A son returns home to his dying mother to discover the astonishing truth of his origins and the secrets of a woman whose life and wisdom he is only beginning to understand

When Evan, twenty-six, is suddenly called home from his life abroad to the secluded farmhouse where he was raised by his mother, June, there is so much he does not yet know. He doesn’t know his mother is dying. He still doesn’t know the identity of his biological father or the elusive story of his mother’s creatively intense, emotionally turbulent romance with Bob Dylan, whom Evan reveres as an artist and whom strangers have long insisted he resembles. He doesn’t know the secrets of his mother’s life before he was born or what drove her to leave New York City for a completely different existence.

In this deeply moving debut novel, Sam Sussman writes one of the most tender and intimate mother-son relationships of our era. Caring for his mother as her illness worsens, and as she begins to tell him truths he has waited so long to hear, Evan comes to understand the startling gift this extraordinary woman has bequeathed him.

Inspired by the author’s own uncertain celebrity paternity, Boy from the North Country is an emotionally searing meditation on the most essential human themes: loss, healing, memory, and the redemptive power of love.

Listen to an excerpt BOY FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY written and read by Sam Sussman

I'm looking for a novel that reads like poetry - where should I start? Can you recommend a queer love story with a happy conclusion? What are the best books that explore small-town life? We put your book dilemmas to bestselling author Ocean Vuong and Penguin Editor and award-winning poet Sarah Howe.



Joining Rhianna this week is Ocean Vuong, whose latest book The Emperor of Gladness has been dubbed the first 'millennial Great American Novel' – but what does that really mean, and which classic American novels have inspired him? The author and poet also reflects on the themes and inspirations behind the book, from small-town Connecticut to intergenerational friendships. 



Discover all the books mentioned in this episode here

To ask a question and for exclusive content and giveaways join our Broadcast channel on Instagram: @PenguinUKBooks 

 

Ocean Vuong is an award-winning poet, essayist and novelist. He is the winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize for his poetry collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds, and his debut novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous was a literary sensation, going on to sell more than a million copies. Amongst many other accolades, he was a recipient of the MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ in 2019 and The Whiting Award in 2016. 



The Emperor of Gladness, Vuong’s latest novel, explores themes of chosen family and the ways in which our lives can be changed by the most unexpected people. 



Sarah Howe is Poetry Editor for Chatto & Windus an imprint of Penguin as well as an award-winning author. Sarah’s first collection, Loop of Jade won the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2015, and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award the same year. Her follow-up collection, Foretokens, continues to explore ideas and complications of belonging, identity and inheritance.  

Why do we still laugh when times are hard? With Ocean Vuong

History Hit podcast presenter Dr Anthony Delaney reveals the real people that inspired Gentleman Jack and the gay romances in Bridgerton, long written out of the nation's story and now lovingly restored.

Mother Clap's Holborn coffee house is open to all comers, a place of companionship and community, until a tip-off leads to a midnight raid.

Two women, exiled from their families, set up a utopian homestead in a remote Welsh cottage, inspiring a generation of Romantic poets.

The celebrated Chevalier d'Éon, soldier, diplomat and spy, challenges a rival to a fencing match. The sweepstake is not over who will win, but whether the Chevalier is a man or a woman.

In this dazzling work of restorative history, Dr Anthony Delaney has traced the stories of people daring to challenge society's expectations, unearthing archives and court records to reveal the tragedies and the joys of queer life three centuries ago. Breathing new life into the forgotten and offering radical new interpretations of celebrated figures such as Anne Lister, Queer Georgians is an invitation to view our shared history in a whole new light.

Queer Georgians, written and read by Anthony Delaney

Reno (Feat.Colde) - MIYEON

What was the inspiration behind Philip Pullman’s Northern lights series? How does he want readers to feel on Lyra’s final adventure in The Rose Field? And has his demon changed now that he has got to the end of this writing journey? How do you say goodbye to characters you love? And, how does storytelling help us all learn to live? 

In this special edition of Ask Penguin, host Rhianna Dhillon visits Philip Pullman at his Oxford home, surrounded by books (and barking cockapoos), to mark thirty years since the world met Lyra Belacqua in Northern Lights. The two reflects on a lifetime of storytelling and returning to Lyra’s world one final time in the conclusion of The Book of Dust series, The Rose Field.

Discover all the books mentioned in this episode here:  https://www.penguin.co.uk/discover/articles/ask-penguin-podcast-phillip-pullman/

To put a question to future podcast guests, and for exclusive content and book giveaways, join our Broadcast channel on Instagram: @PenguinUKBooks  

Philip Pullman is one of the most highly respected children's authors writing today. Winner of many prestigious awards, including the Carnegie of Carnegies and the Whitbread Award, Pullman’s epic fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials has been acclaimed as a modern classic. It has sold 17.5 million copies worldwide and been translated into 40 languages. In 2005 he was awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. He lives in Oxford.

Is never growing up the secret to great storytelling?

