AFRICULTURES.COM – "Those who discovered Jamika performing Live with Zenzile, who she hooked up with at the end of the 1990s, will not be disappointed. Jamika, who is sometimes referred to in the press as a female Tricky or the Grace Jones of the underground, expends great energy in the delivery of her subtle lyrics."

JAMIKA AJALON meets ZENZILE on albums: MODUS VIVENDI (Discograph 2005)| 5+1 JAMIKA MEETS CELLO (Discograph 2004)| TOTEM (Discograph 2002)| SOUND PATROL (Crash Disques 2001)| 5+1 ZENZILE MEETS JAMIKA (Crash Disques 2000)| Compilations — SAMPLING DNA features on APHRODISIAC, vol 3 (Infracom 2001) | LONGRAIN MUSIC 2 (Instinctive Travel 2004)

Her track best loved by fans, SMELL THE ROSES, features on ANOTHER FRENCH REVOLUTION? (The Letter F 2004).

totem

Totem

Jamika meets Zenzile

An autobiographical first novel, The Last One tells the story of Fatima and her family. The confusing polarities between different worlds and cultures that are portrayed sparked an intense Media debate in France. Although based on true events and experiences, Fatima Daas changed certain aspects in order to be free to write what she wanted, and convey her feelings about specific experiences. 

Tune in to hear a lively conversation with Fatima Daas and podcast host Georgia de Chamberet, about literary inspiration, handling her surprise overnight success, and the pressures directed at women from religion and from society, and more besides The Last One is published in English by HopeRoad Publishing. The interview is in both French and English.

Produced by BookBlast  | 26:25 | French & English (simultaneous)

bookblast podcast 

the last one

Found in Translation | Fatima Daas discusses literary sensation, The Last One (French & English)

Prize-winning essayist, novelist, poet and academic, Abdourahman Waberi in conversation with Georgia de Chamberet about the events and cultures that have inspired him. Born in 1965 in Djibouti, he left his homeland for France in 1985 where he studied English at the University of Caen. He did a degree in English at the University of Dijon where he wrote a thesis on the work of the Somali novelist, Nuruddin Farah. In 2008 he moved to America. Since 2012 he is professor of Francophone literature at George Washington University. 
Following on from the release of his first book – a short story collection called Le Pays Sans Ombre, Land Without Shadows – he has had 6 novels, 3 short story anthologies, 3 volumes of poetry and 2 essay collections published, and a great many articles. The recipient of numerous awards, he was recently named one of the “50 Writers of the Future” by LIRE magazine.
Abdourahman Waberi discusses his childhood in a deprived neighbourhood of Djibouti, a pocket-sized but strategically important African nation near the Suez Canal. He remembers the pains of growing up with polio, how he kept strong in the face of merciless bullying at school, and his love of storytelling. He talks about life in France and North America, how writers Annie Ernaux and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o inspire him, and more. So tune in!

Produced by BookBlast [35 minutes]

Why Do You Dance When You Walk?

bookblast conversations abdourahman waberi

Abdourahman Waberi in conversation with Georgia de Chamberet

Celebrated author and distinguished traveller, Lesley Blanch, MBE (1904-2007), talks to Teresa Cherfas about her love of Russia and of the mysterious family friend whom she referred to as The Traveller (discovered after her death to be theatre director and impresario, Theodore Komisarjevsky).

Although to some it may seem that Blanch excelled in magnifying her own peculiarities to become larger than life, even mythic, she was always true to herself. Her private life was so inaccessible as to be virtually unimaginable. Blanch gave this interview the day after coming out of hospital. She died four months later.

February 2007

Visit her website at www.lesleyblanch.com twitter @lesleyblanch

Journey into the Mind's Eye

Lesley Blanch's Russia

Lesley Blanch, Twenty Minutes, BBC Radio 3

Georgia de Chamberet at BookBlast® is delighted to interview Sian Williams, the visionary founder of the Children’s Bookshow. Discover how this much loved and hugely popular national tour of writers and illustrators of children’s literature first began and who will be on tour this autumn.
Michael Rosen: “The Children’s Bookshow takes children’s authors to meet tens of thousands of children, introducing children to how and why writers write, illustrators illustrate. They give children insights into how they too can transform thoughts and feelings into words and pictures. This is not simply a matter of it being enjoyable, it’s a necessary part of what we understand by the word ‘education’.” 
Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | A BookBlast® Production | 13:18 | ep 47

