4.2 • 824 Ratings
🗓️ 15 December 2019
⏱️ 28 minutes
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Benjamin Markovits, PG Wodehouse, Family rows in novels and child prodigies
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0:00.0 | In Northern Ireland, from the late 70s to the early 90s, the IRA killed over 40 alleged informers. |
0:08.0 | But the man who often found, tortured and sometimes killed these people on behalf of the IRA |
0:12.0 | was himself an informer, a secret British army agent with the codename Stakeknife. |
0:18.0 | Who gets to play God? And why me? Why my family? |
0:21.3 | When lies are still being told to this day, who do you believe? |
0:25.1 | I wouldn't even know where to start, and I'm with the IRA. |
0:28.5 | Steakknife. |
0:29.7 | Listen first on BBC Sounds. |
0:33.8 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
0:37.3 | Today, a little bit of plum with your Christmas pudding, perhaps. |
0:40.6 | We hear about a new anthology of P.G. Woodhouse's sports writing. |
0:44.8 | Don Mullen explores the festive fun of family fororees in fiction. |
0:49.0 | And we hear the remarkable stories of two child prodigies whose books are back in print. But we begin today with author |
0:56.5 | Ben Markovitz, who's taking us to Austin, Texas, where the extended Essinger family are preparing |
1:02.6 | for their festive reunion. Having written a trilogy on the life of Lord Byron and a state of the |
1:08.0 | nation foray with You Don't Have to Live Like This, his latest work takes him much closer to home. |
1:14.3 | The saga began last year with a weekend in New York, |
1:17.5 | centering around Paul, a pro tennis player, |
1:19.8 | competing in the US open with his extended family all around him. |
1:23.7 | Fast forward 18 months, and in novel number two, it's Christmas in Austin. |
1:28.7 | The four siblings, Paul, Susan, Nathan, Jean and Paul's estranged girlfriend Dana |
1:33.4 | and his child Cal have all gathered to celebrate in the family home. |
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