Claire speaks to Juhea Kim about her latest novel which centres around an elite Russian ballet dancer returning to the stage after a serious injury.The City of Night Birds is a meditation on the purity and pain of artistic expression but also investigates its purpose in a fractured world.
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20:50
My Biggest Book 03 | Emma Donoghue on Room
In this episode of My Biggest Book, where prominent authors ponder their breakthrough novels, Emma Donaghue recalls her 2010 novel Room.Inspired by the famous Fritzl case, it's about a boy and his mother held captive in a small room, the only world the child, Jack, has ever known. The book was shortlisted for the Booker and in 2015 the film version was released. That adaptation was also written by Emma Donoghue, and it won an Oscar for Brie Larson, who played Jack's mother, Ma. But these accolades came later in her writing career and Emma has some sage advice for younger authors.
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35:00
David Baldacci; Sara Haddad's novella The Sunbird
David Baldacci is the bestselling writer of heroes like Mickey Gibson and Aloysius Archer. He's written 50 books for adults as well as novels for younger readers. Some of his stories have been made into blockbuster movies or TV series. His latest, To Die For, features undercover agent Travis Devine as he faces his biggest challenge yet, protecting a 12 year old girl.At just over 75 pages, Sara Haddad's The Sunbird, a parable about a Palestinian woman in her 80s haunted by an attack on her hometown is concise and passionate. So much so that a group of prominent Australian writers sent the novella as part of suggested educational reading about conflict in the Middle East to every MP in the country.
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21:20
My Biggest Book 02 | Hanif Kureishi on The Buddha of Suburbia
There's an extra element to this second episode of My Biggest Book, where some of the world's biggest authors reminisce about their all-time biggest books.Hanif Kureishi's comedic novel The Buddha of Suburbia, about a father and a mixed race teenager growing up in the suburbs of 1970's South London won awards and was adapted to a successful TV series.Following the devastating accident that left him a tetraplegic and in a wheelchair, Hanif Kureishi now has a very different perspective. In a colourful and spirited conversation he describes how this accident two years ago transformed his views both on this debut novel as well as the themes and approaches to his current writing, including his memoir Shattered.
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33:00
The prolific Alexander McCall Smith
Look in any library or book shop at any time of year and there's bound to be a newly released Alexander McCall Smith novel on the shelf. Most known for his No 1 Ladies' Detectives Agency Series, the 44 Scotland Series, and even books for children, he also writes standalone novels. Hear how he uses the seasons to write up to five books a year, including one of the latest, The Winds from Further West, Polygon.
New Zealand