LONDON
January 17, 2025
STRANGER: Jonn Elledge
LOCATION: Bellanger, 9 Islington Green, The Angel, London, England
THEME: A writer shares the story behind his book about the world’s history in borders
“A delight from start to finish,” says journalist Miranda Sawyer. “A novel and fascinating perspective on world history,” proclaims writer Bill Bryson.
They’re talking about Jonn Elledge’s recently released book “A (Brief) History of the World in 47 Borders,” but the plaudits can also easily describe its author. Because after spending a delightful evening in Jonn’s company to learn about the book, I’m happy to report that his intellect, humor and friendliness deserve their own five-star review.
Of course, we didn’t discuss all 47 borders in question during the dinner interview – go and buy Jonn’s book, you cheapskate! But he graciously took time out of his day to talk about the history of his book, the history of the world, his own history and more.
Jonn and I met on a cold Friday night in London at Bellanger, a French-inspired restaurant in the Islington neighborhood. It’s got that very bistro look; dark wood-paneled walls, deep red bench seating, low lighting, French food and drink advertising posters from decades ago, and the like. This kind of intimate vibe suits me just fine and helps relax me for what is the first new Dining With Strangers interview in almost five years.
The evening that we meet, it’s my last weekend back in the UK before returning to my adopted home of Washington, DC. Even this side of the Atlantic, incoming President Donald Trump is dominating headlines by floating the possibility of trying to wrest control of Greenland and the Panama Canal. Politics, conflict, boundaries and borders – it’s impossible to ignore. And it’s also unique timing for my dinner with Jonn.
His book’s subtitle is “The Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps,” revised for the US version to qualify the stories as “Surprising,” and it is a collection of uniformly fascinating essays that offer a rough outline of world history through stories about borders.
These compelling entries include discussion of the very first border, in Egypt, through to illuminating tales about how societies evolve, and borders and boundaries fluctuate, not always for the better when it comes to peace and stability.
I listened to the audiobook version ahead of the interview and got an education about not only Washington but Genghis Khan, the Roman Empire, the Mason-Dixon line, the future of borders in space, and even a town where the boundary between what’s Belgian and what belongs to the Netherlands is so complicated that it can cut through someone’s bathroom.
Jonn’s deft subject matter selection makes the book compelling enough on its own, but it’s bolstered by a straightforward, never stagnant and often funny writing style that ensures the reader’s ongoing interest. Going through the book is like having a conversation with the smartest friend you know, the one who makes gaining such knowledge seem a breeze.
The talent with which he writes should be expected – after all, he’s got decades of experience putting finger to the keyboard, including a lengthy stint as a New Statesman assistant editor, author of an earlier book, co-author of another, columnist, podcast guest and more.
But it’s “47 Borders” that we’re here to discuss.
I’ve managed to arrive a few minutes early, giving me time to order and enjoy a delicious Manhattan. They make the drinks strong at Bellanger, I advise sipping slowly.
Jonn soon arrives, having cycled, and he orders a non-alcoholic concoction of “punchy” blood orange, bitters and cardamom (he’s doing dry January, more power to him).
“I’ve been really interested in questions of the long swoosh of history,” he says when I ask about the genesis of the book. “A lot of people say they’re into history but then it’s just a slightly unnerving interest in the Nazis. But history gives a sense of how we got to here.”
Originally, he had about 51 unique border stories planned but culled that down to 47 due to space and time constraints. A theme of world history through borders provided a frame on which to hang stories he wanted to tell. There were some tales that he knew had to be included, such as the unification of ancient Egypt and the beginning of geopolitics.
“I did like the idea of writing something about the grand sweep of history. That’s what I spent a lot of time learning about for my own pleasure,” he says.
“Partly it was maybe sort of like in the ether as therapy – I’m in that demographic that thinks Brexit’s been a historic mistake. I still feel very European. And I think we should be moving towards fewer borders rather than more. But events since 2016 [the Brexit vote] have not made me think we’re going in the direction I want,” Jonn adds.
