Marlon James joins Ira Madison III for a conversation about his new novel The Disappearers (which has been shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize), growing up in Jamaica, and the pop culture that shaped him. They get into Marlon’s complicated relationship with his own past, how Prince, Heathers, and ’90s grunge gave him a vocabulary, and why he wants readers to enter the world of his books on his own terms. If you haven't picked up a copy of The Disappearers yet... run, don't walk.
00:00 Ira Madison III Ranks the Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist
04:33 The Disappearers & Writing His Most Personal Novel
07:56 Growing Up Queer in Jamaica
12:12 Prince, Pop Culture & Queerness
20:19 How He Writes & Gets Out of the Way
32:17 How Pop Culture Shapes His Writing
37:13 Jamaican Patois & Writing on His Own Terms
45:15 Queer Sex, Shame & Writing
50:14 Revenge, Trauma & Literary Perspective
52:25 What Marlon Wants to Disappear From Literature
56:58 Writing Multiple Perspectives
01:06:22 How He Knows When a Book Is Finished
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