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 23 November 2007
Mariella Frostrup talks to Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Russo about his new novel, Bridge of Sighs.
Richard Russo
Mariella Frostrup talks to the American writer Richard Russo. Russo won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Empire Falls, and, like that book, his latest is a sprawling epic set in small-town America. He explains his fascination with small communities, and why politics so rarely plays a part in his work.
Bridge of Sighs - Richard Russo Publisher: Chatto & Windus
Empire Falls - Richard Russo Publisher: Vintage
How to be idle Mariella is also joined by the professional idler Tom Hodgkinson to discuss the work of Jerome K. Jerome, a writer who was happy to admit he’d rather spend another hour in bed than do any work.
Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow - Jerome K Jerome Publisher: Hesperus Press
Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K Jerome Publisher: Penguin Classics
The art of marketing books How have the dark arts of marketing changed the world of fiction publishing? Mariella talks to the critic and writer John Sutherland and Claire Squires, the author of a new study of the subject.
Marketing Literature - The Making of Contemporary Writing in Britain: Claire Squires Publisher: Palgrave
How to Read a Novel: A User’s Guide - John Sutherland Publisher: Profile
Bestsellers: A Very Short Introduction – John Sutherland Publisher: Oxford University Press
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber One hundred and fifty years ago, the murderous barber Sweeney Todd made his first appearance in print. Mariella discovers how this character captivated the public to such an extent that he was commonly believed to be a real person, in conversation with the editor of the reissue, Robert Mack
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Anonymous Publisher: Oxford University Press
The Wonderful and Surprising History of Sweeney Todd: The Life and Times of an Urban Legend – Robert Mack Publisher: Continuum (Published Feb 08)
