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Douglas Coupland, John Cowper Powys, and Martin Bell

Mariella Frostrup talks to Canadian novelist Douglas Coupland about his new book The Gum Thief. Journalist and former MP Martin Bell chooses his five favourite books.

Douglas Coupland
The man who coined the term Generation X to describe the lives of ambitionless, pop culture obsessed young adults joins Mariella to talk about his new book, The Gum Thief. What prompted him to set his novel in a stationery store?

John Cowper Powys
The novelist John Cowper Powys has been described as a genius, yet few of his books are in print. A N Wilson, who wrote a foreword for Powys’s Wolf Solent, explains why these books should not be overlooked.

How many volumes?
Do readers avoid books because they are just too long? The Forsyte Saga, traditionally three omnibus editions of three novels each, has been reissued in nine volumes. Mariella is joined by Joel Rickett of the Bookseller, to discuss how publishers can encourage readers to tackle such long works.

Martin Bell
Journalist and former MP Martin Bell tells Mariella about his five favourite books.

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30 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Sun 14 Oct 2007 16:00
  • Thu 18 Oct 2007 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

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