I Want to Talk to You

Author Diana Evans
Narrator Diana Evans
Publisher Random House
Publish Date 6 February 2025
Run Time 8 hours and 30 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Autobiography: writers, Biography and non-fiction prose, Biography: arts and entertainment, Literary essays, Memoirs.

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Crafted over twenty-five years, I Want to Talk to You invites you into a conversation about literature, art and music, identity, grief and everything in between

As a young journalist, Diana Evans was catapulted overnight into the role of culture editor, going on to interview a roster of stars including Lauryn Hill, Viola Davis, Alice Walker and Edward Enninful.

In these portraits of contemporary icons, the author remains the observer. Alongside them, in pieces collected here for the first time, we also see her turning the lens on herself. We watch as she dances on stages in London and travels through Cuba. We sit beside her desk as she develops her voice as a writer, shaped by her love for Jean Rhys, James Baldwin and Toni Morrison. We walk by her side as she navigates the world – her family and the midlife sandwich, reflections on fashion, yoga, the British monarchy and lockdowns, and the lasting impact of George Floyd and Grenfell.

'Every piece feels beautifully sewn together and complete’ BERNARDINE EVARISTO
'Truly insightful, conversational and unique... Absolutely brilliant' ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS
'Intimate and moving... Elegant in tone and finely wrought in form' EKOW ESHUN
'A celebration of a career that has been anything but ordinary and an intellectual mind forever evolving. A blueprint for all of us straddling between fiction and journalism, who want to create meaningful, transcendent work' CHARLIE BRINKHURST-CUFF

© Diana Evans 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

A pleasure and an invigoration

Guardian

Evans’s nonfiction marries that faith in the value of subjective experience to a fierce intellect; the result is a fascinating overview not only of a writer’s evolution but of the shifts in our understanding of art as…”activism and community”

Observer

Perceptive and empathetic… This was always going to be a book that grabs you by the lapels and insists on you listening but all the same, you do emerge impressed and better informed — and also kind of windswept and happy

Financial Times

There is a depth and integrity to Diana Evans’s writing; every piece feels beautifully sewn together and complete

BERNARDINE EVARISTO

Thoughtfully layered pieces… deeply personal

Red

Luminously questioning, always intelligent and unafraid of confronting the impact others can have on us

ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS, author of The Three of Us

An intimate and moving meditation on the mysteries of writing and the pleasures of reading. Elegant in tone and finely wrought in form, it is a deeply insightful, and also profoundly enjoyable, collection

EKOW ESHUN, author of The Strangers

A celebration of a career that has been anything but ordinary and an intellectual mind forever evolving. A blueprint for all of us straddling between fiction and journalism, who want to create meaningful, transcendent work

CHARLIE BRINKHURST-CUFF, editor of Mother Country

One of our most outstanding writers

Bernardine Evaristo

A lyrical and glorious writer

Naomi Alderman

More from the same

Author

About xigxag

Enjoy the best audiobooks on xigxag, an innovative, user-friendly audiobook platform that makes it easy to find, purchase, and enjoy your favorite books in audio format. xigxag’s flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less – affordable prices and the best audiobook deals with no subscription required. Give the perfect gift with our audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

xigxag’s commitment to sustainability and ethical practices ensures a guilt-free listening experience from an exceptional digital book platform – an exciting alternative to big tech. Enjoy audiobooks from the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service and a leader in audiobook innovation.

Search effortlessly, read honest audiobook reviews evaluating both the book and the narration, and discover hidden gems. Download or stream top audiobook titles anytime, anywhere and get the best possible listening experience on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Experience the future of audiobooks today.