bookblast podcast 2024 series

Childrens Bookshow

Sian Williams in conversation with Georgia de Chamberet

Pour célébrer la parution du livre 'Une femme, deux hommes Lesley Blanch, Théodore Kommissarzhevsky et Romain Gary' à la Maison de Balzac, Paris, le Mercredi 5 Juin 2024, Simon Bentolila de Lire Magazine a discuté avec Georgia de Chamberet, de la vie et des amours de Lesley Blanch (1904-2007). Femme libre et autonome, artiste complète et grande voyageuse, elle n’en était pas moins totalement dévouée aux deux hommes de sa vie, le dramaturge Théodore Kommissarzhevsky et l’écrivain Romain Gary, dont elle fut le première épouse.

"Il faudrait toujours chercher la femme exceptionnelle qui se cache derrière l'oeuvre d'un grand homme," Journal de Dimanche

A BookBlast® Production | 32:24

Creative Conversations

Georgia de Chamberet en conversation avec Simon Bentolila, Lire Magazine (in French)

The BookBlast® Translation Book Club meets in person on the second Monday of each month at Hatchards, Piccadilly, to discuss works of fiction in translation published in the last ten years. Host, Georgia de Chamberet,  and Hatchards’ booksellers, choose well-written, engaging storytelling to inspire reading for pleasure as well as illuminating cultures from around the world.
Hear our special guest at the October Translation Book Club, Antonia Lloyd-Jones, co-editor and translator of Warsaw Tales (OUP 2024). She is best-known for translating Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk. Hear highlights of Antonia's presentation and illuminating comments from book club members.
Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | A BookBlast® Production| 00:35:23

BookBlast Hatchards Translation Book Club 

Warsaw Tales, BookBlast® Translation Book Club

Warsaw Tales, BookBlast® Translation Book Club, Hatchards Piccadilly

Set in part in a hairdresser's salon in regional France this engaging novel about how Proust changes Clara's life answers many questions including: Why read Proust?; how can a book change your life?; the beauty of Proust's descriptions; Proust and Ernaux as observers of the zeitgeist; what lies behind the image; Proust suffering from the Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome and its impact; Proust's sexuality; Gallimard's publication in 2021 of never-before-published work by Proust; differences and parallels between the reading cultures of England and France; Proust: A Family Novel by Laure Murat, and more.

34:41 minutes

BookBlast Hatchards Podcast

Translation Book Club

Clara Reads Proust, Stephane Carlier, Translation Book Club

A Dictator Calls by Ismail Kadare translated by John Hodgson discussed at the BookBlast® Translation Book Club, Hatchards, Piccadilly 
Ismail Kadare, the renowned Albanian novelist and poet, navigated the oppressive environment of communist Albania under dictator Enver Hoxha. This unusual book is based around Stalin’s alleged three-minute telephone call to Boris Pasternak. The discussion examined the relationship between dictators and writers, the power of fear and the game of divide and rule and everyone playing off each other, Osip Mandelstam and the gulag, Stalin’s purges of the intelligentsia, whether Stalin favoured Pasternak the way Lenin favoured Gorky, Putin’s regime today, Anna Politkovskaya and censorship, methods of eliminating those who speak out against a dictator, and more. 
The discussion includes insights from publisher Christopher MacLehose.
33 minutes

A Dictator Calls, Ismail Kadare

A Dictator Calls, Ismail Kadare, Translation Book Club

Record of a Night Too Brief by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Lucy North, published by Pushkin Press discussed at the BookBlast® Translation Book Club, Hatchards, Piccadilly, London.  
Record of a Night Too Brief is a collection of three surreal novellas imbued with a particular kind of magical realism that veer at times into the absurd, creating a tapestry of strange poetic imagery, episodes of bizarre shape-shifting, time warps, and a resonant exploration of identity, love, loss. What is real? What is a dream? The boundaries are blurred.
The discussion includes insights about the art of translation by Nicky Harman, translator from the Chinese, and Aneesa Higgins, translator from the French.
In April 2025, Hiromi Kawakami's novel, Under the Eye of the Big Bird, translated by Asa Yoneda, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025.
Length: 33 minutes

