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For this episode, Andy and John are joined once again by Nikita Lalwani and Matt Thorne, who were last here on episode 63 to talk about the terrifying Something Happened by Joseph Heller. 

Nikita is the author of three novels including her latest, You People, just out from Viking and which Andy talked about on episode 110. It’s also been optioned for television by World Productions, creators of The Bodyguard and In the Line of Duty. Nikita is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and her work has been translated into sixteen languages.

Matt Thorne is also a novelist, with six books under his belt, including Eight Minutes Idle, which was adapted into a film by BBC Films.  He has also written three children’s books and his most recent book was a critical study of the pop star Prince published by Faber.

The book they have chosen to discuss is is another masterpiece of post-war American fiction: The World According to Garp by John Irving first published in 1978 by Dutton in the US and by Victor Gollancz in the UK. 

Also in this episode John remembers the writer and artist Tim Robinson who spent five decades mapping and recording the Aran Islands, the first of which is Stones of Arran: Pilgrimage and Andy enjoys Bob Dylan’s new book-friendly single, ‘I Contain Multitudes’

Books mentioned:

John Irving - The World According to Garp; A Prayer for Owen Meany; The Cider House Rules; The Hotel New Hampshire; Until I Find You; Last Night in Twisted River
Joseph Heller - Something Happened
Nikita Lalwani - You People; Gifted
Matt Thorne - Eight Minutes Idle; Prince
Nigel Pennick - Witchcraft & Secret Societies of Rural England
Tim Robinson - Stones of Aran: Pilgrimage
Shena MacKay - Heligoland
Haruki Murakami - Norwegian Wood

Other links:

Bob Dylan - ‘I Contain Multitudes’
Bob Dylan - ‘Murder Most Foul’
Excerpts form The World According to John Irving (2012)
John Irving interviewed by Tom Power on CBC (2018)
The Paris Review: The Art of Fiction #93 - John Irving