John Irving
James Naughtie and readers talk to celebrated American author John Irving about his novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany.
James Naughtie and readers talk to celebrated American author John Irving about his novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany.
The novel starts with a shock - the eponymous hero hits a foul ball in a baseball match and kills his best friend's mother. It then moves through to spooky premonitions during an amateur performance of A Christmas Carol, to a drunken psychiatrist driving down school steps, to a bloody end during the Vietnam war. Yet there is pattern and meaning in such bizarre antics, and part of the fun for the reader is to work them out.
Irving reveals the mysteries of one of fiction's most extraordinary characters, Owen Meany - the little guy with the falsetto voice.
Last on
Broadcasts
- Sun 6 Dec 2009 16:00大象传媒 Radio 4
- Thu 10 Dec 2009 16:00大象传媒 Radio 4
How many of these 100 Novels have you read?
After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.
Bookclub at 20
Sebastian Faulks, Naomi Alderman and more select favourite editions of the programme
Sample our books and authors Clip Collection
Interviews, previews and reviews
Short stories to keep
The fiction podcast featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers
Books
Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.
Podcast
-
![]()
Bookclub
Led by James Naughtie, readers talk to acclaimed authors about their best-known novels
