Claire Tomalin, Forward Poetry Prize, Gerhard Richter, The Iliad

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On tonight's Night Waves Philip Dodd talks to Claire Tomalin about her new biography of Charles Dickens, a book that covers his impoverished childhood, his rise to fame and adoration as a young novelist, and the public breakdown of his marriage and ignominious treatment of his wife. He hears from the winner of this year's Forward Poetry Prize, which is announced this evening. Also, Richard Cork reviews a major retrospective of the German artist Gerhard Richter, who celebrates his 80th birthday this year. The exhibition at Tate Modern includes his controversial portraits of members of the Baader Meinhof terrorist group. And why are we still so drawn to the Iliad? Homer's epic poem is the starting point for five publications out this autumn: three translations, a novel and to complete the lot an epic poem. So what can we learn from new approaches and responses to it, be they prose, poetry or translation? Madeline Miller whose first novel 'The Song of Achilles' is inspired by the Iliad discusses this with Stephen Mitchell who's also just published a new translation of the work. And, classics scholar Oliver Taplin casts his critical eye over all of the new texts.