Pip Williams, bestselling author of The Dictionary of Lost Words, reflects on the novel that began with one urgent question: who decides which words deserve to survive?
The Lost Words:
The first Oxford English Dictionary set out to document every word in the English language, but not every word made it in. Pip tells the remarkable true story of "bondmaid," a word genuinely omitted from the first edition, and explains how that single historical accident inspired Esme, the young girl who quietly rescues forgotten words from beneath the dictionary's sorting table.
Who Owns Language?
Words are never just words. Pip reflects on the hidden biases built into dictionaries, why language has historically favoured certain voices over others, and how communities reclaim words that were once used against them.
The Women History Forgot:
A visit to the Oxford archives uncovered an unexpected story, not about lexicographers, but about the women who physically made the books. Pip shares how a handful of forgotten photographs, signatures and archival fragments inspired The Bookbinder of Jericho, and why she continues to write about the people history quietly leaves behind.
The Writer Behind the Words:
Pip reflects on publishing her debut during the first Covid lockdown, becoming an international bestseller almost overnight, and navigating that success as a self-described introvert. She also opens up about growing up with dyslexia, and why she favours emotionally truthful endings rather than happy ones.
Featured Clips in this episode:
Suffragettes: 100 years since women won the right to vote
Credits:
Host: Mallika Kapur
Mallika Kapur is an award-winning journalist and seasoned interviewer with over two decades of experience in television and live journalism. Across three countries and various impactful roles at CNN and Bloomberg, she has reported on major global events, including the London train bombings, the Indian Ocean tsunami and the Mumbai terror attacks. She also moderates news making panels at global forums, leading insightful conversations with the world’s top figures in business and culture.
Reach out on Instagram and LinkedIn
This is a Maed In India Production
Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas
Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome
Sound Designer & Mix Engineer: Kartik Kulkarni
Producer: Rachna Sukuru
Assistant Producer: Aditi Sutar
Sound Engineer: Nihar Temkar
Artwork: Alika Gupta
