Walking in cities with Lauren Elkin and music by the Bookshop Band - books podcast

The Guardian Books podcast Series

On this week’s podcast, we take a stroll through history with Lauren Elkin, as we talk about her book Flâneuse. The book combines first person and historical accounts to build a history of the women who have explored the world at street level. Elkin talks about iconic wanderers – Martha Gellhorn, Jean Rhys, George Sand – and shares her tips for anyone who wants to wander a city with a true mindset of a flâneuse.

Then we are paid a visit by the Bookshop Band: Beth Porter and Ben Please, who write songs inspired by literature. After years of performing, Beth and Ben spent a year recording 10 albums, all to be released between 2016 and 2017. They talk about turning books into songs and perform two songs – Curious and Curiouser, based on The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, and Once Upon a Time, inspired by the first lines of classic books.

Reading list

Flâneuse by Lauren Elkin (Chatto and Windus)
The Bookshop Band website

Parisian street scenes around 1900 Two elegant ladies walking in the street - 1905 - Vintage property of ullstein bild<br>(GERMANY OUT) Parisian street scenes around 1900 Two elegant ladies walking in the street - 1905 - Vintage property of ullstein bild (Photo by ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
Photograph: Ullstein Bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images
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