Borders: A History of the World in 47 Borders - Jonn Elledge

People have been drawing lines on maps for as long as there have been maps to annotate. Sometimes rooted in physical geography, sometimes entirely arbitrary, sometimes emblems of aggrandisement and aggression, these borders might often have looked very different if a war or treaty – or the decisions of a handful of Europeans – had gone a different way.

Writer/broadcaster Jonn Elledge reveals the intriguing stories of these borders in conversation with the Open University’s Daria Chernysheva. They tell us a lot about how political identities are shaped, why the world looks the way it does – and about human folly. From the Romans’ attempts to define the boundaries of civilisation, to the secret Anglo-French agreement to carve up the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, this is a witty and surprising look at the history of the world as told through its borders.

‘A fascinating and often very funny history of one of our great current preoccupations: borders.’ Tom Holland

This is the final event in the Borders Series, curated by MK Lit Fest in collaboration with The Open University.

About Jonn Elledge

Jonn Elledge is a regular contributor to the Big Issue and the New Statesman, a less regular contributor to other titles such as the Guardian and Wired, and an almost constant contributor to the weekly Newsletter of (Not Quite) Everything. He was previously assistant editor of the New Statesman, where he was responsible for launching and editing the urbanism site CityMetric, hosting the Skylines podcast and writing a lot of angry columns about the housing crisis. He lives in the East End of London, where he has probably spent more time thinking about tube station naming conventions than is strictly speaking healthy.

More about Jonn

• Bluesky: @jonnelledge

Buy the book at Waterstones

About Daria Chernysheva

Daria Chernysheva joined the Open University in 2024 as Lecturer in French and Translation. Keenly interested in border-crossing individuals and literature, Daria has published in Triple Canopy, The Brooklyn Rail and Tether’s End. Her latest translation from the French, a novel called Fowl Eulogies (World Editions, 2023) was shortlisted for the PEN Translation Prize. Her book on poetry, criticism and translation, Cécile Sauvage: Translation as Desiring Practice, is forthcoming with UCL Press.

More about Daria

• Web: Open University Profile
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

About the Borders Series

Whether they’re on our maps or in our heads, borders shape how we see the world – and how the rest of the world sees us. This new series, in collaboration with the Open University, asks leading writers and thinkers to explore borders in all their literal or more abstract forms: geographical and political, cultural and linguistic, visible and contested. Across five events – four online and one in person – our speakers will examine how borders are drawn, crossed, defended and imagined, and how they affect lived experience in a world that is simultaneously increasingly interconnected and yet ever more divided.

From global power lines and shifting nations to intimate questions of belonging, migration and identity, the series invites us to think beyond maps, headlines and stereotypes, providing thoughtful and humane discussions about how borders are created, and about how they can be navigated and challenged.

About MK Lit Fest

Milton Keynes Literary Festival (MK Lit Fest) began in 2017, since when over 250 authors - ranging from international bestsellers to debut novelists, and including all kinds of fiction and non-fiction - have appeared at our in-person and online events. We also host children's events, literary walks, writing workshops, submission-based events for local writers, an annual writing competition and anthology, and more. Our next in-person festival is happening between 22 and 26 April 2026 in Central Milton Keynes, but our programme extends year round. Visit us online at  www.mklitfest.org or follow us as @MKLitFest on most social channels.