Main content

Will Self, Dumas's Lost Masterpiece, and Philip Hensher on Naipaul

Mariella Frostrup presents the books programme. She talks to Will Self about his new novel Butt, a fable about smoking, moral dilemmas and the intrusive nature of authority.

Will Self
Mariella talks to the novelist Will Self. His latest book, The Butt, is a dark satire set in an unnamed country ravaged by war and resembling a nightmare version of Australia. He explains this bleak vision, reveals why he's thrown away his laptop, and tells Mariella about the tontine, the only financial product which causes its investors to kill each other.

Dumas's Lost Masterpiece
Next month sees the publication of a previously unknown novel by Alexandre Dumas, the writer best known for The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. Mariella is joined by the book's UK editor, Robin Harvie, who explains how it was discovered in a French archive, and how it fits in with the rest of his swashbuckling output.

Hensher on Naipaul
This week's longlist for the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction includes Patrick French's The World Is What It Is, a revealing biography of the novelist and Nobel Laureate VS Naipaul. Mariella talks to one of Naipaul's most passionate fans, the novelist Philip Hensher, who picks some of his favourite works and explains why he admires them so much.

Available now

30 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Sun 20 Apr 2008 16:00
  • Thu 24 Apr 2008 16:00

This Week's Book List

Read along with us - a list of books discussed in each programme

Books and Authors Podcast

Books and Authors Podcast

Open Book for author interviews and A Good Read for recommended reads

Listen now to books on 91热爆 Sounds

Listen now to books on 91热爆 Sounds

Escape with books & stories