27 November 2004
Saturday 27 November 2004 21:45-22:30 (Radio 3)
Ian McMillan presents the late-night showcase of new writing and performance. Acclaimed Scottish writer AL Kennedy describes her fear of flying in a specially commissioned letter.
Programme Details
As we approach the centenary of the publication of Hans Christian Anderson's 'Fairy Tales', Ian McMillan launches a series of specially commissioned contemporary fairy tales set in the modern world. Louis de Bernieres, the acclaimed author of 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' (published by Minerva), starts our series with his new narrative poem for The Verb, 'A Walberswick Goodnight Story', a magical story told by a mother to her young daughter, and read by Louis's partner Cathy Gill. The poem is not published, but Louis de Bernieres's latest book, 'Birds Without Wings', is published by Secker & Warburg.
Steve Connor, professor of Modern Literature and Theory at Birkbeck and Mike Mitchell, the translator of a new edition of 'The Golem', by Gustav Meyrink (published by Tartarus Press), explore the history and origins of the myth of the Golem. 'The Golem' was originally published in 1915, the story of the Prague Ghetto in the 1890s and the creation by Rabbi Leow of an artificial man of clay, a 'golem', using the magic derived by the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
A.L Kennedy, author of 'On Bullfighting' (Yellow Jersey Press), and 'Good Morning Midnight' (Penguin) has been a judge on the Booker Prize and the Guardian First Book Award. In the wake of her latest novel, 'Paradise' (Jonathan Cape), and the subsequent international travel necessary, she shares a very personal fear of flying.
On last week's jazz special from the 606 Club in London we invited listeners to write in with a short story of no more than one hundred words that included the words 'slinky', 'droopy', 'scandalous', 'parakeet' and 'sexual intercourse'. The winning piece, chosen by A.L Kennedy on tonight's Verb is read by Ian McMillan.
And there's beautiful performance from Eska Mtungwazi, singing her own songs for The Verb. Born in Zimbabwe and raised in south east London, Eska is a vocalist, performer, songwriter, musician and producer. She's collaborated with artists like Mercury Music Prize nominee (and Verb favourite) UK rapper Ty, jazz / hip-hop saxophonist, MOBO award winner and Mercury Music Prize nominee Soweto Kinch, and legendary British jazz musicians Courtney Pine, Robert Mitchell, and Denys Baptiste, amongst others, and has shared a stage with the likes of James Brown and The Roots. For more information on Eska's work and upcoming performances, you can visit her website at www.eskaworld.com.
