Have we got over a cultural reluctance to read literature in translation?

Alice and Charlotte have both been reading Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, and it’s got us thinking about the unique experience of reading literature from another culture. In today’s episode, we speak to the novelist and translator Lauren Elkin about what it’s like to render a book in a different language, the scourge of bad translations, and whether translators are finally beginning to get more respect and recognition.

We also discuss the huge impact of Fitzcarraldo’s publishing on contemporary literature, the importance of good design in publishing, hip literary parties, and why some books become widely read in some languages but never find their audience in others.

In Haste is presented by Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie, and is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.

What could it mean to listen more deeply? Alice’s extraordinary new book, Hark: How Women Listen, is published this week, and in today’s episode of In Haste, Charlotte couldn’t resist the opportunity to ask her all about how it came into being.

Alice turns interviewee as Charlotte finds out more about her evolution from passionate music journalist to author enveloped in the unfamiliar soundworlds of new life, in the wake of the birth of Alice’s first child.

We discuss how Hark explores the mystery of phantom crying, the trauma of hospital sounds, the listening done by female spies and the thrill of musical connections between women as we dive into the book that Alice has been working on ever since In Haste began, following her journey to rediscover sound as something alive, vital and restorative.

And, because this is In Haste, we also confront the realities of the writing process, and what it feels like to write about real life while in the middle of living it.

Get your copy of Hark: How Women Listen by Alice Vincent here!

In Haste is presented by Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie and is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.

Introducing the second season of In Haste! We are beyond delighted to be back on your airwaves.

Today, Charlotte and Alice catch up on how their books, Bring the House Down and Hark: How Women Listen are getting on, now they are mere weeks away from publication.

And, with two books about to be released into the wild, that means confronting what's next. Namely, the novel-in-progress that Alice has sent over the sea with her husband, and the “difficult second novel” that Charlotte is still trying to get on with. With some wisdom from a writer who has been there, friend of the show Jennie Godfrey makes a glorious return to discuss the incredible success of her debut, The List of Suspicious Things, and how she’s navigating its follow-up.

For our third bonus episode of the summer, we all piled round to Alice’s house in South London for everything bagels and blueberry pancakes, joined by the wonderful Amy Key, author of Arrangements in Blue.

Arrangements in Blue is a beautiful, complex and richly textured memoir about exploring a life without the presence of romantic love, woven through with Amy Key’s personal relationship to Joni Mitchell’s immortal album, Blue.

Join us for chat about writing (what’s stopping us, and what’s keeping us going), romance, Joni, poetry and the search for the perfect candle sconce that will solve all our problems.

In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.

It's our second bonus episode of the summer!

Today, Alice and Charlotte share how their writing is going as the days lengthen and the temptation to spend time having iced coffees in the sun threatens to lure them away from their writing desks. They also talk about hot summer books and what to read on holiday - from depressing Victorian classics to bonkbusters to transformative international fiction. And what about books set in the summertime — what effect does heat have on a narrative?

In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.

It's a bonus episode! Authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie reflect on the first season of In Haste literary conversations, and, as always, discuss how their own writing is going.

So far in 2024 we've been thinking about what stops authors from writing and what keeps them coming back to the page. In this special extra episode, Alice and Charlotte talk about how their own writing is fitting into their lives right now, and what they've learned.

In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.

How can a musical soundscape shape a novel?

For the final episode in this first season of In Haste literary conversations, authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie meet novelist Caleb Azumah Nelson, author of Open Water (which won the Costa Book Award) and Small Worlds, to discuss his writing process, as well as faith, love stories, and the importance of place. Plus, Alice and Charlotte talk about how music influences their writing.

This episode is made in partnership with Backstory, the new books magazine from the independent South London bookshop. To get your copy of the magazine, go to Backstory.London and use the code INHASTE at checkout for 10% off a subscription.

Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.

In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.

Why does it make us so uncomfortable when fiction feels like real life?

Authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie meet Eliza Clark, author of the gloriously dark and unforgettable novels Penance and Boy Parts, and a member of Granta's most recent selection of best young British novelists. Eliza takes us through a sharp and candid discussion about the publishing industry, authorial voice and veracity in fiction, writing about dark themes, and what happens when your book goes viral on TikTok.

Plus, as always, Alice and Charlotte discuss how their own writing is going.

Each episode of In Haste is accompanied by an original essay on Substack by Alice Vincent or Charlotte Runcie exploring its wider themes at inhaste.substack.com.

In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes.