Beloved by Toni Morrison - rerun
episodePreviously titled “Beloved by Toni Morrison - reurn” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 3, 2026
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello, it's Nicky.
And John. And we're here to introduce one of our rerun episodes of Backlisted. And this is one from seven years ago, from May 2019. And it features the novel that was, I think, voted the second best book of all time.
No pressure. This is the second best book of all time. According to who?
In the recent poll organised by The Guardian.
We don't know who the people were who voted. Maybe they're all backlisted listeners.
A lot of writers I know have voted in it. But the book is Toni Morrison's Beloved. And our guest was Priti Teneja, who had at that point published one novel, We That Are Young, which had won the 2018 Desmond Elliott Prize. And she was to go on after recording this podcast to write another really extraordinary, quite harrowing book called Aftermath. She was, when we talked to her, she was still running a prison writing business. program and it was one of the people who had been a pupil of hers ended up being the protagonist the person who i think murdered five people on the london bridge attacks later on in 2019 but her book about that whole process and about being a teacher and what things going wrong is is a really really really remarkable book i talked about it on the podcast when it came out
But this is all about Toni Morrison. And I love this podcast because Pretty is so articulate. I think in terms of pure literary insight into a book and being able to really nail why Beloved is such an important novel and such a great novel. She really takes it. I mean, she talks so eloquently. articulately and sensitively and intelligently as a novelist herself. It's a great introduction to Toni Morrison. If you've not read Beloved, you will want to read it by the end of this podcast.
Brilliant. And just a quick plug for what subscribers can get on our Patreon site. There is a Booker prize winning show, which we call Posh Bingo on Paul Lynch's Prophet Song. And coming up next is one of our readers. That's one of our Patreon subscribers. We're calling them Backlisted Readers, is bringing us Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte. So lots there to look forward to. That's patreon.com forward slash backlisted. Now, John, should we crack on with Beloved?
Let's do that.
What is the significance of Toni Morrison's Beloved?
Imagine it's May 2019 and you're just tuning in to Batlisted for the first time. Enjoy it, everybody.
MUSIC PLAYS
So how was Guernsey?
It was really great. We had a lovely time and they looked after us very nicely. So, John, what did we do? What was the highlight of our trip?
Without doubt, the highlight of our trip, given that I was prevented from consuming the local shellfish, the orma, which you can only catch when certain spring tides are coming in, the orma-ing tides, and we'd missed it, was we went to Victor Ugo's house. Victor Hugo was in exile on Guernsey for how many years? About 15 years. And he wrote, finished Les Mis when he was there. And he also wrote a book sort of set in and around Guernsey, The Toilers of the Sea, which I've now bought a copy of.
How did Preti Taneja's background influence her writing?
Have you? Not in French, but I am going to read it. I got Guernseyed up when I was there.
You did? I can confirm that, yeah. Okay. He looks quite Sarnian. If you were wearing a Guernsey. Have you ever been to Channel Islands?
Actually, my best friend Faye lives in Guernsey.
Does she?
Ah, okay.
What insights does Preti Taneja offer about the writing process?
So I was hoping that there would be still people speaking Patois there. But I think it's only the old people, really. Because of the war, the children were all evacuated. So it was obviously occupied by the Nazis. Ready to go? Good. Here we go. Hello and welcome to Backlisted, the podcast that gives new life to old books. Today, you find us on the outskirts of Cincinnati in the years after the Civil War. The snow is falling heavily as we stand on Bluestone Road, staring at number 124, a house apart, a house with secrets, a house with ghosts.
I'm John Mitchinson. And I'm Andy Miller. Joining us today is Preeti Taneja.
Hi. Hello. Hi, Preeti.
Preeti is a novelist and teacher in prisons and in universities. Her novel, We That Are Young, which we loved on Backlisted, published by the excellent Galley Beggar Press, won the 2018 Desmond Elliott Prize for the best debut of the year.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–2:36
2
What is the significance of Toni Morrison's Beloved?
2:36–3:48
3
How did Preti Taneja's background influence her writing?
3:48–4:05
4
What insights does Preti Taneja offer about the writing process?
4:05–8:24
5
What themes are explored in the character of Beloved?
8:24–9:54
6
How does Morrison's prose convey multiple meanings?
9:54–12:56
7
What historical context surrounds the novel Beloved?
12:56–16:01
8
How does Beloved challenge traditional narratives of slavery?
16:01–1:03:28