Best Muriel Spark Podcasts (2024)

1
Gaining Ground by Joan Barfoot 1:05:56

7d ago1:05:56

1:05:56

Author Rose Ruane (This Is Yesterday, Birding) picks Gaining Ground AKA Abra (1978) by Canadian feminist writer Joan Barfoot. One day, seemingly on a whim, a woman walks out of her home and her marriage, forsaking her family for a life of near-solitude and self-sufficiency. Many years later, her daughter, now grown-up, comes to find her and to ask …

1
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 1:10:54

16d ago1:10:54

1:10:54

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the subject of this episode of Backlisted. Dr Martin Shaw and Dr Laura Varnam (hwaet Laura!) join Andy and John to discuss this late 14th-century chivalric romance - or subversion thereof - written in Middle English alliterative verse, author unknown. We discuss the poem's chequered history and a variety of transl…

1
Episode 27: "I Hotel" by Karen Tei Yamashita, w/ special guest Josh Cook 1:01:25

27d ago1:01:25

1:01:25

We’re joined today by Josh Cook. Josh is a bookseller and co-owner at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has worked since 2004. He is the author of the critically acclaimed postmodern detective novel An Exaggerated Murder and most recently of The Art of Libromancy: Selling Books and Reading Books in the Twenty-First Century, …

1
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts by Douglas Adams 1:21:31

1M ago1:21:31

1:21:31

The work of Douglas Adams - comic genius, futurologist and erstwhile hitchhiker - is the subject of this episode of Backlisted, in particular The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts, first published by Pan Books in 1985. H2G2, as it is known to fans, was a cultural phenomenon in the true sense of that degraded term: first a…

1
Memento Mori by Muriel Spark 1:00:48

1M ago1:00:48

1:00:48

John Grindrod, author of Concretopia, joins John Mitchinson and Andy Miller to discuss Memento Mori, the third novel by Muriel Spark. They also pay tribute to the author and agent David Miller, who passed away recently, and read a short story in his memory. Timings: (may differ due to adverts) 3'00 - Food For All Seasons by Oliver Rowe 9'30 - Good …

1
The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford 1:01:09

1M ago1:01:09

1:01:09

Novelist Alex Michaelides (The Silent Patient, The Fury) joins Andy and John to discuss Ford Madox Ford's classic novel The Good Soldier (1915), a tale of passion in which, owing to a narrator of almost comic unreliability, nothing can be taken for granted. It is a book that seems to change on every reading, both a kaleidoscopic psychological drama…

1
Locklisted - Book Recommendation Special 1:02:31

2M ago1:02:31

1:02:31

This episode is a free sample of our subscriber only show, Locklisted, because the next episode of Backlisted has been delayed through illness (though given that its subject is the radio scripts of A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, this tardiness may not come as a complete surprise). A conversation about shelftalkers in bookshops…

1
Episode 26: "Wild Milk: Stories" by Sabrina Orah Mark, w/ special guest Lara Ehrlich 55:27

2M ago55:27

55:27

We’re joined today by Lara Ehrlich, a writer, editor, and longtime friend (she and Tom go back 20 years, which seems impossible). Her first story collection, Animal Wife, was published by Red Hen Press back in 2020, and her first novel, Bind Me Tighter Still, will publish in 2025, also from Red Hen. She also hosts a conversation series, Writer Moth…

1
A Marsh Island by Sarah Orne Jewett 1:07:37

2M ago1:07:37

1:07:37

For this episode we are joined by the writer, Noreen Masud, author of the acclaimed memoir, A Flat Place (currently shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction). The book she has chosen to discuss is A Marsh Island, a 19th century American novel by Sarah Orne Jowett, who is usually considered one of the foremost proponents of American regiona…

1
The Children of Men by P.D. James 1:15:12

3M ago1:15:12

1:15:12

Novelist Andrew Hunter Murray and biographer Laura Thompson join us to discuss The Children of Men (1992), a dystopian thriller by the late P.D. James. The author is probably best remembered as one of Britain's greatest exponents of detective fiction, an heir to the Golden Age of female novelists such as Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers…

