ON WRITING... With Salman Rushdie and Kazuo Ishiguro

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Sony Music

Society & Culture

4.8 • 9.4K Ratings

🗓️ 21 September 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to another special edition of How to Fail, where I revisit conversations from the How to Fail archives. Each week, we shine a light on a particular theme, hopefully offering inspiration, perspective and comfort through the words of past guests. This week’s theme is on writing - appropriately, because my new book ‘One of Us’ is out this week (25th September)! So it felt only fair that I re-shared a couple of my favourite authors who have guested on How to Fail in the past. First up, you’ll hear from Nobel Prize winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, whose episode originally aired in March 2021. He shares thoughtful reflections on creativity, memory and the way stories help us explore both truth and imagination. Then, we turn to Salman Rushdie, in an excerpt from our original conversation back in June 2024, where he discusses his extraordinary book ‘Knife’ and reflects on the role of stories in making sense of life’s most difficult moments. I hope these highlights remind you of the power of storytelling, not only as a means of escape but also as a way to process, connect and endure Listen to Salman Rushdie’s full episode of How to Fail here: https://link.chtbl.com/OE63hsrn Listen to Kazuo Ishiguro’s full episode of How to Fail here: https://link.chtbl.com/zu0kLq-0 🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS: ‘One of Us’ is out on 25th September: lnk.to/OneOfUsElizabethDay Salman Rushdie’s books: www.salmanrushdie.com Kazuo Ishiguro’s books: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/14137/kazuo-ishiguro/ Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/ Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content 💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE? Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts Leave a 5⭐ review – it helps more people discover these stories 👋 Follow How To Fail & Elizabeth: Instagram: @howtofailpod @elizabday TikTok: @howtofailpod @elizabday Website: www.elizabethday.org Have a failure you’re trying to work through for Elizabeth to discuss? Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Okay, a breaking news because I absolutely have to tell you about my new TV obsession,
0:06.3	the Real Housewives of London, streaming from the 18th of August only on Hey You.
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0:17.5	I have seen the trailer, I've got the BTS Goss, and let me tell you, if you're already
0:22.3	a superfan like me or a newbie, prepare to be totally hooked. You probably already know that I
0:29.3	love the Real Housewise franchise. My favourite are Atlanta, an old school New York, thanks so much
0:34.7	for asking. And the Real Housewives of London is even more special
0:38.7	as it's HAU's first original series streaming every week. Why wait when you could join me and
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0:51.5	of London and see the drama unfold. A subscription is
0:55.3	required and you'll need to be 18 plus. How to Fail is partnering with Bumble. The dating app that
1:01.1	believes love in all its forms is the foundation to a happy, healthy life. We want to hear from you
1:07.7	and we're collecting your love stories as a reminder that meaningful connections can
1:12.3	happen online. Have you been through a breakup but later found your person? If love found you the
1:20.0	second time around, we want to hear your story. Dating can feel like a roller coaster, which is why it
1:26.4	helps to have a bit of guidance along the way.
1:29.2	Bumble's new advice hub brings together expert tips to make the process a little easier,
1:34.3	from breaking the ice in conversations and calming predate nerves, to figuring out when it's time to take things offline.
1:41.9	So if you found love after a detour, tell us about it. Send a short
1:47.2	personal voice note to How to Fail at sonymusic.com. Share the moments that make your story
1:53.6	unforgettable and we might just play it out on how to fail. That's how to fail at sonymusic.com.
2:00.7	We cannot wait to celebrate your second
	...

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