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Diana Athill

Sue Lawley's castaway is writer and editor Diana Athill.

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the writer and book editor Diana Athill.
For nearly 50 years Diana Athill was involved in every aspect of publishing, from editing and even completely rewriting books to drawing adverts, designing covers and nursing authors for the publishing house Andre Deutsch. They published some of the greatest names of the 20th century, including Norman Mailer, Jack Kerouac, VS Naipaul and Jean Rhys.

Her career has been remarkable, but it was one that she fell into after her original plans for marriage and children fell through. Now aged 86, she is still writing and her novel Make Believe is being republished this autumn - and she still visits the Norfolk estate owned by her family where she spent so much time as a girl riding horses.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: O Glucklich Paar by Franz Joseph Haydn
Book: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Luxury: Her own bed

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Fri 25 Jun 2004 09:00
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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Karan Bilimoria

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Tim Rice

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Music Played

  • Jean Sibelius

    The First Fiss, Op.37/1

    • Songs of Brahms, Sibelius & Sten Hammar.
    • BMG.

  • Arthur Sullivan

    On a tree by a river (Tit Willow) (from The Mikado)

    Librettist: William Gilbert.
    • The Mikado.
    • Ter Classics.

  • Robert Schumann

    Träumerei (from Scenes from Childhood)

    • Schumann: Scenes from Childhood.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.

  • Fred Astaire

    Night and Day

    • The incomparable Fred Astaire.
    • Haylcyon.

  • Big Bill Broonzy

    Going Down This Road Feeling Bad

    • The 1955 London Sessions.
    • Sequel Records.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Deh vieni, non tardar (from The Marriage of Figaro)

    • Le Nozze Di Figaro.
    • Decca.

  • Castaway's Favourite

    • Joseph Haydn

      O happy pair (from The Creation)

      • Haydn: The Creation.
      • Decca.

  • Gustav Mahler

    Ich atmet' einem linden Duft (from RΓΌckert-Lieder)

    • Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde.
    • Decca.

  • Book Choice

    • Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

  • Luxury Choice

    • Her own bed

Credits

Presenter Sue Lawley
Interviewed Guest Diana Athill

Broadcasts

  • Sun 20 Jun 2004 11:15
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
  • Fri 25 Jun 2004 09:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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