Sunday 16:00-16:30, repeated Thursday 16:00-16:30, except first Sunday in the month when it is replaced by Book Club.
Open Book spotlights new fiction and non-fiction, picks out the best of the paperbacks, talks to authors and publishers, and unearths lost masterpieces.
This week
Sunday 10 September 2006
Kathryn Hughes talks to Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He talks about his new novel, A Spot of Bother - a disturbing yet comic portrait of a family trying to go insane politely.
Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon's last novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, caused a publishing storm in 2003. His new novel, A Spot of Bother, chronicles the way a damaged family falls apart - and comes together again. He talks to Kathryn about exploring how ordinary people face extraordinary situations.
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time - Mark Haddon Publisher: Vintage ISBN: 0099450259
A Spot Of Bother - Mark Haddon Publisher: Jonathan Cape ISBN: 0224080466
Biography and a Writer's Reputation
The week sees the re-release of three of the late Iris Murdoch's best-known books, but since John Bayley wrote two memoirs chronicling his late wife's descent into Altzheimers, have her novels now been overshadowed by these biographies? Kathryn is joined by the award winning biographer Richard Holmes, and by the Sunday Times literary editor, Peter Kemp, to discuss the issue.
The Black Prince - Iris Murdoch Publisher: Vintage ISBN: 0099283999
The Sea, the Sea - Iris Murdoch Publisher: Vintage ISBN: 009928409X
A Severed Head - Iris Murdoch Publisher: Vintage ISBN: 0099285363
Iris: A Memoir of Iris Murdoch - John Bayley Publisher: Abacus ISBN: 0349114293
The Iris Trilogy: Iris, Iris and The Friends, Widower's House - John Bayley Publisher: Abacus ISBN: 0349117195
How do Publishers Avoid the Legal Minefield
Being sued is well down the list of things that most authors worry about when they publish a book. So what precautions do publishers take to ensure that they don't end up in court? Helena Peacock, Legal Director at Penguin Books explains.
Favourite Short Stories
The short story festival Small Wonder will be held at Charleston, Sussex on September 14-17. Two festival speakers choose their favourite short stories - Man Booker nominated author Andrew O'Hagan, and Naomi Alderman, who won the Orange Award for new writers.
