Ep. 076 _ James Bradley _ 'Ghost Species'

James Bradley is an author and critic. His books include the novels, Wrack, The Deep Field, The Resurrectionist and Clade, a book of poetry, Paper Nautilus and the Penguin Book of the Ocean and of course most recently Ghost Species. 

Today is a conversation with the author and critic James Bradley and we’re discussing his recent novel Ghost Species which looks to the implications of the great upheaval occurring around climate change.  

But instead of focusing solely on the technological or statistical indicators that often represent change - or focusing on a cataloguing of climate catastrophes to drive home the point – the book instead follows the lives of resurrected extinct species including our own long lost relative the Neanderthal. And it's through this storyline that we as readers' begin to question our expectations for our future, we question our terminologies and disciplinary structures set up for defining everything around us through difference. 

As we learn the important of diversity, we are somehow simultaneously trapped in our own systems of cataloguing difference to express that diversity. 

James gives us a quick introduction about his book just as the episode begins so I’ll leave it to him in just a moment. I really enjoyed the conversation; it was a pleasure speaking with him. Hope you enjoy it as well.