About this episode

Patrick Radden-Keefe discusses his fascination with the darker aspects of human behavior and his writing journey.

What draws an award-winning writer to the darkest corners of human behaviour? Patrick Radden-Keefe is a New York Times bestselling author and staff writer at The New Yorker. He is known for his acclaimed books, including Empire of Pain and Say Nothing - the latter was adapted into a BAFTA and Emmy-nominated drama series. Radden Keefe’s latest book, London Falling, investigates the life and untimely death of Zac Brettler, a North London teenager drawn into the criminal underworld. In this conversation, Patrick reflects on why he is so fascinated by “the bad guys”, how the extraordinary story behind London Falling unfolded and his unconventional writing process. Patrick also talks about the years of rejection that preceded his success and how it has shaped him. I hope you enjoy this conversation with one of the world’s finest narrative journalists (oh, and Patrick). JUST KIDDING. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 03:25 Why He Writes Bad Guys 05:12 London Falling Origin Story 08:01 Reinvention and Secret Lives 10:06 Holocaust Legacy and Lying 14:58 Carrying Grief and First Failure 31:47 Parents Read First Drafts 33:13 Family Themes And Fixations 34:22 Chasing The New Yorker Dream 36:49 Rejection…

People in this episode

Host: Elizabeth Day

Guest: Patrick Radden-Keefe

Topics covered

• human behavior
• writing process
• rejection
• narrative journalism
• criminal underworld

Keywords

• Patrick Radden-Keefe
• writing
• human behavior
• rejection
• narrative journalism
• London Falling

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New Yorker

Books & works: Empire of Pain, Say Nothing, London Falling

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