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Jonathan Coe, Radical Fairy Tales, Alex Wheatle

Chris Power talks to Jonathan Coe about bringing actor Billy Wilder to life in new novel Mr Wilder & Me. Also Kamila Shamsie on reclaiming fairy tales and Alex Wheatle on CLR James.

Chris Power talks to author of What A Carve Up! and The Rotters Club, Jonathan Coe. In his new novel, Mr Wilder & Me, Coe explores the later life of Hollywood star Billy Wilder, exploring the twilight of his career shooting the film Fedora.

Classic chlidren's stories have been subverted in recent books such as Gender Swapped Fairy Tales by Karrie Fransman and Jonathan Plackett. Having also revisited a fairy tale in "Duckling", Kamila Shamsie discusses the enduring pitfalls and power of the form.

And writer Alex Wheatle chooses A Book I'd Never Lend - CLR James' landmark history of the Haitian Revolution, The Black Jacobins.

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28 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Sun 15 Nov 2020 16:00
  • Thu 19 Nov 2020 15:30

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