Jun 7, 2026 · 54 min · 12 segments
Like many writers, Sofka Zinovieff draws on her own history in her books – and her family tree offers plenty of inspiration. Her paternal grandmother was born into Russian high society, fled to…
Sofka ZinovieffGuest
Michael BerkeleyHost
[classical music] Like many writers, Sofka Zinovieff draws on her own history in her books, and her family tree offers plenty of inspiration.
Her paternal grandmother was born into Russian high society, fled to England after the 1917 revolution, and became a communist.
Her maternal grandmother married the eccentric aristocrat Robert Heber-Percy and for a time shared a house with his lover, the artist and composer Lord Berners.
Her father, Peter, was a composer and co-founder of Britain's first synthesizer manufacturer, making instruments used by the likes of Pink Floyd and David Bowie.
He banned his many children from attending his funeral, a decision which inspired her most recent book, a novel called Stealing Dad.
Sofka, we've got Bach, Monteverdi, Theodorakis, but I think you want to begin with Mozart's Don Giovanni?
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[classical music] Like many writers, Sofka Zinovieff draws on her own history in her books, and her family tree offers plenty of inspiration.
Her paternal grandmother was born into Russian high society, fled to England after the 1917 revolution, and became a communist.
Her maternal grandmother married the eccentric aristocrat Robert Heber-Percy and for a time shared a house with his lover, the artist and composer Lord Berners.
Her father, Peter, was a composer and co-founder of Britain's first synthesizer manufacturer, making instruments used by the likes of Pink Floyd and David Bowie.
He banned his many children from attending his funeral, a decision which inspired her most recent book, a novel called Stealing Dad.
Sofka, we've got Bach, Monteverdi, Theodorakis, but I think you want to begin with Mozart's Don Giovanni?