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Gone To Timbuktu

Author: Sophy Roberts

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'Gone To Timbuktu', hosted by author and journalist Sophy Roberts, explores the art of travel with writers, poets, photographers and filmmakers. Conversations range from physical journeys to inner landscapes, creative influences and new ideas — themes explored further in the host's Substack, also called 'Gone To Timbuktu'.
24 Episodes
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On journeys through Central Asia, Turkey, Ukraine, the South Caucasus, Russia, the Baltics and Poland, Caroline Eden reveals the kitchen’s unique ability to tell intimate human stories. This episode — discussing her memoir, Cold Kitchen, as well as her trilogy of award-winning recipe books, Black Sea, Red Sands and Green Mountains — make for a mouthwatering exploration of place and people.
A father’s death, a Romany taboo, and a childhood obsession with Plato’s myth about the lost city of Atlantis drives award-winning author Damian Le Bas on a quest to find meaning in sunken ruins around the world. The result is a spellbinding journey among selkies and sea creatures in an underwater world beloved of divers and dreamers.
Discussing Anima, the final book in her decade-long quartet, awardwinning author and poet Kapka Kassabova takes us on a journey into a wild corner of the Balkans to meet the the last true pastoralists of Europe. This is a powerful conversation about love, freedom and nomadism. 
Under a Metal Sky: A Journey Through Rocks is another travel writing classic from Philip Marsden. Journeying across Europe, from Cornwall to Georgia, he tells a fascinating story about the interconnectedness of rocks, metals, Goethe and Bronze Age imaginings.
Robert Macfarlane speaks about his new book, Is a River Alive? In a powerful imaginative and physical journey, he takes us from well-worship in Cambridgeshire to an Ecuadorian cloud forest, to an Indian mega-city, finishing in the rapids of Quebec.
British writer Rob Cowen speaks about his new book, The North Road, collapsing over 7,000 years of history with the present moment on a 400-mile journey through Britain. Along the way, he encounters bones, bigotries, highwaymen and literary influences from Patrick Leigh Fermor to T.S. Eliot, while raising voices from the dead and excavating his family’s fascinating biography.   
Filmmaker Bruce Parry talks about his return to the BBC with a new three-part series named after his original breakthrough TV documentary ‘Tribe’. He explores how much there is still to learn from Indigenous peoples — and how modern living divorces us from the animism and ancestors that hold other cultures strong.
Norwegian polar explorer, author and publisher, Erling Kagge, speaks about his new book, The North Pole: The History of an Obsession. In a lively conversation, he and Sophy discuss the difference between Norwegian and British approaches to exploration and Erling reveals an unexpected parallel between legendary Norwegian explorer Fridjtof Nansen and dating app, Tinder.
Short bio:  Writer Noreen Masud discusses her book, A Flat Place, delving into how level landscapes – from Pakistan to England’s Suffolk coast — can echo the psychology of complex trauma.
James Rebanks, a farmer and Sunday Times-bestselling writer from the Lake District, discusses his new book, The Place of Tides, revealing a moving story of courage and determination on a remote Norwegian island.    
Jeff Young, a Liverpudlian writer for screen, stage and radio, discusses his recent book, Wild Twin, and paints a moving portrait of memories gained and lost. He highlights the vibrant influence of a host of artistic and musical giants, from Joseph Cornell to David Bowie and Werner Herzog.  
Series 2 Ep 1: Paul Theroux

Series 2 Ep 1: Paul Theroux

2025-02-0601:15:25

The American novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux discusses his latest book, Burma Sahib — and describes a life spent on the move from Myanmar, to Malawi, to Mexico. He unpicks the evolution of travel writing, his friendship with Bruce Chatwin, and how age has changed his work.  
Sophy Roberts in conversation with author and journalist Jon Lee Anderson about his life of reportage, from Central America to Liberia to singing to reindeer in Alaska.    
Ep 11: Laura Beatty

Ep 11: Laura Beatty

2023-06-0940:33

Author Laura Beatty discusses her book, Looking for Theophrastus, delving into Greece, the interconnectedness of space and time, the concept of wonder, and why we should care about someone who lived 2,400 years ago.   
Ep 10: Michael Turek

Ep 10: Michael Turek

2023-05-2633:57

The British-American photographer Michael Turek returns to his roots in the Yorkshire Dales, discussing the influences that shape his work. He talks about the photographer-writer collaboration that he and Sophy have built, taking them from Siberia to Tajikistan and more.   
Ep 9: Leon McCarron

Ep 9: Leon McCarron

2023-05-1235:27

Leon McCarron discusses his epic source-to-sea river journey through Turkey, Syria and Iraq. He unravels what deep history, beauty and ecological collapse really look like on the River Tigris.
Ep 8: Don McCullin

Ep 8: Don McCullin

2023-04-2834:441

The 87-year-old British photojournalist talks about the travels, writers and images that have given him respite from the brutality of war. He paints a vivid picture of India, Turkey, Greece, North Africa, Syria and the healing power of the Somerset Levels.       
Ep 7: Tharik Hussain

Ep 7: Tharik Hussain

2023-04-1442:321

Tharik discusses his award-winning book, Minarets in the Mountains — documenting a road-trip through six European countries — the decolonisation of travel writing, and the rich Islamic traditions still kept alive in a region much ignored. 
Ep 6: Gail Simmons

Ep 6: Gail Simmons

2023-03-3136:14

The British author talks about her latest book, Between the Chalk and the Sea — a stunningly evoked pilgrimage that feels both ancient and new, with the conversation running from Chaucer’s Wife of Bath to finding relevance in travel close to home.
Ep 5: Levison Wood

Ep 5: Levison Wood

2023-03-1739:02

The ex-paratrooper, author and TV personality talks about how he covers so much ground, physically and creatively, with the publication of his eleventh book. He unpicks the role of a modern-day explorer, taking us from the desert to the Hindu Kush.
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Comments (1)

Robert Crampton

So good.

Jun 3rd
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