He cites one chapter about the U.S. invasion of Mexico in the 1800s, which was one of the sample essays that helped win the green light for the book. Jonn notes how several western states were once Mexican territory, while remarking on the fact Trump and his supporters have much to say about the border. “It gets elided that the entire west of the United States was Mexico,” he says. “And I just feel like that’s a fact that should be more prominent in the debate, isn’t it? And there’s no way of looking at the events of the 1840s, the U.S.-Mexican War, and not thinking this is a war of imperialist aggression.”
When it comes to the present day and making Greenland great again and the like, Jonn says, “I do think fundamentally self-determination probably matters more. I think another thing that I hope comes across strongly in the book is that I don’t think empires are very good things. But I also think they’re kind of historically inevitable. Same as borders.”
We pause as the starters arrive – Jonn’s choice being the French Onion Soup with a Gruyère crouton. It looks like the perfect dish on such a frigid evening.
I’ve gone for the carpaccio of candy beetroot with caramelized walnuts, the vibrant, fresh beets pairing well with the crunchy, sugary nuts for a light but irresistible beginning. In emails planning our meeting, Jonn had said he was “rubbish” at picking dinner venues. But based on the appetizers alone, I dare say he’s actually good at it.
While we dine, I ask Jonn about the end of his book. Spoiler alert, border and boundary disputes continue to this day, except now the power players have nukes. Should readers infer that he’s got a dim view about where geopolitics go from here?
“I’m pessimistic slash disengaged,” he responds. “But a few years ago it kind of hit me that we’ve all grown up in the post-war world. There are sometimes quite dangerous wars. But there’s not a really big war. Countries work things out through diplomacy. There are channels. There are institutions. Yes there are wars, but we’re kind of used to a world in which these rolling conflicts between the great powers don’t happen anymore.
“But I have a friend who’s working on a book about the upcoming world war, and I’m glad he’s getting to write it down, because he’s been talking about how conflict in the South China Sea is going to kill us all since at least 2007.
“This is a flash point, a Thucydides trap, where you get the rising power and the falling power, and it’s a moment of greatest danger. That’s sort of where World War I comes from. And that’s what we’re careening towards now. We are three days off having a guy with no impulse control back in the White House,” he says.
Through the book, Jonn’s essays help to give readers a better sense of how the world ended up with the lines on the map that it has today, and what that says about global leaders, the desire for power, and much more. Without ruining the laughs for others, it’s written with a few quips and commentary that brings a wry smile to the reader/listener. I tell him that the narrator of the U.S. audiobook has Jonn’s cadence and timing down to a tee.
“That’s so good to hear. There are lines that were written with a particular intonation in mind in my head,” he says, citing two major influences as Douglas Adams of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” fame and American-British author Bryson, a bestselling writer of many nonfiction travel books and more whose texts also have plenty of humor.
“I like that they explain these big, complicated ideas but with jokes. It’s very much kind of what I aspire to,” Jonn adds. And he beams with pride as he recounts shares the same agent with Bryson, who sent along a favorable quote after reading “47 Borders.”
“The idea that Bill Bryson has read my book is incredible. The idea he read and enjoyed it…” he says, trailing off, as if surprising himself at the response.
What shouldn’t surprise Jonn is praise for his writing.
Now in his early 40s, he’s been writing in one form or another for several decades. He grew up in Romford, a suburb of London. “I think the most embarrassing reason I got into ‘47 Borders’ as an idea is that it was very important to me that I grew up inside the greater London boundary. Because I went to school outside it, in Essex, which is a place with a very strong cultural identity, if any Americans are reading this, it’s like New Jersey, basically. And it was very important to me that I didn’t grow up in proper Essex,” he says. “It’s bullshit, but this was hugely important when I was 14.”
I’m laughing as the entrees arrive. Jonn’s selection is a crab linguine with sauce Nantua, a classic French seafood sauce made from crawfish shells, cognac, and cream.
