When Stories Fall Apart: Miriam Robinson on Love, Loss, and Truth

In this intimate conversation recorded at Shakespeare and Company, novelist Miriam Robinson joins Adam Biles to discuss her remarkable debut, And Notre Dame Is Burning. Together, they explore the novel’s fractured structure and the emotional aftermath of betrayal, loss, and motherhood. Robinson reflects on her protagonist Esther—a woman piecing together the wreckage of a marriage through letters and fragments—as well as on grief, storytelling, and the disorientation of time. From the shadow of Notre Dame to the uncertainty of rebuilding a life, Robinson examines how women navigate love, autonomy, and the stories they tell themselves. Touching on subjects from miscarriage and memory to patriarchy and the politics of intimacy, this conversation balances literary craft with raw honesty. Buy And Notre Dame Is Burning: * Miriam Robinson is an author who has worked in the world of books and bookshops for over 15 years. Previously the host of podcast My Unlived Life, she holds an MA in Creative Writing from Goldsmiths, University of London and her short fiction has been shortlisted for a Pushcart Prize, the inaugural Pindrop/RA Short Story Prize and the Pat Kavanagh Prize. Originally from Colorado, Miriam lives in East London with her daughter and their six-toed cat Astrid. Adam Biles is Literary Director at Shakespeare and Company. Listen to Alex Freiman’s latest EP, In The Beginning: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can listen to When Stories Fall Apart: Miriam Robinson on Love, Loss, and Truth online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

When Stories Fall Apart: Miriam Robinson on Love, Loss, and Truth is an episode from Shakespeare and Company by Shakespeare and Company.

This episode is 49:13 long.

This episode was published on Nov 27, 2025.

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