David Vann, Stuart Kelly, Penelope Lively, Suzanne Berne
David Vann and Stuart Kelly on Norse myths, Penelope Lively on where she writes, and Suzanne Berne talks about her novel The Dogs of Littlefield. With Mariella Frostrup.
A magic ring, dwarves, elves, monsters and the battle between good and evil - not the Lord of the Rings, but rather The Saga of the Volsungs, the ancient tale believed to have inspired JRR Tolkein. The Saga is one of a newly republished collection of translations of Icelandic myths and epic Anglo Saxon poetry called Legends of the Ancient North. Author and Beowulf behemoth David Vann and Volsung enthusiast and Man Booker judge Stuart Kelly discuss their centuries old appeal.
The answer to where authors like to write is often a surprising one. From garden sheds to kitchen tables, trains to coffee bars, the locations favoured for imaginative journeys are as diverse as the novels themselves. In a new series we join writers in their designated sanctum and we begin in the North London home of one of the greats - Dame Penelope Lively
Orange Prize winner Suzanne Berne talks to Mariella Frostrup about her latest novel The Dogs of Littlefield. The book is set in Littlefield, Massachusetts, which has been named as one of the 20 Best Places to Live in America, but tension lurks under the surface and boils over via the issue of the rights of the town's dog-owners. Suzanne explains why she decided a dog's life was the way to explore small town America.
Producer: Andrea Kidd.
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Clips
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'I wanted to write a social comedy about menace'
Duration: 00:34
Read the Opening Chapter of Suzanne Berne's The Dogs of Littlefield
Chapter 1: Suzanne Berne's The Dogs of Littlefield
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Get ahead with Mariella鈥檚 next book Jill Paton Walsh's The Late Scholar
Find Chapter 1 of Jill Paton Walsh's The Late Scholar
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BOOKLIST
Legends from the Ancient North
Publisher: Penguin Classics
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Ammonites and Leaping Fish by Penelope Lively
Publisher: Fig Tree
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The Dogs of Littlefield by Suzanne Berne听
Publisher:听Fig Tree
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Mariella Frostrup |
Interviewed Guest | John Freeman |
Interviewed Guest | Suzanne Berne |
Interviewed Guest | David Vann |
Interviewed Guest | Stuart Kelly |
Producer | Andrea Kidd |
Broadcasts
- Sun 8 Dec 2013 16:00大象传媒 Radio 4
- Thu 12 Dec 2013 15:30大象传媒 Radio 4