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Lit with Charles

by Charles Pignal

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Latest episodes

Pentecostal Exorcisms, Psychopaths, and Literary Lunch Dates

October 19, 2026 · 30 min

Religion, artificial intelligence and a particularly terrifying lunch date are on the menu this week. Liv has been reading Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, while Charles tackles Pope Leo XIV’s thoughts on AI and the…
Marguerite Duras, Live Bats, and Abandoning Books

October 12, 2026 · 31 min

Marguerite Duras and Philip K. Dick make for an unlikely pairing this week, as Charles and Liv compare notes on The Lover and A Scanner Darkly. Then, things get stranger with a trip through the extraordinary life of Victor Hugo – a man…
Alan Bennett, Autofiction Disasters, and Bestseller Lists

October 5, 2026 · 31 min

This week, Charles and Liv discuss Gisèle Pelicot’s harrowing memoir A Hymn to Life and Alan Bennett’s brilliantly subtle Talking Heads. They also delve into Serge Doubrovsky’s The Broken Book and the strange, tragic consequences of…
Dream Houses, Elk Hearts, and Reading Spreadsheets

September 28, 2026 · 30 min

This week, Charles and Liv discuss Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House and Kamel Daoud’s controversial novel Houris, exploring the Algerian Civil War and the strange story surrounding the book. They also uncover the time Hunter S…
James Bond, Werewolves, and Reading 100 Books a Year

September 21, 2026 · 29 min

This week, Charles and Liv discuss Ian Fleming’s For Your Eyes Only, Clarice Lispector’s strange and brilliant The Hour of the Star, and why some books are better read like poetry.They also uncover John Steinbeck’s unpublished werewolf…

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Sartre, Spies, and How to Read More

September 14, 2026 · 26 min

Welcome to a new season of Lit With Charles, and a new format, as Charles is joined by co-host Liv for a weekly conversation about books, reading and the literary world. This week, they discuss Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit, Javier…
Santanu Bhattacharya, author of "Deviants"

July 24, 2026 · 49 min

This week, Charles is joined by acclaimed novelist Santanu Bhattacharya. Santanu is one of the most exciting emerging voices in contemporary British fiction. Raised in India and now based in London, with eight cities across three countries…
Sir Ben Okri, author of “The Famished Road” and “Waking the Warriors”

July 16, 2026 · 49 min

Today, Charles speaks with one of Britain’s most esteemed authors, the novelist and poet Sir Ben Okri. Sir Ben first shot to international fame in 1991 with The Famished Road, which won the Booker Prize that same year, making him the…
Season 3 Finale: Charles & Olivia Reflect on the Highlights

March 23, 2026 · 43 min

It was such a pleasure today to be joined by Olivia Kate Menzies - aka Liv - for this Season 3 finale, as we looked back on what has been a rich and varied run of conversations on Lit With Charles. Liv has played a key role behind the…
Andrew Miller, author of "The Land in Winter"

March 16, 2026 · 47 min

It was such a pleasure today to speak with the novelist Andrew Miller, one of Britain’s most accomplished contemporary writers, whose career now spans more than three decades and ten novels. Andrew joined me from South Somerset in the west…
Sarvat Hasin, author of "Strange Girls"

March 9, 2026 · 39 min

This week on Lit With Charles, Liv — who has worked on the podcast for quite a while now — steps in to interview novelist and dramaturg Sarvat Hasin, author of the new novel Strange Girls. Sarvat is a British-Pakistani writer based in…
Philippa Malicka, author of "In Her Defense"

March 2, 2026 · 41 min

It was such a pleasure today to interview a novelist I have known for many years, though not at the time as a novelist at all. Philippa Malicka and I first met about fifteen years ago in Delhi, when we were both living in India, long…

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About the show

Welcome to Lit With Charles, a podcast on all things literary! I'm Charles Pignal, and every fortnight I’m asking guests about the four books which have made the biggest impact on their lives and work. If you're like me, you love literature – but maybe aren't always sure what you should be reading. The aim of this podcast is to make literature exciting and accessible; in each episode writers, artists, and other interesting people are giving real recommendations, to help you discover new books and authors off the beaten track. Here at Lit With Charles, every book has a story to tell.