John Lanchester on Fiction, the Financial Crisis, and Interdisciplinarity

John Lanchester is an award-winning novelist and non-fiction writer. His most recent works examine the financial crisis from varying perspectives. His 2010 book, Whoops! Why Everybody Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay takes an interdisciplinary approach to economic questions, providing a fresh and accessible account of the crash of 2008. 

His novel Capital (2012), which was adapted by the BBC for a three-part TV serial (2015), also explores the financial crisis and considers how it was connected to many different facets of contemporary British life. John has written for the Guardian and the London Review of Books, among other publications, including articles such as “The Snowdon Files: Why the British Public Should Be Worried About GCHQ” (Guardian 2013). In this talk, he will consider how interdisciplinarity works in practice to help us understand some of the most pressing issues of our times.

The Interdisciplinary Studies Centre (ISC) is the home of interdisciplinary teaching at the University of Essex. ISC continues the University’s long tradition of teaching area studies, running degrees in Latin American, American, and European Studies. It also runs degrees in Liberal Arts and Global Studies. Staff from across the university contribute teaching to ISC, helping to sustain these highly innovative and intellectually challenging programmes.

Lecture starts at 4pm with a drinks reception at 5pm. Please book via Eventbrite.