James Marriott talks to Georgina Godwin

We are in the midst of the most important cultural shift of our time, argues journalist James Marriott: a decline in reading. In this National Year of Reading, join the Times columnist in conversation with broadcaster Georgina Godwin as he looks at the fall in literacy and reading, and presents an impassioned defence of the written word.

In his book The New Dark Ages, Marriott draws on history and classic works of literature and theory to show that reading and writing are essential for innovation, creativity and critical thinking. As print dies, he argues, we risk returning to the chaos, tribalism and rage of a pre-literate society.