1
Episode 25: "Austerlitz" by W.G. Sebald, translated by Anthea Bell, w/ special guest Mark Haber 56:32

3M ago56:32

56:32

We’re joined today by Mark Haber of Coffee House Press (formerly of Brazos Bookstore in Houston). Mark is the author of two novels, Reinhardt’s Garden and Saint Sebastian’s Abyss, and the forthcoming novel Lesser Ruins, as well as a forthcoming novella, Ada. We chat about his work as well as Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald, translated by Anthea Bell. A q…

1
All My Pretty Ones by Anne Sexton 1:08:02

3M ago1:08:02

1:08:02

Award-winning poet Emily Berry joins us to consider the work and troubled life of Anne Sexton. We focus on her brilliant second collection All My Pretty Ones (1962). Sexton was a trailblazing American poet of the so-called 'confessional' school of the 1960s, one whose writing continues to provoke controversy and debate; her friends and contemporari…

1
Episode 24: "The Tanners" by Robert Walser, translated by Susan Bernofsky, w/ special guest Spencer Ruchti 1:04:00

3M ago1:04:00

1:04:00

Today Spencer Ruchti of Third Place Books joins to chat about The Tanners by Robert Walser, translated by Susan Bernofsky. We actually recorded this back in November and are glad to get it out into the world. Early on Spencer dips out momentarily due to an alarm in the store, but all ended up being right with the world. At least in that instant. Th…

1
Coffee Table Books 1:04:47

4M ago1:04:47

1:04:47

This fully illustrated, lavishly produced episode of Backlisted represents the last word in coffee table books. Join John, Andy and Nicky as we dip into the origin, design and continuing appeal of specialist hardcover publishing, via some of our favourite cookery books, exhibition catalogues and sumptuous volumes simply too beautiful to leave on th…

1
Episode 23: "Being Here is Everything" by Marie Darrieussecq, translated by Penny Hueston, w/ special guest Tara Cheesman 1:02:28

4M ago1:02:28

1:02:28

Kicking off 2024 we welcome Tara Cheesman to the podcast with her recommendation, Being Here Is Everything: The Life and Times of Paula Modersohn-Becker by Marie Darriussecq, translated by Penny Hueston. Tara is a freelance critic, former judge of the Best Translated Book Award, and she brings us our first work of nonfiction. We have an absolutely …

1
A Life in Movies by Michael Powell 1:13:52

4M ago1:13:52

1:13:52

This episode of Backlisted is devoted to A Life in Movies (1986), the first volume of memoirs of the filmmaker Michael Powell who, with his partner Emeric Pressburger, is responsible for some of the finest, most magical and soulful films ever to come out of the UK: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, and many more. …

1
Scouse Mouse by George Melly 1:04:44

5M ago1:04:44

1:04:44

This episode was recorded in the great city of Liverpool and celebrates the life and work of a great Liverpudlian: George Melly, sometime writer, jazz and blues singer, artist, critic, lecturer and aficionado of surrealism. We are joined by two resident experts: the writer Jeff Young and the playwright and screenwriter, Lizzie Nunnery. The book und…

1
Love On The Dole by Walter Greenwood 1:03:38

5M ago1:03:38

1:03:38

We are joined by the writer Andrew Hankinson to discuss Walter Greenwood’s classic novel of Northern working-class life. First published in 1933, Love on the Dole, revolves explores the fortunes of the Hardcastle family, who live in industrial Salford in the 1930s, just as the Depression is beginning to bite. Greenwood’s authentic portrayal of the …

1
Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence 1:05:41

6M ago1:05:41

1:05:41

For this first episode of 2024 we are joined by the chair of Virago Press, Lennie Goodings to discuss a novel by her fellow Canadian, Margaret Laurence. First published in 1964, The Stone Angel is a landmark in modern Canadian fiction. The narrator is the unforgettable Hagar Shipley, a spiky, sharp-tongued, proud and profane ninety-year-old who is …

1
Episode 22: "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" by Muriel Spark 1:06:11

6M ago1:06:11

1:06:11

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is upon us and it does not disappoint. Too much to say about this one and, as always, we could have gone an hour longer and still not covered it all. An absolutely fantastic novel and one that certainly lives up to the hype and praise that surrounds it. Titles/authors mentioned: The Secret History by Donna Tartt O Cale…

