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Sathnam Sanghera

Michael Berkeley's guest is the writer Sathnam Sanghera.

Sathnam Sanghera is a best-selling writer and journalist. He grew up in Wolverhampton to Punjabi parents in a home where, in his words, 鈥渘o one read books or owned them, let alone wrote them鈥. When he started school, he couldn鈥檛 speak English but he went to graduate from Cambridge University with a first-class degree in English Language and Literature.

He started out writing for newspapers, winning the Young Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards in 2002. He now writes for The Times. In 2008 he published his memoir of his early life called The Boy With the Topknot.

More recently he has focused on our colonial history. In 2021 he published Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain, which was named a Book of the Year at the National Book Awards. Then came Empireworld: How British Imperialism has shaped the Globe, which quickly became a best-seller.
Sathnam's musical choices include Bach, John Coltrane, Debussy and Jasdeep Singh Degun.

Available now

50 minutes

Last on

Sun 21 Apr 2024 12:00

Music Played

  • Bob Montgomery

    Misty Blue

    Lyricist: Bob Montgomery.
    • Phenomenon (Music From The Motion Picture).
    • Reprise.
    • 9.
  • Claude Debussy

    Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune

    Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker. Performer: Emmanuel Pahud. Conductor: Claudio Abbado.
    • DG.
  • Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

    Koi Bole Ram Ram

    Performer: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
    • The Best of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
    • Tehuti.
    • 13.
  • Billy Strayhorn

    Lush Life

    Performer: John Coltrane.
    • John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman.
    • Verve Reissues.
    • 4.
  • Nils Frahm

    My Friend The Forest

    Performer: Nils Frahm.
    • All Melody.
    • Erased Tapes.
    • 4.
  • Bob Telson

    Calling You (Bagdad Caf茅)

    Composer: Various Artists. Performer: Renaud Capu莽on. Lyricist: Bob Telson. Singer: Nolwenn Leroy. Orchestra: Brussels Philharmonic. Conductor: St茅phane Den猫ve.
    • Cinema.
    • Warner Classics.
    • 11.
  • Taylor McFerrin

    Decisions

    Performer: Taylor McFerrin. Performer: Emily King.
    • Brainfeeder.

Broadcast

  • Sun 21 Apr 2024 12:00

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