Listen "Inua Ellams and Ted Hodgkinson"
Episode Synopsis
WHEN WE CEASE TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD by Benjamin Labatut (translated by Adrian Nathan West), chosen by Ted Hodgkinson
ENTER GHOST by Isabella Hammad, chosen by Inua Ellams
GHOSTING: A DOUBLE LIFE by Jennie Erdal, chosen by Harriett GilbertAs Head of Literature and Spoken Word-programming at the Southbank Centre in London, writers and writing are at the heart of Ted Hodgkinson's work. In 2020 he chaired the judging panel of the International Booker Prize and he has judged many other awards, including the Orwell Prize for Political Writing. His choice of a good read is a slim, genre-defying book by Chilean author Benjamin Labatut which packs a huge punch. It's about the scientists and mathematicians whose work has shaped our world, and the unintended - sometimes horrifying - consequences of scientific advancement. Inua Ellams is a playwright, poet and curator. His work includes Barber Shop Chronicles, The Half-God of Rainfall, and an updating of Chekhov's Three Sisters, set during the Biafran Civil War, and he's recently been announced as one of the writers of the next series of Dr Who. His choice is Isabella Hammad's 2023 novel Enter Ghost. After a disastrous love affair, British-Palestinian actress Sonia goes to stay with her sister in Haifa. Intending the visit as a holiday, she finds herself investigating her family's history and getting involved in a production of Hamlet, to be staged in the West Bank. Presenter Harriett Gilbert's choice is Ghosting by Jennie Erdal. A fascinating account of Jennie's time as ghostwriter for 'Tiger' (the publisher Naim Attallah), penning everything from novels to love letters in his name. Producer: Mair BosworthPhoto copyright Tiu Makkonen.
ENTER GHOST by Isabella Hammad, chosen by Inua Ellams
GHOSTING: A DOUBLE LIFE by Jennie Erdal, chosen by Harriett GilbertAs Head of Literature and Spoken Word-programming at the Southbank Centre in London, writers and writing are at the heart of Ted Hodgkinson's work. In 2020 he chaired the judging panel of the International Booker Prize and he has judged many other awards, including the Orwell Prize for Political Writing. His choice of a good read is a slim, genre-defying book by Chilean author Benjamin Labatut which packs a huge punch. It's about the scientists and mathematicians whose work has shaped our world, and the unintended - sometimes horrifying - consequences of scientific advancement. Inua Ellams is a playwright, poet and curator. His work includes Barber Shop Chronicles, The Half-God of Rainfall, and an updating of Chekhov's Three Sisters, set during the Biafran Civil War, and he's recently been announced as one of the writers of the next series of Dr Who. His choice is Isabella Hammad's 2023 novel Enter Ghost. After a disastrous love affair, British-Palestinian actress Sonia goes to stay with her sister in Haifa. Intending the visit as a holiday, she finds herself investigating her family's history and getting involved in a production of Hamlet, to be staged in the West Bank. Presenter Harriett Gilbert's choice is Ghosting by Jennie Erdal. A fascinating account of Jennie's time as ghostwriter for 'Tiger' (the publisher Naim Attallah), penning everything from novels to love letters in his name. Producer: Mair BosworthPhoto copyright Tiu Makkonen.
More episodes of the podcast A Good Read
Sarah Waters and Walter Murch
14/10/2025
Rob Rinder and Juno Dawson
04/08/2025
Zadie Smith and Colm Tóibín
29/07/2025
Joanna Hardy-Susskind and Horatio Clare
21/07/2025
Desiree Akhavan and Rosie Wilby
14/07/2025
Budgie and Juhea Kim
30/06/2025
Xantoné Blacq and Harry Trevaldwyn
23/06/2025
Josh Cohen and Nussaibah Younis
16/06/2025
Jack Thorne and Peter Kosminsky
09/06/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.