Personalvorstand Immanuel Hermreck im Bertelsmann Business Podcast mit INSEAD-Professor Charles Galunic

In der neuesten Folge des Bertelsmann Business Podcasts „Kreativität & Unternehmertum“ spricht n-tv-Moderatorin und Podcast-Host Isabelle Körner mit Immanuel Hermreck, Personalvorstand von Bertelsmann, sowie mit Professor Charles Galunic von der INSEAD, einer der weltweit führenden Business Schools.

In den 45- bis 60-minütigen Episoden des Podcasts geben Top-Managerinnen und -Manager aus dem Bertelsmann-Konzern im Gespräch mit Isabelle Körner exklusive Einblicke in ihre Arbeit und erzählen, welche Rolle Kreativität und Unternehmertum in ihrem beruflichen Alltag spielen.

Für die aktuelle Folge traf Isabelle Körner ihre beiden Gesprächspartner in Fontainebleau (Frankreich). Immanuel Hermreck und Charles Galunic verbindet eine langjährige Zusammenarbeit von über zwei Jahrzehnten. Bereits seit mehr als 25 Jahren besteht eine enge Partnerschaft zwischen Bertelsmann und INSEAD, die für eine Kultur der Transformation und des unternehmerischen Denkens steht.

Ein zentraler Bestandteil dieser Kooperation ist das Programm „Preparing for Opportunities“ (PFO), das sich in den vergangenen 25 Jahren zu einer festen Institution bei Bertelsmann entwickelt hat. Es prägt Führungskräfte nachhaltig und unterstützt das Unternehmen dabei, erfolgreich durch Zeiten des Wandels und der Disruption zu navigieren.

Charles Galunic, Professor für Organisationsverhalten und Inhaber des Aviva-Lehrstuhls für Führung und Verantwortung an der INSEAD, hat darüber hinaus maßgeblich zur Entwicklung der Bertelsmann Leadership Principles beigetragen, die Immanuel Hermreck auf dem letzten Bertelsmann Management Meeting vorstellte.

Ein inspirierendes Gespräch an der Schnittstelle von Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft, das zeigt, wie Führung, Lernen und Unternehmertum bei Bertelsmann gemeinsam gedacht und gelebt werden.

Den Bertelsmann Business Podcast gibt es überall, wo es Podcasts gibt, auf bertelsmann.de und natürlich auf RTL+.

Bertelsmann Business Podcast mit Immanuel Hermreck und Charles Galunic [DE]

Chief Human Resources Officer Immanuel Hermreck on the Bertelsmann Business Podcast with INSEAD Professor Charles Galunic

In the latest episode of the Bertelsmann Business Podcast “Creativity & Entrepreneurship,” n-tv presenter and podcast host Isabelle Körner speaks with Immanuel Hermreck, Chief Human Resources Officer at Bertelsmann, and Professor Charles Galunic from INSEAD, one of the world’s leading business schools.

In the 45- to 60-minute episodes of the podcast, top executives from across the Bertelsmann Group join Isabelle Körner to provide exclusive insights into their work and discuss the importance of creativity and entrepreneurship in their daily professional lives.

For this episode, Isabelle Körner met her two guests in Fontainebleau, France. Immanuel Hermreck and Charles Galunic share a long-standing collaboration spanning more than two decades. For over 25 years, Bertelsmann and INSEAD have maintained a close partnership that embodies a culture of transformation and entrepreneurial thinking.

A cornerstone of this collaboration is the “Preparing for Opportunities” (PFO) program, which over the past 25 years has become a key institution within Bertelsmann. It has shaped generations of leaders and helped the company successfully navigate periods of change and disruption.

Charles Galunic, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Aviva Chaired Professor of Leadership and Responsibility at INSEAD, has also played a pivotal role in developing Bertelsmann’s Leadership Principles, which Immanuel Hermreck presented at the most recent Bertelsmann Management Meeting.

This inspiring conversation at the intersection of business and academia highlights how leadership, learning, and entrepreneurship are jointly embraced and lived at Bertelsmann.

The Bertelsmann Business Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms, on bertelsmann.com, and on RTL+.

Bertelsmann Business Podcast with Immanuel Hermreck and Charles Galunic [EN]

HELL

Die Podcasts von Bertelsmann versorgen dich mit allen wichtigen Infos und Fakten zum Unternehmen, mit spannenden Gesprächen und mit Hintergrundgeschichten. Bertelsmann steht für Kreativität und Unternehmertum. Diese Kombination ermöglicht erstklassige Medienangebote und innovative Servicelösungen, die Kunden in aller Welt begeistern und die hier an den Beispielen erfolgreicher Menschen aus der Bertelsmann-Welt erlebbar gemacht werden.

Zu Bertelsmann gehören das Entertainment-Unternehmen RTL Group, die Buchverlagsgruppe Penguin Random House, das Musikunternehmen BMG, der Dienstleister Arvato Group, Bertelsmann Marketing Services, die Bertelsmann Education Group sowie das internationale Fondsnetzwerk Bertelsmann Investments.

Bertelsmann Business Podcast with Immanuel Hermreck and Charles Galunic [EN]

Bertelsmann Podcast Kreativität & Unternehmertum

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