questions on his award winning book Midnight's Children. Presented by Harriett Gilbert. | 10/1/05 | Free | View In iTunes |
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78 |
WBC: Andre Brink | Andre Brink joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss his novel A Dry White Season. | 8/27/05 | Free | View In iTunes |
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79 |
WBC: Joyce Carol Oates | Author of "Blonde" Joyce Carol Oates anwsers questions about her novel. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. | 7/23/05 | Free | View In iTunes |
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80 |
WBC: Carlos Fuentes | Carlos Fuentes joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss his novel The Death of Artemio Cruz. | 6/15/05 | Free | View In iTunes |
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81 |
WBC: Wilbur Smith | Wilbur Smith talks about his book When The Lion Feeds. Presented by Harriett Gilbert. | 5/28/05 | Free | View In iTunes |
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82 |
WBC: Vikram Seth | Vikram Seth joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss his novel A Suitable Boy. Presented by Harriett Gilbert. | 5/9/05 | Free | View In iTunes |
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83 |
WBC: Ian McEwan | British author Ian McEwan talks about his novel Atonement. Introduced by Harriett Gilbert. | 3/26/05 | Free | View In iTunes |
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84 |
WBC: Zadie Smith | Zadie Smith talks to an audience about her novel 'White Teeth'. Presented by Harriett Gilbert. | 2/19/05 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
85 |
WBC: PD James | P.D. James joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss her novel 'Original Sin'. Presenter: Harriett Gilbert. | 1/25/05 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
86 |
WBC: Paulo Coelho | Writer Paulo Coelho talks about his book The Alchemist which has been translated into dozens of languages and has sold over 27 million copies worldwide. Presented by Harriett Gilbert. | 12/12/04 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
87 |
WBC: Kazuo Ishiguro | Kazuo Ishiguro joins Harriett Gilbert and an audience of World Service listeners to discuss his classic novel The Remains Of The Day. | 11/4/04 | Free | View In iTunes |
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88 |
WBC: Anita Desai | Anita Desai joins an audience of World Service listerns to discuss her 1999 novel 'Fasting, Feasting'. Presented by Harriett Gilbert. | 9/30/04 | Free | View In iTunes |
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89 |
WBC: Roddy Doyle | Roddy Doyle talks about his novel The Commitments. Presented by Harriett Gilbert. | 9/13/04 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
90 |
WBC: Amoz Oz | Amos Oz joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss his novel 'My Michael'. Presented by Harriett Gilbert at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. | 9/2/04 | Free | View In iTunes |
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91 |
WBC: Gillian Slovo | South African novelist, Gillian Slovo talks about her novel 'Red Dust'. Presented by Harriett Gilbert. | 7/29/04 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
92 |
WBC: Tracy Chevalier | Tracy Chevalier joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss her novel 'Girl With A Pearl Earring'. | 5/20/04 | Free | View In iTunes |
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93 |
WBC: AS Byatt | English author A. S Byatt talks to an audience about her novel 'Possession'. | 3/23/04 | Free | View In iTunes |
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94 |
WBC: Martin Cruz Smith | Author Martin Cruz Smith talks about his novel Gorky Park. Presented by Harriett Gilbert from California in a special co-production with San Francisco radio station KALW | 2/24/04 | Free | View In iTunes |
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95 |
WBC: Amy Tan | Amy Tan joins an audience of World Service listeners to discuss her novel The Joy Luck Club. | 1/29/04 | Free | View In iTunes |
|
96 |
WBC: Garrison Keillor | In the First ever Meridian Writing World Book Club, Harriett Gilbert talks to American writer Garrison Keillor on his book Lake Wobegon Days. | 8/13/02 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 96 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Seriously In-Depth
Great if you want to get inside a particular author's head. If you're an aspiring author, this is probably for you. Personally, I find it a bit dry. I you just want to find out what book to pick up at the airport bookstore, then I'd heartily recommend a different BBC books podcast: "Book Panel With Simon Mayo". It's much lighter, wittier and entertaining.
Most enjoyable
This podcast is one of my favorites. The BBC interviewer and the audience ask intelligent questions and it is entertaining and educational to listen to.
world book club
The authors are articulate and interesting but Harriett Gilbert's questions and responses are somehow cold and detached.
