Gwendoline Riley on Mark Van Doren's Shakespeare
In Conversation with Michael Kelleher for the Windham-Campbell Prizes Podcast
The Windham-Campbell Prizes Podcast features a series of conversations with past and present Windham-Campbell Prize winners about their favorite books and plays. Hosted by Michael Kelleher.
Mike talks with 2026 Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction recipient Gwendoline Riley about Mark Van Doren’s rangy, American, and endlessly-re-readable Shakespeare. Plus, a good Top 5 list of Shakespeare’s plays!
Gwendoline Riley was born in London. She is the author of seven novels, including First Love, My Phantoms, and most recently, The Palm House. In 2018, the Times Literary Supplement named her one of the twenty best British and Irish novelists working today. She won the 2026 Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction.
The Windham-Campbell Prizes Podcast is a program of The Windham-Campbell Prizes, which are administered by Yale University Library’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
The Windham-Campbell Prizes Podcast is a production of Literary Hub
Hosted by Michael Kelleher
Theme music by Dani Lencioni
Produced and edited by Drew Broussard
Windham-Campbell Prizes Podcast
The Windham-Campbell Prizes Podcast features a series of conversations with past and present winners of the Windham-Campbell Prizes about books and plays that they love, hosted by prize director Michael Kelleher. The Windham-Campbell Prizes are administered by Yale University Library’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The podcast is a co-production between The Windham-Campbell Prizes and Literary Hub. Hosted by Michael Kelleher. Production & Engineering by Drew Broussard. Music by Dani Lencioni.
