The Booker Prize Podcast

With under a week until the International Booker Prize 2024 ceremony, we're back with the second part of our deep dive into this year's six shortlist books. Listen in to hear what Jo and James think of the remaining three books on the list, common themes that run across the shortlisted reads and which book they want to see win the award.   In this episode Jo and James discuss: Brief biographies of each author, and short summaries of each book Their thoughts on the three books books discussed in this episode The common themes running through these books Which book they think might win Reading list: Mater 2-10 by Hwang Sok-yong, translated by Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/mater-2-10 Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior, translated by Johnny Lorenz: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/crooked-plow Not a River by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/not-a-river 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

We're three weeks away from the International Booker Prize 2024 award ceremony, so we thought it was high time to take a deep dive into this year's six shortlist books. In the first of two parts, we're exploring three of the books on this week's podcast episode. Listen in to hear what Jo and James make of them, common themes that run across the shortlisted reads and how the International Booker can expand one's world through literature.   In this episode Jo and James discuss: Their initial thoughts on the 2024 shortlist as a whole The common themes running through these books Brief biographies of each author, and short summaries of each book Their thoughts on the three books books discussed in this episode Reading list: The Details by Ia Genberg, translated by Kira Josefsson: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-details Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/kairos What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma, translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/what-id-rather-not-think-about 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

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

In 1984, many assumed that J.G. Ballard's Empire of the Sun had the Booker Prize in the bag. But actually, it was Anita Brookner's Hotel du Lac that clinched the prize in the end. This week, we're exploring the bookies' favourite vs the Booker winner to ask which book should have won: Brookner's short, quiet novel set in a genteel Swiss hotel or Ballard's long and action-packed autobiographical epic set in wartime Shanghai. In this episode Jo and James: Discuss the Booker Prize 1984 shortlist Share a brief biography of Anita Brookner Summarise the plot of Anita Brookner's Hotel du Lac Explore the characters in Brookner's novel Share a brief biography of J.G. Ballard Summarise the plot of Empire of the Sun Who should read these books Discuss their thoughts on both novels and which they think should have won the Booker Prize 1984 Reading list: Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/empire-of-the-sun Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/hotel-du-lac Small World by David Lodge: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/small-world Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/flauberts-parrot In Custody by Anita Desai: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/in-custody According to Mark by Penelope Lively: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/according-to-mark A full transcript of the episode is available at our website: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/the-booker-prize-podcast-episode-37-empire-of-the-sun-or-hotel-du-lac 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