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Man Booker Prize, Lee Hall's Shakespeare in Love, Dom Flemons and Martin Simpson

John Wilson discusses the Man Booker Prize longlist with two of the judges and playwright Lee Hall talks about his stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love.

Chair of the judges A C Grayling and his fellow judge Erica Wagner join John Wilson to discuss the longlist for this years' Man Booker Prize. It's the first time that American novelists have been eligible for this prestigious award, and four of the listed writers are American.

Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall talks about creating a stage play out of the Oscar winning film Shakespeare in Love. Hall also reveals that he's been busy reading Elton John's personal diaries in preparation for making a biopic of the singer.

Tonight's Front Row features the first joint performance, in the studio, by two leading figures in world music. Dom Flemons - co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops - and Martin Simpson - renowned acoustic and slide guitarist - have been researching and exploring how folk songs travelled back and forth between England and North America, changing shape as they journeyed. They retraced the fieldwork done by folklorist Cecil Sharp, a hundred years ago - and give John a musical demonstration of how an English dancehall ballad became a ragtime blues number.

Image: Shakespeare In Love - Company with Tom Bateman as Will. Photo by Johan Persson (c) Disney.

Available now

30 minutes

Chapters

  • Man Booker Prize 2014

    Chair of the judges A C Grayling and his fellow judge Erica Wagner discuss the longlist

    Duration: 10:19

  • King Richard III Visitor Centre

    Professor Housley from the University of Leicester takes a look at the new visitor centre

    Duration: 03:26

  • Lee Hall

    Lee Hall talks about creating a stage play out of the film Shakespeare in Love

    Duration: 07:07

  • Dom Flemons and Martin Simpson

    Dom Flemons and Martin Simpson retrace the fieldwork done by folklorist Cecil Sharp

    Duration: 06:57

Nominated Authors

Nominated Authors

Listen to Front Row interviews with some of the nominated authors of this year's听Man Booker Prize 2014:

Shakespeare in Love

Shakespeare in Love

, adapted for stage by Lee Hall is on at the No毛l Coward Theatre, London from Wednesday 23 July, booking until Saturday 25 October 2014.

Image:听 Lucy Briggs-Owen as Viola and Tom Bateman as Will

Photo Credit: Johan Persson 漏 Disney

Dom Flemons & Martin Simpson

Dom Flemons & Martin Simpson

& from the Carolina Chocolate Drops will be performing at Cecil Sharp House, London听on Wednesday 23 July, Norwich Arts Centre on Thursday 24 July, Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham By Sea on Friday 25 July and WOMAD, Malmesbury on Saturday 26 July 2014.听 For more information visit the .

Image Credit: Alan Cole

The Man Booker Prize 2014 Longlist

For more information please go to , the list is as follows:

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, Joshua Ferris
The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler
The Blazing World, Siri Hustvedt
J, Howard Jacobson
The Wake, Paul Kingsnorth
The Bone Clocks, David Mitchell
The Lives of Others, Neel Mukherjee
Us, David Nicholls
The Dog, Joseph O'Neill
Orfeo, Richard Powers
How to be Both, Ali Smith
History of the Rain, Niall Williams

King Richard III Visitor Centre

, Leicester opens to the public on Saturday 26 July 2014.听 For more information see their .

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter John Wilson
Interviewed Guest AC Grayling
Interviewed Guest Erica Wagner
Interviewed Guest Lee Hall
Performer Don Flemons
Performer Martin Simpson

Broadcast

  • Wed 23 Jul 2014 19:15

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