大象传媒

When struggling to invent the electric light bulb, Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed; I've simply found ten thousand ways that won't work."

In this series, five people from very different spheres of life, reflect on what failure has taught them personally and explain what value those lessons have in their worlds.

The Booker Award-winning author Anne Enright is comfortable with the notion of failure. She considers her experiences of a writer's life - and of having her words judged by the world. She tells the story of one of Ireland's greatest authors, who let the shame of failure cripple him. She also introduces us to Guardian first-book award winner Donal Ryan, who considered himself a success for simply finishing a book to show his wife.

Producer: Catherine Carr.
A Loftus production for 大象传媒 Radio 4.