1
Episode 21: "The Bachelors" by Muriel Spark 57:17

6M ago57:17

57:17

We stand on the precipice, one episode away from THE PRIME! Before that, though, we discuss The Bachelors, a fantastic novel chock full of some of the strangest characters Spark has written, which is really saying something. Mediums, epileptics, blackmail, criminality, and much, much more abound in this one. And one of the funniest scenes yet invol…

1
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 1:13:41

6M ago1:13:41

1:13:41

For this year’s Backlisted Christmas Special we are joined by the poet and novelist Clare Pollard and our producer Nicky Birch to discuss not just a book, but adaptations of a book – and there are hundreds to choose from – and all have contributed to making it perhaps the most famous Christmas story of them all: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens…

1
Episode 20: "The Ballad of Peckham Rye" by Muriel Spark 51:47

7M ago51:47

51:47

We’re edging closer to THE PRIME, but today we chat about The Ballad of Peckham Rye. Spark’s novels are incredibly fun, but this might be the wildest, featuring an incredible character name (Dougal Douglas), a lot of absenteeism, a textile factory, a Nun Tunnel, and dancing. Lots of dancing. Click here to subscribe to our Substack and find us on th…

1
Briggflatts by Basil Bunting 1:07:24

7M ago1:07:24

1:07:24

Today’s episode focusses on a single long poem – Briggflatts by the Northumbrian poet Basil Bunting. It was recorded live in St Mary’s Church, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, as part of the Woodstock Poetry Festival. Andy and John are joined by Neil Astley, the founder of Bloodaxe Books, who knew and published Bunting, and Kirsten Norrie, a poet and comp…

1
Episode 19: "Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants" by Mathias Énard, translated by Charlotte Mandell 53:03

7M ago53:03

53:03

This week we discuss Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants, an absolutely wonderful gem of a novel from French author Mathias Énard, translated by Charlotte Mandell. In 150ish pages Énard recreates the Constantinople of the early 16th Century and the brief time Michelangelo resided there to build a grand bridge. If you’ve not read Énard before…

1
Trustee From The Toolroom by Nevil Shute 1:13:26

7M ago1:13:26

1:13:26

For our 200th episode, we are joined by Richard Osman: television presenter, longtime Backlisted listener, and one of the bestselling authors in the world today. We discuss Trustee from the Toolroom (1960), the final novel by Nevil Shute Norway, whose other books include A Town Like Alice (1950) and On the Beach (1957), widely read in his lifetime …

1
Episode 18: "Memento Mori" by Muriel Spark 56:07

8M ago56:07

56:07

This week we discuss Memento Mori, Spark’s third novel and, as we’ve come to expect, it’s a really fun ride. This go-round she brings us into the lives of septuagenarians and octogenarians as they fume, backbite, explore their sexual proclivities, and all come to terms (or not) with their impending deaths. And, of course, it’s very, very funny. Cli…

1
Plays, Books and Stories: Samuel Beckett 1:17:58

8M ago1:17:58

1:17:58

In this episode, we feature the life and work of Samuel Beckett, one of the most important and influential voices of 20th century literature. We discuss Beckett’s writing across five decades, including his essays, short stories, novels and plays: ‘Dante… Bruno. Vico… Joyce’; ‘More Pricks Than Kicks’; ‘The Unnamable’; Krapp’s Last Tape’; and the lat…

1
Episode 17: "Ceremony" by Leslie Marmon Silko w/ special guest Robin McLean 1:04:53

8M ago1:04:53

1:04:53

Episode 5 of Season 2: we get to chat with Robin McLean about Ceremony by Leslie Marion Silko. And, yeah, this is probably our best episode so far, which isn’t shocking because we’re talking about talking with Robin McLean. So, all that aside, it’s a great conversation and one that could have gone on for hours and hours yet. We could have gone deep…

1
Ghost Stories Of An Antiquary by M.R. James 1:13:09

8M ago1:13:09

1:13:09

Pour yourself a glass of sherry and light a candle, as we dedicate this year's Halloween special to Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904), the first collection by M.R. James, probably the most celebrated and influential exponent of the weird tale. With the help of undead guests Andrew Male and Laura Varnam we illuminate the life and work of a strang…

