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Backlisted

Utz by Bruce Chatwin

Backlisted

Backlisted Podcast

Arts, Books, Leisure, Hobbies

4.7 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 March 2019

⏱️ 61 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This episode is about Utz, Bruce Chatwin's final novel, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1988. John and Andy are joined by writer and journalist Jonathan Wilson and Unbound's editor-at-large Rachael Kerr, who worked for Chatwin's publisher Jonathan Cape and knew him well. Other books discussed include Valerie Luiselli's Tell Me How It Ends and Elizabeth Smart's By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept. Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length) 5'48 - Tell Me How It Ends by Valeria Luiselli 10'55 - By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart 20'05 - Utz by Bruce Chatwin *To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our bookshop at uk.bookshop.org/shop/backlisted where all profits help to sustain this podcast and UK independent bookshops *For information about everything mentioned in this episode visit www.backlisted.fm *If you'd like to support the show, listen without adverts, receive the show early and with extra bonus fortnightly episodes, become a Patreon at www.patreon.com/backlisted Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

And the I did know of Jonathan's work before he came on the podcast because he and I share a football team.

0:24.0

Well I presume we share a football team.

0:27.0

Yeah, I'm a something fun very much so.

0:29.0

I know this is not a great start for you Andy.

0:32.0

I know talking about football is not something you

0:34.0

I'm going to be issuing an apology on behalf of that listed in a minute

0:37.8

but do carry on gentlemen.

0:39.4

Well I believe that it's possible to write deeply intelligent stuff about sport and Jonathan does that.

0:44.5

What I haven't seen is the Netflix series, Suddenly Until I Die, which everybody in my family tells me I have to watch and

0:51.7

that it's marvelous and heartwarming and brilliantly done.

0:54.0

Yeah, and it really is.

0:56.0

It's made with a lot of love for the city and I think a sense, if you haven't grown up in the city,

1:02.0

maybe you don't realize that because someone was such a big and important

1:06.6

shipbuilding port and those shipyards have gone, the sense of loss that still hangs over the place.

1:12.1

I mean, I was born 976, I don't know shipyards there to speak of when I was growing up,

1:17.7

and yet the sense of something missing, the sense of the town is not as important as it used to be, hangs over it, it hangs over the football as well.

1:25.8

And so that sense of nostalgia for the past you never were really aware of, I think, characterizes everything.

1:33.2

I love going back there, even though it does have exactly that feeling.

1:36.6

It's one of the rare places in the UK where it really is, it's such a cliche to say it's a religion,

1:42.1

but they're still getting 35,000 plus fans for what is essentially now

1:46.8

they're playing in the third division.

1:48.0

Rachel has John ever taken you to a sundling game?

...

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