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Joe Dunthorne: Children of Radium

Jewish Book Week 2025

Wed 5 Mar
Words

Joe Dunthorne: Children of Radium

Jewish Book Week 2025

Speaker Joe Dunthorne
Chair Ariana Neumann

Joe Dunthorne’s great-grandfather, Siegfried, was a legendary figure in his family’s history:  a Jewish refugee who daringly returned to Nazi Germany during the Berlin Olympics to stage a heist on his own home, and the eccentric inventor of radioactive toothpaste.


But when the Submarine author became the first descendant to read Siegfried’s unpublished memoir, he uncovered a story far more complex than he had imagined. As he explores the life of a ‘jolly grandpa’ with an encyclopaedic knowledge of poison gases and a turbulent psychiatric history, Joe wrestles with difficult questions about inheritance, identity, and legacy. In conversation with When Time Stopped author Ariana Neumann, he reflects on this surprising, witty, and deeply humane exploration of family truths.

This event will last approximately 1 hour, without an interval. 


About the speakers:

Joe Dunthorne was born and brought up in Swansea. He is the author of three novels and one collection of poetry, including Submarine, which has been translated into fifteen languages and made into an acclaimed film directed by Richard Ayoade, and Wild Abandon, which won the 2012 Encore Award. Children of Radium is his first non-fiction work. He lives in London.

Ariana Neumann is the New York Times bestselling author of When Time Stopped, which won the Dayton Peace Prize for Non Fiction in 2021, Best Memoir at the Jewish Book Awards in 2020 and was shortlisted for various prizes including The Wingate Prize.

Ariana was born and grew up in Venezuela. She has a BA in History and French Literature from Tufts University, an MA in Spanish and Latin American Literature from New York University and a PgDIP in Psychology of Religion from University of London. She previously was involved in publishing, worked as a foreign correspondent for Venezuela’s The Daily Journal and her writing has appeared in a variety of publications including The European, the Jewish Book Council and The New York Times.

Plan your visit

Getting here
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, one of the most connected locations in London and now the biggest transport hub in Europe.

Our address is:
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.

The Venue 
Our performance spaces are situated on the lower ground floor. Hall One, Hall Two and St Pancras are located in level -2, reached by stairs, escalator and lift from the ground floor entrance level.

Event Times 
Door times indicate auditorium entrance times only. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the Kings Place seating areas, gallery-level art, canal-side terrace, café, restaurant and bar throughout the day and evening.

  • Our events begin promptly at the advertised start time. Typically, there is no support unless otherwise stated.
  • We recommend arriving in good time before the performance. The Hall doors will open 30 minutes before the performance to allow time to take your seats, or to choose a space for standing shows.
  • Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance where possible

Access

We aim to make your visit to Kings Place as comfortable as possible. For more information about the accessibility of Kings Place, including details about our Access Scheme, please visit this page.

If you would like to discuss your access requirements with a member of our team, please get in touch with the Box Office team at info@kingsplace.co.uk. 

 

Food & Drink

Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Rotunda, situated on the ground floor of Kings Place, offers a unique dining and drinking experience alongside Regent’s Canal. The concert bar in the venue foyer will also be open for select events.

Green & Fortune Café
Recently re-furbished and now open with a new look, the Green & Fortune Café is open for selected concerts. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soup, stew and a pie of the day, alongside a choice of cakes made by the on-site bakery team. See here for selected concert dates and standard opening hours.

Date:Wed 5 Mar
Start time:7pm (Doors: 6.30pm)
Venue:St Pancras Room
Price:£5.00-£10.00
+ 12.5% (£6 cap) Transaction fee.
+ £1 Building levy. More info
Availability:Tickets available
£5 Under 30s tickets at JBW
A limited number of £5 tickets for attendees aged under 30 are available for this show. To purchase an 'Under 30s' ticket, please choose the 'Under 30s' price type when selecting your ticket(s). If the option does not appear, this means all 'Under 30s' tickets have sold out. Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue.
Unwaged tickets at JBW
Tickets at a special rate of 50% off are available to those in receipt of Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Income Support or Job Seekers allowance. Please contact info@jewishliteraryfoundation.co.uk to book a concession priced ticket.
SAVE 15% when you book 3+ JBW events
Discount automatically applied when 3+ events have been added to your online basket. This offer applies to all in-person paid events at Kings Place (not online, off-site or free events). Offer excludes Under 30s & Unwaged Tickets.

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