Main content

From the puffed up and overpraised, to those he thinks may have been unfairly discounted, Ian Sansom imagines he's writing to some key figures from modern literary history.

'Dear Clarice Lispector,
You can鈥檛 judge a book by its cover. Except that we do judge a book by its cover, of course, and looks do matter 鈥� and you looked absolutely extraordinary...'

From the puffed up and overpraised, to those he thinks may have been unfairly discounted, Ian Sansom is writing imaginary correspondences to some key figures from modern literary history.

Now Ian supposes the late Brazilian novelist Clarice Lispector is receiving his dispatches.

Producer: Conor Garrett

Available now

14 minutes

Broadcast

  • Wed 14 Feb 2024 22:45

Death in Trieste

Death in Trieste

A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.

Watch: My Deaf World

Watch: My Deaf World

Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.

The Book that Changed Me

Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.

Download The Essay

Download The Essay

Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.

Podcast