Confessions
- Author Edward Stourton
- Narrator Edward Stourton
- Publisher Transworld
- Run Time 8 hours and 34 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Biography and non-fiction prose, Film, TV and Radio industries, Media studies, Memoirs, Popular culture, Society and Social Sciences.
Click to open directly in the xigxag app.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price p/Title
- $15.99
- $14.99
- $13.99
- $12.99
- $11.99
Listen to a sample
What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
Edward Stourton was born into a life of privilege.
The son of expat parents in colonial Nigeria, Ed was sent back to Britain to be educated by Benedictine monks at Ampleforth, at the time when, it was latter revealed, the school and monastery were the setting for serial abuse cases. He then went up to Cambridge, where his life as an undergraduate gave him access to a network of future ministers, judges and newspaper editors. As a young journalist, he reported first from party conferences and picket lines and then from war zones, witnessing the events making international headlines, from Haiti to Hong Kong, before returning home to join the infighting on BBC Radio 4's Today.
During this time, the Empire has given way to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, men-only clubs have been replaced by Me Too, and instead of a choice selection of voices on a handful of radio and television channels, we have millions of voices on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok.
The world has changed, and so has Ed. Brought face to face with the author of his obituary and his own inevitable mortality, Ed is prompted to reflect on the life he has led and the events that have shaped him.
In Confessions, he describes this remarkable journey with candour, humour and the insight that only forty years' experience of writing and reporting can provide.
'Thoughtful, witty, occasionally comic, often effortlessly profound - not a conventional journalistic memoir.' Sunday Times
'If you value the perspective and judgment of one who has covered, often from the frontline, the major events of the past four decades, then snap up a copy.' Mail on Sunday
'A book brimming with surprises and insight.' - Nicholas Coleridge
'A searingly honest insight into the life of one of our great journalists. Hugely entertaining too.' John Humphrys
© Edward Stourton 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023
Critics Review
The quiet confessions of a Radio 4 gent … You can’t help hearing the familiar tones of the author speaking the words … Entertaining … nicely self-mocking … I’m glad to have his civilised and ever-optimistic voice in my ear.
A searingly honest insight into the life of one of our great journalists. Hugely entertaining too.
A model of its kind. Calmly, bravely written, infused by his Catholic upbringing, and intriguingly haunted by the posh question … filled with qualities that are the marks of a good life: candour and courage, deployed with generosity and modesty, all of them here in spades.
A wonderful, poignant memoir – fluent, compelling and full of adventure.
A clear-eyed and compelling account of a life, told with honesty and much wry humour.
A book brimming with surprises and insight. I have known Edward Stourton for fifty years, but there have been adventures in his life of which I knew nothing whatever until I read this fascinating memoir. He has led a Life in Full – and has the brainpower to analyse it all with wit and perspective.
Fascinating. Much more than a series of swashbuckling journalistic yarns, Confessions also describes the “awokening”, as Stourton puts it, of someone born to privilege who has come increasingly to question the assumptions of his caste. He retains a kind of shaken, chastened faith, and a moral passion which he has, on the right occasions, allowed to break through the mask of journalistic impartiality.
A stonkingly good read – wise, informative and very funny.
One of our most thoughtful and well-travelled journalists, Stourton manages both to educate and entertain with the inside track on a reporting career in the world’s hotspots, and also to dig deeper to examine the role of memory in shaping our life stories.
Ed Stourton’s book is not only a gripping personal saga of the professional life of one of our top broadcasters, it is a valuable social document of an era of rapid media transformation. Brilliantly written, witty, searingly honest, his many fans will be delighted. A must read for every aspiring journalist.
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.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.