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Things I Don't Want to Know

Living Autobiography 1

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About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Things I Don't Want to Know by Deborah Levy, read by Juliet Stevenson.

Things I Don't Want to Know is the first in Deborah Levy's essential three-part 'Living Autobiography' on writing and womanhood.

Taking George Orwell's famous essay, 'Why I Write', as a jumping-off point, Deborah Levy offers her own indispensable reflections of the writing life. With wit, clarity and calm brilliance, she considers how the writer must stake claim to that contested territory as a young woman and shape it to her need. Things I Don't Want to Know is a work of dazzling insight and deep psychological succour, from one of our most vital contemporary writers.

'Unmissable. Like chancing upon an oasis, you want to drink it slowly... Subtle, unpredictable, surprising' Guardian

'Superb sharpness and originality of imagination. An inspiring work of writing' Marina Warner

 Essays Gender Studies Grief & Loss Personal Development Relationships Social Sciences Nonfiction Biography

Critic reviews

An up-to-date version of 'A Room of One's Own' . . . I suspect it will be quoted for many years to come
Superb sharpness and originality of imagination. It is feminist and political while being an inspiring work of writing . . . She writes on the high wire, unfalteringly (Marina Warner)
Levy's strength is her originality of thought and expression (Jeanette Winterson)
An exciting writer, sharp and shocking as the knives her characters wield
One of the few contemporary British writers comfortable on a world stage
A writer whose anger and confusion in the face of the world transform into poetic flights of fancy . . . which always feel marvellously right
All stars
Most relevant
Juliet Stevenson — whoever told you to do all those accents was extremely misguided. Avoid the audiobook and pick up the book instead.

Terrible audiobook of an excellent book

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It’s a very nice audiobook and the voice is lovely. But please while trying to make foreign accents, do some research.

Polish do not speak with Russian accent!

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Deborah IS a genius. Every sentence is as sharp as necessary. I followed her around the globe through her words and didn't want to leave her by the time the last page was read. Juliet's narration is sublime. Her on point change of accents helped the teletransporting and her reading pace was perfect.

Wonderful book, non-stop listening

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Loved how eloquent the writing is. You truly feel for the main character and Juliet Stevenson brings this to life!

Loved it!

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These are good stories horribly spoiled by accents that bordered on the offensive. The narrator and also sometimes her brother have English accents although they’re from Johannesburg but her mother has a very thick South African accent. No consistency. I’ll have to buy the book to get them out of my head!

Beware the accents

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