1
Episode 16: "Robinson" by Muriel Spark 58:22

8M ago58:22

58:22

In Episode 4 of Season 2 we dig into Muriel Spark’s sophomore effort, Robinson. Gotta say: it’s incredible and we couldn’t be more excited to keep on keeping on with her work. This time around we trade London (mostly) for a lonely island in the Atlantic and a story that is funny, tense, clever, whimsical, and just an all-around masterclass in write…

1
What Have We Been Reading? - October 2023 56:07

9M ago56:07

56:07

This is a new books special episode to fill the gap before we release the Hallowe’en episode next weekend and as part of our episode 200 celebrations. In it, we each select a book we’ve particularly enjoyed over the past year. Andy says The Sarah Book by Scott McClanahan (Tyrant Books) is the best novel he's read since Gwendoline Riley's My Phantom…

1
Episode 15: "The Conqueror" by Jan Kjærstad, translated by Barbara Haveland w/ special guest Chad Post 1:12:45

8M ago1:12:45

1:12:45

Having sorted some annoying technical issues, herewith Episode 3 of Season 2 (our way of apologizing for the delay in uploading this episode) in which we discuss The Conqueror by Jan Kjærstad, translated by Barbara Haveland and published by Open Letter Books. And to kick off our series of guest hosts, Chad Post of Open Letter Books (and Dalkey Arch…

1
Episode 14: "The Comforters" by Muriel Spark 1:04:27

9M ago1:04:27

1:04:27

We kick off our season-long read of Muriel Spark's novels this week and what a start! The Comforters is Spark's debut, published in 1956, and is, quite simply, magnificent. Lori and Tom wax heavily on how impressive this novel is and how incredibly fun it is, too! It's going to be quite a great season judging by this title alone. Click here to subs…

1
The True History of the First Mrs Meredith by Diane Johnson 1:12:04

9M ago1:12:04

1:12:04

Episode #197 is dedicated to our late friend Carmen Callil, the founder of Virago, an author in her own right and, on a couple of memorable occasions, a former guest on Backlisted. Joining us are the writer Rachel Cooke and critic and editor Lucy Scholes. Under discussion: The True History of the First Mrs Meredith and Other Lesser Lives by Diane J…

1
Episode 13: "Chronicle of the Murdered House" by Lucio Cardoso, translated by Margaret Jull Costa and Robin Patterson 1:13:26

9M ago1:13:26

1:13:26

And we’re back! Welcome to Season Two of Lost in Redonda. We kick things off with a backlist conversation on Chronicle of the Murdered House by Lucio Cardoso, translated by Margaret Jull Costa and Robin Patterson, published by Open Letter Books. It’s probably one of the fastest moving 600 page sagas of a Brazilian family you’re likely to encounter.…

1
Esther Waters by George Moore 1:06:44

9M ago1:06:44

1:06:44

In this episode we discuss the controversial and ground-breaking novel, Esther Waters by the Irish novelist George Moore. We are joined by Tom Crewe, author of the prize-winning New Life (Chatto & Windus) and one of this year’s crop of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists. Esther Waters was first published in 1894 and is told almost entirely fr…

1
Galapágos by Kurt Vonnegut 1:13:15

10M ago1:13:15

1:13:15

In this episode we are delighted to welcome 2023 Booker Prize Winner Shehan Karunatilaka to discuss Kurt Vonnegut’s eleventh novel, Galapágos. First published in 1985, it is one of his most radical, intricate and humorous works, a Darwinian satire narrated by a ghost from a million years in the future. As Lorrie Moore wrote about it at the time, Vo…

1
Episode 12: "Your Face Tomorrow, Volume Three: Poison, Shadow, and Farewell" 1:24:59

10M ago1:24:59

1:24:59

Here it is, folks, our final episode on Your Face Tomorrow and the last part of our Marías project. It's a longer one, but very worth it if we do say so ourselves. Our next season and new project will kick off in a couple weeks' time, but before that a thank you for listening along. It's a fun project and one we hope folks are getting as much out o…