BookBlast Book Club season 3

Record of a Night Too Brief, Hiromi Kawakami, Translation Book Club

Hiromi Kawakami

Fathers and Fugitives by S. J. Naude translated by Michiel Heyns, out with Europa Editions, discussed at the BookBlast® Translation Book Club, Hatchards, Piccadilly, London.  
Fathers and Fugitives follows Daniel, a gay journalist in London, who becomes involved with a Serbian couple after meeting them at the Tate Modern. What begins as a casual, sexually charged relationship evolves into a one-sided financial arrangement. The pair suddenly vanishes then reappears the trio embark on a strange trip across Europe, ending with a tragic event in Belgrade.
The second part of the novel shifts to South Africa, where Daniel cares for his dying father. He will inherit his father’s estate under the condition that he spends time with his cousin, Theon, on his isolated farm in the Free state. The narrative closes on an unexpected twist. A beautifully written, bleak exploration of loneliness and loss, Fathers and Fugitives is an odd and illuminating read. 
Hear book club members discuss what worked for them and why. 

21 minutes

buy the book

Fathers and Fugitives, S. J. Naude, Translation Book Club

Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro translated by Frances Riddle, out with Charco Press, discussed at the BookBlast® Translation Book Club, Hatchards, Piccadilly, London, in person with the author and her publisher. Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022.  

Elena Knows explores themes of illness, the influence of the Catholic Church, the mother-daughter relationship, and the oppressive social expectations placed on women. 

The narrative unfolds through Elena's internal monologue after her daughter is found hanging in the belfry of the church. She refuses to believe that her daughter committed suicide as she never went near the church. Her interactions with Father Juan, Inspector Avellaneda and Dr Benegas leave her feel unheard and frustrated, exacerbated as her Parkinson's disease progresses. 

The discussion also covers some of Piñeiro’s other novels and fiction in Argentina.  
With simultaneous translation from the Spanish by Carolina Orloff from Charco Press. 

35 minutes  

 Elena Knows 

Elena Knows, Claudia Piñeiro, Translation Book Club

Robert Elms talks to Georgia de Chamberet about The BookBlast® 10x10 Tour in association with Waterstones.  
A carnival of authors, poets, translators and #indiepubs visit 9 major cities across England, 11 September-15 November, inspiring readers to immerse themselves in authentic and offbeat writing which adds value to the cultural landscape.
Interview date: 01 September 2018

BookBlast Waterstones Tour

BookBlast on BBC Radio London

Robert Elms BBC London Radio interview BookBlast® 10x10 Tour

To celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Pig 2019, Paper Republic has launched its 2018 roundup of the most recent publications of English translations from Chinese. Its co-founder, Nicky Harman, is a leading light of the translation community and promoter of Chinese literature and culture. She was interviewed for The BookBlast® Diary in 2016 and Xu Xiaobin's Crystal Wedding reviewed. 

Our conversation about writing from a non-English speaking world that is 4,834 miles away from the UK takes in the dark side of socialism and government censorship, what strengths are drawn by Chinese writers from the richness of their cultural background and national identity, issues faced by translators, Chinese women writers, sex and violence in contemporary Chinese literature, the unique aspects of contemporary Chinese literature, the growing popularity of science fiction and martial arts fiction in the West, and much more. 

For more info, check out our 'Spotlight' feature 'Playing Chinese Whispers with Nicky Harman' at www.bookblast.com/blog 

Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | A BookBlast® Production 
rec, 14.02.2019 | 56.30 minutes

talking chinese

Chinese Whispers

The BookBlast® Podcast (LIVE) | Playing Chinese Whispers with Nicky Harman

Keith Anderson, known as Bob Andy, talks about his life and times in a rare and exclusive interview 

Best known in the UK for the track recorded with Marcia Griffiths "Young, Gifted and Black" (1970), he is widely regarded as "one of reggae's most influential songwriters," Wikipedia.

The conversation takes in his childhood in Kingston, Maxfield Park children's home, Kingston Parish Church choir and Tyrone Evans. The Paragons. Studio One. His first solo hit record (1967) "I've Got to Go Back Home" was followed by "Desperate Lover", "Feeling Soul", "Unchained", and "Too Experienced".

Composing songs for other reggae artists, including "I Don't Want to See You Cry" for Ken Boothe, and "Feel Like Jumping", "Truly", and "Melody Life" for Marcia Griffiths. He is best known for "Young, Gifted and Black" recorded with Marcia Griffiths in the early 1970s.

Trojan. Working as a producer in London and recording with Mad Professor. Moving to Miami.

Several of his hits in the late 1960s, and his 1992 hit, "Fire Burning", are regarded as reggae standards and have been covered several times by other artists.

Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | A BookBlast® Production | 00:57:42 minutes

bookblast podcast 2020

reggae legend bob andy talks LIVE

In conversation with reggae legend Keith Anderson a.k.a. Bob Andy

The world of publishing has changed a great deal since you first founded Carcanet in 1969 with Peter Jones, Gareth Reeves, working from a farmhouse kitchen table. What is the magic ingredient meaning you have been able to adapt and evolve?

Publishing poetry is a tricky business. Your list comprises collections by established English language poets, new editions of work by deceased writers, and newcomers on the scene. Tell us about five of your lead titles in translation, and what makes each one so special.
Since making a living from writing – let alone poetry – is hard these days, do many of your poets run creative writing courses? Can you recommend a couple to our listeners?  

Hear Michael Schmidt, publisher & co-founder of Carcanet Press, answer these questions and give unexpected insights as he talks about his love of literature and publishing poetry in translation.

Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | Produced by Rupert Such | 35:07

bridging the divide

Poetry in Translation, Carcanet Press

Bridging the Divide #6 | Interview : Michael Schmidt, Carcanet Press

Interview avec le romancier, essayiste, critique et poète marocain le plus vendu au niveau international, Tahar Ben Jelloun, au sujet de son livre, Le terrorisme expliqué aux enfants. Cette semaine les complices présumés sont devant le tribunal de Paris pour les attentats de janvier 2015. 

Pouvez-vous décrire brièvement à nos auditeurs anglophones les racines du terrorisme en France et quelles sont les objectifs présumés des terroristes?

Comment pensez vous que l’État pourrait contrôler ses forces de police et leurs «bavures»? 

Est il possible que les consequences toxiques du colonialisme puissent être mieux reconnues pour réévaluer le récit publique sur l'islam et la politique sociale républicaine?

Qu'est-ce qui vous a poussé à écrire ce livre?

Écoutez les réponses à ces questions et plus encore dans cette interview qui est très nécessaire.

Presenté par Georgia de Chamberet | Produit par Rupert Such | 23:41

Le Terrorisme expliqué aux enfants  (Le Seuil)

Bridging the Divide #10 | Interview (en français): Tahar Ben Jelloun explique le terrorisme

Lucy Popescu interviews Tommy Wieringa and his translator from Dutch, Sam Garrett. Wieringa's novel The Death of Murat Idrissi was nominated for the International Booker Prize in 2019. In 2018 he won the Bookspot Literatuurprijs for his novel De heilige Rita, The Blessed Rita, published this year by Scribe UK. It is a compelling portrait of the forgotten and Wieringa makes a strong case for empathy with those living on the margins of society.

“Did you grow up in a rural or urban community?”

“What draws you to write about men on the margins?”

 “Tommy, regarding empathy for your characters and their situations, by writing about flawed characters you remind us of our shared humanity. Was that your intention?”

Hear the answers to these questions and more in this insightful exclusive interview. 
Presented by Lucy Popescu | Produced by Rupert Such | 34:35

voices from the margins

Bridging the Divide #11 | Lucy Popescu interviews Tommy Wieringa and his translator Sam Garrett

As a reminder of what entertaining, inoffensive satire constitutes, pick up a copy of Bestseller by Georgian trailblazer, Beka Adamashvili, deftly translated by Tamar Japaridze, published by Dedalus Books.
A blogger, screenwriter and creative director at an advertising company, Adamashvili’s mischievous sense of humor and deep knowledge of world literature, combined with marketing nous, sharpen his pen. Multiple allusions from literary classics are woven into his postmodern narrative as he sends up digimodernism and the shallowness of the desire for fame. Dante, Conan Doyle, Samuel Beckett, George Orwell and other literary heavyweights rebel against the author. Bestseller pokes fun at literary pretentiousness, humbug and bookish aspirations with wit and verve.
Presented by Georgia de Chamberet | Produced by Rupert Such | 39.30

on satire

Bridging the Divide #15 | Georgian author Beka Adamashvili & Tamar Japaridze on literary satire

The BookBlast® Podcast is for writers, translators and curious readers who want a behind-the-scenes snapshot of the world of literature and translation. And it’s free! 
Online journal, The BookBlast Diary, has showcased independent trade publishing and world writing with a focus on translation and Francophone literature since 2016. 
BookBlast is a registered trademark.
Find us at www.bookblast.com or on X formerly twitter @bookblast

BookBlast Podcast

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks