This episode was recorded live at the 2019 Guernsey Literary Festival in the church of St James in St Peter Port. John and Andy are joined by Will Smith, the former stand-up comedian and now screenwriter and novelist. Will was the co-writer of HBO comedy Veep for which he won two Emmys and two Writers Guild of America awards. He contributed to The Thick of It as both an actor and writer and is the author of Mainlander a thriller set in Jersey (where he grew up) and which the Independent described as 'John le Carré meets Middlemarch'. The book under discussion is the great novel of Guernsey, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by G.B. Edwards, Edwards’ only novel which was published posthumously in 1981.

Both NYRB Classics and Blue Ormer books have kindly offered Backlisted listeners 30% off The Book of Ebeneezer Le Page and Genius Friend by Edward Chaney if you order direct from their websites and enter the discount code ‘Backlisted’ at check out.

Books mentioned:

G.B. Edwards - The Book of Ebenezer Le Page (special Backlisted offer from NYRB Classics)
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page audiobook (read by Roy Dotrice)
Edward Chaney - Genius Friend: G.B. Edwards & The Book of Ebenezer Le Page
(special Backlisted offer from Blue Ormer books)
Will Smith - Mainlander
Victor Hugo - The Toilers of the Sea; Les Miserables
James Joyce - Dubliners
J.D Salinger - The Catcher in the Rye
Philip Roth - Sabbath’s Theater
W.H. Hudson - A Shepherd’s Life
Adam Thorpe - Ulverton
Graham Swift - Waterland
Samuel Beckett - Krapp’s Last Tape
Allan Gurganus - The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All
Robert Tresell - The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
Gabriel García Márquez - One Hundred Years of Solitude
Salman Rushdie - Midnight’s Children

Other links:

The Last Will and Testament of Jake Thackray
Pure DC performing ‘Whole Lotta Ebenezer Le Page’ live on Guernsey
Ebenezer Le Page on Twitter