Main content

Kate Atkinson: Life After Life

Kate Atkinson discusses her celebrated novel Life After Life.

This month on World Book Club award-winning British writer Kate Atkinson discusses her celebrated novel Life After Life. In it Atkinson poses the question: What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right?

On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born and then dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, while the young century marches on towards its second cataclysmic world war.

Does Ursula's apparently infinite number of lives give her the power to save the world from its inevitable destiny? And if she can - will she?

Presented by Harriett Gilbert.

Available now

50 minutes

Last on

Wed 10 Oct 2018 23:06GMT
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet

More episodes

Previous

James Ellroy - American Tabloid

Next

Lijia Zhang: Lotus

See all episodes from World Book Club

Clip

Broadcasts

  • Sun 7 Oct 2018 03:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet
  • Sun 7 Oct 2018 13:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet
  • Wed 10 Oct 2018 08:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet
  • Wed 10 Oct 2018 17:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Australasia
  • Wed 10 Oct 2018 23:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet

Ten Amazing Interviews

Favourite episodes of World Book Club, featuring Maya Angelou and Henning Mankell.

Crime Fiction

Henning Mankel, Patrica Cornwell, Jo Nesbo: stars of the genre discuss their craft.

Tales from History

From the tulip fields of 17th Century Amsterdam to the trenches of World War One.

Podcast

  • World Book Club

    The world's great authors discuss their best-known novel.