Developing International Understanding by Reading the World: a Journey with Ann Morgan

The Next Page

Join us with our guest, Ann Morgan, an author, editor, Royal Literary Fund Fellow, TED speaker, literary activist, based in the U.K., for a conversation on the power of stories to connect us. At the heart of the UN Library & Archives Geneva is its mission to promote international understanding.

We reached out to Ann Morgan to tell us more about her ongoing adventure of Reading the World and how reading literature from different places can help us embrace the unknown, suspend judgement and avoid jumping to fill the gaps, so that we can move from incomprehension to understanding and take part in the richness and joy of the shared experience of a story.

In this episode, we consider how reading the world’s literature can help us develop the sort of cross-cultural communication skills that are necessary for diplomacy and multilateralism.

Resources

The List: https://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/thelist/

Photo credit: Igor Emmerich

Books:

• Morgan, A. (2022) Reading the World: How I Read a Book from Every Country. Harvill Secker/Random House (UK Edition)
• Morgan, A. (2015) The World Between Two Covers: Reading the Globe. Liveright/Norton (US Edition)
• Morgan, A. (2016) Beside Myself. Bloomsbury Publishing

Website: https://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/

TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/ann_morgan_my_year_reading_a_book_from_every_country_in_the_world?language=en

Where to listen to this episode

• Apple podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/kJN3NTf6Yok

Content 

Speakers: Ann Morgan

Host: Amy Smith

Editors & Producers: Amy Smith

Social media designs: Natalie Alexander & Alma Selvaggia Rinaldi

Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva