Jeanette Winterson

Why you should listen

In 1985, at the age of 24, Jeanette Winterson published her first novel, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit. The book had a profound effect on a generation, and she went on to script the tale into a BAFTA-winning drama for the BBC. Not limited to novels, Winterson has also written short stories, articles, screenplays, books for children and a memoir, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Her newest book, 12 Bytes: How We Got Here. Where We Might Go Next, is pure non-fiction and considers the world of big tech and artificial intelligence — from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to Silicon Valley's search for immortality. She artfully weaves together strands from philosophy, religion, history and gender studies to create an optimistic whole that helps us understand the current moment and where we might go next. Passionate about art, Winterson believes that the best hope for humanity is imagination — whatever we invent, we must have the vision to use it well.