Having not enjoyed a truly great burger in months, and with a recommendation from our friendly waiter, I opt for the Bellanger cheeseburger served on a brioche bun with a traditional garnish, and a serving of frites. And it was indeed a truly great burger, perfectly cooked, a flavorful patty, and just the right size to finish without feeling grim.
As we enjoy our dishes, Jonn says he realized he wanted to write early in life, as people would tell him he was good at it whenever he put pen to paper. “Basically, it’s a praise kink, isn’t it? ‘I like that thing you did,’” he jokes.
He studied English literature at Cambridge University, serving as deputy editor of The Cambridge Student newspaper. He also took part in the renowned Cambridge Footlights improvisational comedy troupe; an experience he says was fun. “I’d just arrived at the age of 19. I wrote a sketch, a comic monologue. And then just performed it in front of strangers. I would shit myself doing that now. The idea that 19-year-old me kind of felt this was a thing I was capable of doing is insane to me. But I’m glad I did it.”
After graduation he held a series of “crappy jobs” including working for the listing services Hotcourses, which half of his generation of British media members apparently did. It was so bad that Jonn could only take four months before starting a master’s in journalism.
Armed with that second degree, he then worked in various trade press titles for a decade, writing about finance, infrastructure, the health service and more. He turned 30 while serving as editor of a magazine for companies operating in the education sector.
It’s around that time when his then-partner was in hospital for a few weeks. “And this kind of gave me a sense of mortality. I always wanted to write a novel. So that kind of gave me the kick up the arse to write a novel, which I did in the space of eight months.”
Jonn unsuccessfully shopped that novel around, and even though it didn’t get published, the experience did give him the motivation to start freelance writing.
He used Twitter to help network with people at more mainstream titles than those he had previously written for and eventually secured a weekly slot writing for the New Statesman. He did that job for six months before his role developed into working for the publication while also editing a sister website, staying in that position for almost six years until 2020.
“That made my career. I still write for them every week. So I’ve been writing for the New Statesman every week for 11 and a half years,” he says. The weekly contribution he does to this day is a column that Jonn was offered after being let go in a reshuffle.
That was the trigger for doubling down on freelance writing, and leaving the New Statesman also freed up enough time for Jonn to write his first book, published in 2021, “The Compendium of (Not Quite) Everything: All the Facts You Didn’t Know You Wanted to Know.” He also co-wrote, with Tom Phillips, the 2022 book, “Conspiracy: A History of Boll*cks Theories, and How Not to Fall for Them.” His latest, “47 Borders,” was first published in the UK in 2024 and was nominated for Foyles Book of the Year.
Jonn tells me he’s working on his next book idea (he has to keep the details close to his chest), and he also writes a weekly Substack, “The Newsletter of (Not Quite) Everything.” It has more than 1,500 paid subscribers, a fact that he says with awe and gratitude.
As two incredibly enjoyable hours with Jonn draw to a close, I think about the multiple times throughout dinner that he’s talked about his successes and then tempered it with surprise and modesty. Perhaps it’s just our shared innate British inability to self-promote, but there’s nothing inauthentic about him and his pleasant surprise about it all.
Well, I’m now officially a dual citizen, and the Americans have a reputation for being less bashful, so as I put my own fingers to the keyboard, let me say that Jonn’s triumphs are beyond well-deserved. This is an author who cares strongly about his chosen subjects, who puts in the hard work of research, and relays complex histories and facts in a way that is everything you want it to be: informative, educational, amusing and memorable.
The conversational tone with which he writes certainly helps, and as we get ready to part ways, he reflects that this style and his humor are “probably related to wanting to do comedy all those years ago at Cambridge and wanting everyone to look at me despite being instinctively sort of shy.”
He adds, “I think I probably started putting a lot of myself in my writing, in a ‘look at me, look at me kind of way’ and I’ve been very lucky with the way that my career has gone, that I’ve been able to make a living out of that.”