Books by Francis Spufford
Francis Spufford is Professor of Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is the author of a number of books, including Red Plenty, about Russia in the 1950s and 1960s, and the economists who tried to make good on Khrushchev’s impossible promise that Soviet citizens would shortly be richer than Americans.
“Past Five Books interviewee Francis Spufford (Red Plenty, Golden Hill) will also arrive Stateside with a new, propulsive novel that spans genre and literary fiction. Cahokia Jazz is billed as a ‘noirish detective novel’ set in an alternate 1920s America, where the Jazz Age is swinging in the grand old Mississippian city of Cahokia. In our own reality, Cahokia was an ancient indigenous settlement abandoned in the 14th century; in Cahokia Jazz, thanks to a quirk of epidemiological history, the city not only survived but thrived and now acts as the setting of a complex murder mystery set in train by the discovery of a ‘spectacularly butchered’ body on the roof of a skyscraper. It’s been out since October this side of the Atlantic, garnering rave reviews; it will be interesting to see what Americans think of their reminagined nation.” Read more...
Cal Flyn, Five Books Editor
“It’s a very civilised novel, set in New York in the 1740s, in which a man named Smith arrives like a stone thrown in a pond to upset the merchants’ lives. There are some terrific set pieces—a duel, a trial, a terrible betrayal —and more than one startling surprise.” Read more...
The Funniest Historical Novels
Toby Clements, Journalist
Red Plenty
by Francis Spufford
Red Plenty is, yes, a historical novel about economics. It’s not even about economics that works: it’s about the Soviet Union’s attempt at a sophisticated planned economy, based on math, which we all now know failed in the end. But in the 50s and 60s, when this novel is set, nobody knew it would turn out that way. It’s a brilliant, quirky book which, according to political scientist Henry Farrell in his interview on the politics of information,” has acquired kind of a cult following among social scientists.”
Interviews with Francis Spufford
The best books on 20th Century Russia, recommended by Francis Spufford
Reading about Russia’s 20th century is like finding another vision of how the world might have been. Francis Spufford, author of Red Plenty, recommends books that tell the story of Russia in the last century — from Soviet science fiction set in capitalist wastelands to Khrushchev as raconteur.
Interviews where books by Francis Spufford were recommended
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1
Red Plenty
by Francis Spufford -
2
The Market System: What It Is, How It Works, and What To Make of It
by Charles Lindblom -
3
The Sciences of the Artificial
by Herbert A. Simon -
4
Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society
by E. Glen Weyl & Eric A. Posner -
5
Uncanny Valley: A Memoir
by Anna Wiener
The Best Books on the Politics of Information, recommended by Henry Farrell
The Best Books on the Politics of Information, recommended by Henry Farrell
Our political systems evolved in an era when information was much harder to come by. What challenges does our current reality of information overload pose for democracy? How do we even start thinking about these questions? Political scientist Henry Farrell proposes key books for building a curriculum on ‘the politics of information,’ starting with a beautifully written novel.
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1
The World in the Model: How Economists Work and Think
by Mary Morgan -
2
Red Plenty
by Francis Spufford -
3
Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste: How Neoliberalism Survived the Financial Meltdown
by Philip Mirowski -
4
Economics and Utopia: Why the Learning Economy is Not the End of History
by Geoffrey Hodgson -
5
Rationalizing Capitalist Democracy: The Cold War Origins of Rational Choice Liberalism
by S M Amadae
The best books on The History of Economic Thought, recommended by Niall Kishtainy
The best books on The History of Economic Thought, recommended by Niall Kishtainy
Many people feel dissatisfied with aspects of neoliberalism, but fewer know what it is or where it came from. Economic historian Niall Kishtainy recommends some of his favourite books on the history of economic thought, books that use intellectual history to examine issues confronting us in the real world.
The Funniest Historical Novels, recommended by Toby Clements
Historical fiction, as a genre, is not known for its laugh-a-minute qualities. But that’s not to say there isn’t space for humour, when the events of the past have so often been surreal, ironic, or downright disastrous. Toby Clements, whose new novel A Good Deliverance takes the form of a 15th-century prison confession, recommends five of the funniest historical novels.
New Literary Fiction, recommended by Cal Flyn
To keep up to date with the latest novels coming out, a good place to bookmark is our ‘new literary fiction’ page. Our deputy editor Cal Flyn keeps an eye on the myriad of new novels being published and picks out some of her favourites.
Notable Novels of Spring 2024, recommended by Cal Flyn
Looking for a new book to get stuck into? Five Books deputy editor Cal Flyn offers a round-up of the most notable novels of spring 2024, including fresh titles from Percival Everett and Alexis Wright, plus the ‘lost’ final novel by Gabriel García Márquez—published a decade after his death. See all our best novels of 2024 recommendations