1
A Kestrel For a Knave by Barry Hines (from Green Man Festival) 56:27

10M ago56:27

56:27

Author and illustrator Rose Blake and writer and musician Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne) joined Andy and John at the Greenman festival in Wales on August 18th 2023 to discuss Barry Hines's second novel A Kestrel for a Knave (1968) and, inevitably, the film adaptation Kes (1969), directed by Ken Loach from a screenplay by Hines himself. This episode wa…

1
Episode 11: "Your Face Tomorrow, Volume Two: Dance and Dream" 55:05

11M ago55:05

55:05

It's very strange to be this close to the end of our Marías focus, but that's rather how time moves, ever forward (unless you're Marías and can make time a rather fungible thing in your novels...). This is a fun episode, touching on East End gangsters, Spandau Ballet, the Spanish Civil War, swordplay, and more. And a couple of characters from the p…

1
Summer Reading Special 1:03:35

11M ago1:03:35

1:03:35

This week, to mix things up a little, it’s our annual round-up of books, old and new, you might enjoy over the summer. John, Andy and Backlisted’s producer Nicky discuss: O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker (W&N Essentials); Sheep’s Clothing by Celia Dale (Daunt Books); The Stirrings: A Memoir in Northern Time by Catherine Taylor (Weidenfeld & Nicolson);…

1
Episode 10: "Your Face Tomorrow, Volume 1: Fever and Spear" 1:01:57

11M ago1:01:57

1:01:57

And now we enter the homestretch. Over the next few episodes we'll tackle Marías' masterpiece, Your Face Tomorrow. Starting, of course, with the first volume, Fever and Spear. Once we wrap up the Marías project we're going to take a week or so off and then we'll be back with more backlist dives and a new author whose work we'll spend some time digg…

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Episode 9: "Imperium" by Christian Kracht, translated by Daniel Bowles 1:18:17

11M ago1:18:17

1:18:17

This week we dive into Christian Kracht's Imperium, and boy do we ever go deep (sorry/not sorry). It's an incredible piece of historical fiction (one of Tom's favorites and, now, one of Lori's) that follows one man's attempts to manifest his destiny to live in the tropics and subsist only on the noble coconut. And walk around nude. In the German So…

1
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster 1:00:46

11M ago1:00:46

1:00:46

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy Backlisted

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Episode 8: "The Infatuations" and "The Man Of Feeling" 58:44

11M ago58:44

58:44

A fun discussion this week of two novels published almost 30 years apart in The Infatuations and The Man of Feeling. We walk down some interesting paths and may get ourselves into a moral quandary or two (wouldn't be a discussion of Marías without some moral murkiness, now would it?). These are the last two Marías novels we discuss before wrapping …

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Episode 7: "My Heart Hemmed In" by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump 1:05:16

12M ago1:05:16

1:05:16

We're going weekly! As the episodes have grown longer we've decided to split them up so instead of discussing two titles per episode (and delivering a 2+ hour podcast) every other week we're switching to one title every week. A guide to the next few episodes will be up on the Substack shortly. This week we dig into Marie NDiaye's My Heart Hemmed In…

1
The Millstone by Margaret Drabble 1:06:15

12M ago1:06:15

1:06:15

Novelist Linda Grant and critic and editor Lucy Scholes return to Backlisted for a discussion of Margaret Drabble's third novel The Millstone, a book which has remained in print ever since it was first published in 1965, when Drabble was 26 years old; it was adapted for the screen by the author herself in 1969 as A Touch of Love, starring Sandy Den…

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Episode 6: backlist spotlight: "Gob's Grief" by Chris Adrian; "Thus Bad Begins" 2:26:40

12M ago2:26:40

2:26:40

In our sixth episode we discuss Gob’s Grief by Chris Adrian for our backlist deep dive. In the Marías portion we dig into Thus Bad Begins (spoiler alert: it’s phenomenal). This is a doozy of an episode, so stay hydrated and do be a hero: listen to the whole 2+ hours in one go! Books mentioned in this episode: Names on the Land: A Historical Account…

1
The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope 1:09:24

1y ago1:09:24

1:09:24

We are joined on this episode by authors Jennifer Egan (A Visit from the Goon Squad) and Nell Stevens (Briefly, A Delicious Life), who last featured on Backlisted #170 discussing North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. This time the talk turns on The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope, the third instalment of the Palliser sequence. We explore the w…

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