大象传媒

Radio 4's Today programme presenter James Naughtie on being a Guest Selector at next month's Edinburgh International Book Festival; it means he has the luxury of putting together his own strand of the festival programme on the intriguing theme of Britain Today. Festival Director Nick Barley will join him to talk about handing over responsibility to his guest selectors- do they ever surprise him with their choices?

Author Louise Welsh joins Clare to discuss her new Berlin-set novel, The Girl on the Stairs, and for a look back at the novel that made her name, her 2002 debut The Cutting Room.

Tiger hunts and tea dances, grand dinners and polo matches: Anne de Courcy on the women who went to India in the late 19th century, the height of the Raj, hoping to snare one of Britain's most eligible young men who were there making their fortune. Clare hears the story of sixteen year old Lady Elisabeth Bruce from Dunfermline, who hoped to avoid becoming one of the 'returned empties' who failed to make a match within the year and were dispatched back to the UK.

Chris Dolan on why it took him 21 years to write that difficult second novel. A cautionary tale about navigating the changed world of publishing today, his account is essential listening for all budding writers and switched-on readers.

Producer: Serena Field.