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Marlon James

Booker prize-winning Jamaican author Marlon James talks to John Wilson about his cultural influences.

Marlon James made his name in 2014 with A Brief History Of Seven Killings, a novel which interweaves various narratives over several decades, starting with the attempted assassination of reggae superstar Bob Marley in 1976. Having won the Booker and the American Book Award, and becoming an international bestselling author, he moved into the fantasy genre with his next two novels Black Leopard, Red Wolf and Moon Witch, Spider King. A professor of English, Marlon James teaches creative writing at a university in Minnesota, USA, where he lives.

Marlon tells John Wilson about hearing Jamaican dub poet Jean Binta-Breeze's work Riddym-Ravings on the radio when he was a teenager. The use of patois and rhyme to tell a serious story changed the lexicon he felt he could write in. The music of rock band Nirvana and its lead singer Kurt Cobain was also a huge influence on the
young Marlon James who was at the time confused about his sexuality and living with undiagnosed depression. James also chooses the novel Sula by Toni Morrison, which contains a scene that changed the way he approached life and made him realise he only had to be in service to himself.

Producer: Edwina Pitman

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43 minutes

Last on

Sat 14 Sep 2024 19:15

Broadcasts

  • Thu 12 Sep 2024 11:00
  • Sat 14 Sep 2024 19:15

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