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The New Common Reader

Matthew Sweet examines the place of reading in a digital age. Do we still believe that there is such a thing as a common reader?

Matthew Sweet will be following in the distinguished footsteps of Samuel Johnson and Virginia Woolf. He's leading an elite party of literary explorers - Linda Grant, Aminatta Forna, Naomi Alderman and Tim Stanley on an expedition to find "the common reader" -- a being stalked by Woolf in the 20th Century and by Johnson in the 18th. Both believed that the common reader "uncorrupted with literary prejudices" was the final arbiter of "poetical honours" so it's a quest that's clearly still relevant today. The question is what does a common reader look like in our digital age? What are they reading? Where? And how? Pack your e-reader and your thesaurus of course and tune in to Night Waves and join the hunt.

Available now

45 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Matthew Sweet
Interviewed Guest Linda Grant
Interviewed Guest Aminatta Forna
Interviewed Guest Naomi Alderman
Interviewed Guest Tim Stanley
Producer Zahid Warley

Broadcasts

  • Mon 22 Apr 2013 22:00
  • Thu 24 Oct 2013 22:00

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