Interviewer

Cal Flyn, Deputy Editor
Five Books deputy editor Cal Flyn is a writer from the Highlands of Scotland.
Her latest book, Islands of Abandonment—about the ecology and psychology of abandoned places—is out now. It has been shortlisted for the 2021 Baillie Gifford Prize, the Wainwright Prize for writing on global conservation, the British Academy Book Prize, and for the title of Scottish Nonfiction Book of the Year.
At Five Books, she interviews on subjects including literary fiction and nonfiction, psychology, nature, environment, and science fiction.
Interviews by Cal Flyn
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1
On the Calculation of Volume: Book I
by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara J. Haveland -
2
Small Boat
by Vincent Delecroix, translated by Helen Stevenson -
3
Under the Eye of the Big Bird: A Novel
by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Asa Yoneda -
4
Perfection
by Vincenzo Latronico, translated by Sophie Hughes -
5
Heart Lamp: Selected Stories
by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi -
6
A Leopard-Skin Hat
by Anne Serre, translated by Mark Hutchinson
The Best Fiction Books: The 2025 International Booker Prize, recommended by Anton Hur
The Best Fiction Books: The 2025 International Booker Prize, recommended by Anton Hur
Every year, judges for the International Booker Prize search for the best works of fiction translated into English over the previous twelve months. We asked Anton Hur, the novelist, translator and 2025 judge, to talk us through the six-book shortlist—including five novels and this year’s winner, the first short story collection ever to triumph.
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1
A Thousand Threads: A Memoir
by Neneh Cherry -
2
The Story of a Heart
by Rachel Clarke -
3
Raising Hare
by Chloe Dalton -
4
Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter
by Clare Mulley -
5
What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World’s Ocean
by Helen Scales -
6
Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China
by Yuan Yang
The Best Nonfiction Books: The 2025 Women’s Prize for Nonfiction, recommended by Kavita Puri
The Best Nonfiction Books: The 2025 Women’s Prize for Nonfiction, recommended by Kavita Puri
Now in its second year, the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction aims to highlight the very best new nonfiction books written by women. We asked Kavita Puri, the journalist and chair of this year’s judging panel, to talk us through the shortlist: from a gentle lockdown animal memoir to a thrilling true story of a WW2 secret agent.
The Best Historical Fiction of 2025, recommended by Katharine Grant
Every year, the judges of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction highlight the very best new books published in that genre over the past twelve months. In 2025, the six book shortlist features historical novels set as widely apart as ancient Sicily, 16th-century England, and 20th century Holland. Here, judge Katharine Grant talks us through their selection.
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1
In Search of Lost Time, Vol. I: Swann's Way
by Marcel Proust -
2
In Search of Lost Time, Vol. II: In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower
by Marcel Proust -
3
In Search of Lost Time, Vol. V: The Prisoner
by Marcel Proust -
4
In Search of Lost Time, Vol. VI: The Fugitive
by Marcel Proust -
5
In Search of Lost Time, Vol. VII: Finding Time Again
by Marcel Proust
The Best Marcel Proust Books, recommended by Joshua Landy
The Best Marcel Proust Books, recommended by Joshua Landy
Marcel Proust’s 3000-page masterpiece In Search of Lost Time might intimidate, but it also enthrals, argues Joshua Landy, Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Stanford University. We asked him to introduce us to the most rewarding of the seven volumes that make up this classic novel, as a helpful guide for the general reader.
The Best Stephen King Books, recommended by Hans-Åke Lilja
Stephen King—widely dubbed “the king of horror”—has published dozens of books since Carrie, his 1974 debut. We asked Hans-Åke Lilja, who has run a website devoted to King’s output for decades, to recommend five of the best Stephen King novels, offering new readers a place to start.
The Best Novels: The 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction, recommended by Kit de Waal
The 2025 shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction features a family saga about formerly rich Iranian refugees, a surprisingly funny tale of ISIS brides and a “weird” midlife crisis adventure in suburban California. We asked the bestselling novelist—chair of this year’s judging panel—to talk us through the six finalists.
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1
Black Ghosts: A Journey Into the Lives of Africans in China
by Noo Saro-Wiwa -
2
On the Shadow Tracks: A Journey through Occupied Myanmar
by Clare Hammond -
3
Slow Trains to Istanbul: ...And Back: A 4,570-Mile Adventure on 55 Rides
by Tom Chesshyre -
4
The Place of Tides
by James Rebanks -
5
Wayfarer: Love, loss and life on Britain’s ancient paths
by Phoebe Smith -
6
Wild Twin
by Jeff Young
The Best Travel Books of 2025, recommended by Tom Parfitt
The Best Travel Books of 2025, recommended by Tom Parfitt
Every year, the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards highlight the very best of recently published place writing, and select their ‘travel book of the year.’ We asked judge Tom Parfitt, the author and former foreign correspondent, to talk us through the six travel books that made the 2025 shortlist.
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1
Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar
by Cynthia Carr -
2
Candida Royalle and the Sexual Revolution: A History from Below
by Jane Kamensky -
3
Family Romance: John Singer Sargent and the Wertheimers
by Jean Strouse -
4
Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People
by Tiya Miles -
5
The World She Edited: Katharine S. White at The New Yorker
by Amy Reading
The Best Biographies: The 2025 NBCC Shortlist, recommended by Mary Ann Gwinn
The Best Biographies: The 2025 NBCC Shortlist, recommended by Mary Ann Gwinn
We always look forward to the shortlists for the National Book Critics Awards, on the basis that literary critics are probably the best read people out there. Here, we asked the garlanded critic Mary Ann Gwinn to talk us through the five biographies highlighted in 2025.
The Best Memoirs: The 2025 NBCC Autobiography Shortlist, recommended by May-lee Chai
The last year has been one of the best for autobiography and memoir in recent memory, says May-lee Chai, chair of the judging committee for the National Book Critic Circle Prize for Autobiography. Their 2025 shortlist includes a posthumous memoir by Alexei Navalny, former leader of the opposition in Russia, and a travel memoir with a surrealist twist.
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1
Not a River: A Novel
by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott -
2
Fever Dream: A Novel
by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell -
3
Eartheater: A Novel
by Dolores Reyes, translated by Julia Sanches -
4
The Adventures of China Iron
by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre -
5
Confession
by Martín Kohan, translated by Daniel Hahn
Five of the Best 21st-Century Argentinian Novels, recommended by Claudia Piñeiro
Five of the Best 21st-Century Argentinian Novels, recommended by Claudia Piñeiro
You may be familiar with the work of the great Argentinian authors Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, but how about the country’s crop of contemporary writers? We asked Claudia Piñeiro, author of many bestselling and critically acclaimed books, to introduce us to five unmissable 21st-century Argentinian novels.