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Lolita Chakrabarti on her play Hymn, literature about waiting, The Silence of the Lambs 30 years on

What can literature teach us about waiting?

As the nation waits for the vaccine and lockdown restrictions to ease, what can literature teach us about the art of waiting? Writer Rebecca Stott, critic Alex Clark and poet Anthony Anaxagorou discuss the art of waiting, whether cheerfully or 'with a green and yellow melancholy… like Patience on a monument' as Viola says in Twelfth Night.

Lolita Chakrabarti’s play Hymn begins at a funeral where two men meet, and begin to form a remarkable bond. Lolita discusses her play that uses music and dance to chart the developing bond between these men. The play that begins streaming live from the Almeida Theatre this week.

What do you remember of The Silence of the Lambs? It was released 30 years ago yesterday - on St Valentine's Day. The critic Michael Carlson looks back at this horror classic which uses elements of the rom-com genre, and argues we are wrong to think Lecter is the central figure. Clarice Starling, the FBI trainee, played by Jodie Foster, is the focus, and the film plays out from her perspective.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Simon Richardson

Main image above: Adrian Lester as Gil in Hymn
Image credit: Marc Brenner

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29 minutes

Lolita Chakrabarti on her play Hymn

The Almeida theatre, London is streaming live online from 17 - 21 February 2021. Images:     Main image above: Adrian Lester as Gil in HymnImage to the left: Author Lolita Chakrabarti watches Hymn being rehearsed.        Images credit:  Marc Brenner        

Literature on waiting

Literature on waiting
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  • Mon 15 Feb 2021 19:15

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