The social club for everyone professionally concerned with literature and the publishing industry

Authors’ Club Lunch with Edward Stourton

April 16, 2026 12:30 pm
London

We are thrilled to welcome Edward Stourton to the Authors’ Club to talk about Made in AmericaThe dark history that led to Donald Trump

Much of what Donald Trump does seems maverick and even mad. His actions and policy pronouncements are a stark rupture from the American style of leadership that we have lived with all our lives. But whether we like them or not, his trade tariffs, his determination to deport tens of thousands of people, and his apparent contempt for the rule of law are deeply rooted in American history.

Since Donald Trump took office plenty of people – on both sides of the Atlantic – have argued that he will destroy his country’s democracy. Made in America shows how the ideal of liberty has been tested in past generations, from the first intolerant Pilgrims to the brutal invasion of Mexico, revealing the dark side of the American Dream in order to offer urgent lessons to our turbulent present.

Edward Stourton has worked in broadcasting for over forty years, and regularly presents BBC Radio Four programmes such as The World at OneThe World This Weekend and Sunday. He has been a foreign correspondent for Channel Four, ITN and the BBC, and for ten years he was one of the main presenters of the Today programme.

A well argued and elegant answer to the question, ‘how did America get to this place?’ … The ideal antidote to the coarseness of the times. Justin Webb, presenter of Americast

Pithy, entertaining and informative . . . Stourton makes a persuasive case that Trump is a logical outcome of American history Guardian

To book please contact the booking office at bookings@nlc.org.uk or call 020 7968 0912.

The two-course lunch, followed by coffee, costs £39. It’s in the Lady Violet Room and we start with drinks at 12:30pm.  Please book early and inform the club of any dietary requirements.