Bookclub Folgen

David Vann discusses his novel Legend of a Suicide with James Naughtie and this month's group of readers.Legend of a Suicide is an intimate and profound account of a family tragedy, told in six linked stories that deal with the complicated misunderstandings between a son and his father, and describes the love, guilt and the painful understanding that begins to come with adolescence. When it was published twelve years ago this autobiographical work of fiction was lauded as a groundbreaker; based on the events in David’s own life, and the death of his father when he was just 13, Legend of a Suicide is a tough but beautiful read. And in the novella at the heart of the book - the longest of the six sections – the reader is unlikely to forget what it's like to spend time in the loneliness of Sukkwan Island in Alaska. To take part in future Bookclubs, email bookclub@bbc.co.ukJanuary 2021's Bookclub Choice : Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005)Presenter : James Naughtie Interviewed Guest : David Vann Producer : Dymphna Flynn Studio Manager : Donald MacDonald

Tayari Jones discusses An American Marriage, which won the Women's Prize for Fiction 2019. The novel tells the story of Roy and Celestial, a newly wed and successful African-American couple in Atlanta whose marriage is tested when the husband is imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit.The book tackles the shadow cast by the judicial system over many African-American lives. Tayari tells Bookclub how the novel was inspired by an exchange she overheard between a man and a woman at a shopping mall. "The woman said - Roy, you wouldn't have waited on me for seven years. And he said, This wouldn't have happened to you in the first place."Presented by James Naughtie and including questions from this month's group of readers. To take part in future Bookclubs, email bookclub@bbc.co.ukDecember's Bookclub Choice : Legend of a Suicide by David Vann (2009)Presenter : James Naughtie Interviewed Guest : Tayari Jones Producer : Dymphna Flynn Studio Manager : Emma Harth

Joseph O'Connor talks about his novel of Irish emigration at the time of the Famine, Star of the Sea with James Naughtie and readers.In the winter of 1847, the Star of the Sea sets sails from Ireland for New York. Among the refugees are a maidservant, a bankrupt aristocrat, an aspiring novelist and a maker of revolutionary ballads. As we learn each of their stories, we also learn how each is connected more deeply than they know. The novel has its roots in Connemara, with the characters being connected to the land and the sea. At the heart of the story is the threatening figure of Pius Mulvey – the balladeer and adventurer who turns bad as the story unfolds. As one reader asks, is Pius Mulvey Jack the Lad, or is he Jack the Ripper? Mulvey stalks the decks of the ship like some kind of embodiment of the tragedy that’s overtaken the old country.Joseph O’Connor explains how he created the character of Pius, his ambivalent relationship with Dickens who has a cameo role in the book, and how he has a connection to Connemara from childhood holidays; plus his hopes that the novel will keep the story of the Famine alive for the next generation of Irish people. To take part in our Bookclub recording with Tana French on the Wych Elm email bookclub@bbc.co.ukNovember's Bookclub Choice : An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (2018)Presenter : James Naughtie Interviewed Guest : Joseph O'Connor Producer : Dymphna Flynn Studio Manager : Tim Heffer