Episode 3
Marrying in haste and soon repentful, Pearl Buck discovers that writing lets her escape from her difficulties. Read by Lindsay Duncan.
Lindsay Duncan reads another excerpt from Hilary Spurling's new book: "Burying The Bones". The distinguished biographer's new subject is the astonishing life of Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl Buck, one of the most successful and popular American novelists of the 20th Century. (She's best remembered for her novel "The Good Earth", which is still a bestseller.)
Pearl's desire for independence led her to make a hasty marriage of which her family disapproved. Refusing to be cowed by a series of personal tragedies, she discovered that her imagination offered escape from her difficulties and she began to write fiction in earnest.
Abridger: Alison Joseph
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron.
Last on
Broadcasts
Wed 31 Mar 201009:45BBC Radio 4 FM- Thu 1 Apr 201000:30BBC Radio 4
- Wed 4 Mar 201514:45BBC Radio 4 Extra
- Thu 5 Mar 201500:45BBC Radio 4 Extra
Listen to more Audio Books
Including My Sister The Serial Killer, Queenie, The Flatshare and more.
Opening Lines
John Yorke unpacks the themes behind the stories in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.
Sample our books and authors Clip Collection
Interviews, previews and reviews
Subscribe to the Short stories podcast
Featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers
How many of these 100 Novels have you read?
After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.
Finding Your Story
Ten remarkable novels about identity: Which one will help you discover yourself?
BBC Arts: Books
Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.
