Comments by Chris Chambers

Comment for "Remembering William James" (deleted)

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Review of OPEN SOURCE: Remembering William James (deleted)

This is just a straight interview with William James' biographer Robert Richardson. But it's great. Near the beginning it's mentioned that James was so appealing to the ordinary person because he wrote in an accessible language. The same can be said of this interview. It's packed with quotes and ideas which are discussed in a clear and easy manner. It is philosophy that you can grab hold of and make sense of. Richardson clearly knows his subject inside out and is like an apostle spreading the word with clarity and ease.

I can mention so many quotes that can help make sense of one's own life and experiences. That's always a good barometer for a worthwhile programme - how it affects you personally.

SO - 'Always do what you are afraid to do' Mrs. Ralph Emerson told her children.
'The thought itself is the thinker'
'Never reject anything as anything is possible'.
'People can't understand people who aren't like them'.

OK, it sounds like some ghastly 'how to improve yourself' manual but no - this is one with pithy substance and although James' ideas are reaching a century old they still have great relevance for today. The last part is about the desire people have for war - Oh how true.
A great listen although I think that the presenter and interviewer were in different studios which lacks an intimacy. No matter.

Comment for "Seeking Diplomacy Through Religion" (deleted)

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Review of Seeking Diplomacy Through Religion (deleted)

The second part of this programme is a straight forward interview with an expert come author about how parents react and behave during their child's divorce. It speaks for itself and needs no dissection. The first part however was fascinating and throws up just as many questions as it tries to answer. How can religion be used in diplomacy? How can it help resolve conflicts? Of course, religion can be seen as the cause of a lot of this in the first place. Not so says Dr. Douglas Johnston. It's nearly always political, socio-economic reasons. Even in northern Ireland where protestants and Catholics have been at each other's throats for a long, long time. And then there's the division of church and state. How can religion play an important role in diplomacy in a secular state? Johnston has some good arguments and although one might not agree with him it's food for thought, especially when he's talking about dealing with countries where religion is the dominant political force. Does one use language that they understand and quote from religious texts? That's divisive in itself isn't it?

Comment for "Faith and Trust in Rwanda (Voices on Genocide Prevention)" (deleted)

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Review of Faith and Trust in Rwanda (Voices on Genocide Prevention) (deleted)

To quote Hamlet - words, words, words. Why should I do that when this is a story about taking action? This is about a genocide and the death of 800,000 people. We're constantly told throughout the interview that Carl remained in Kigali during those deadly weeks and took - action. Well great but let's hear about what that action was. At no stage does that happen. Instead, at least it seems to me, we hear a rather dull account of the reasoning to stay and a pulpit approach to morality. I have interviewed people who were also in Kigila during that time and there are extraordinary stories to be told. I'm sure Carl has similar ones but the questioning was such that there was never an opportunity for them to come out. Disappointing.

Comment for "Japan's Pop Power (American RadioWorks)"

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Review of Japan's Pop Power (American RadioWorks)

I realise now that being a child in England in the 60s and 70s was to grow up in a bubble. It was fun, yes, but popular culture for us was anything English or American. Things foreign were restricted to the kitchen and almost always involved bamboo shoots and garlic. This programme has thrust that fact in to my face by showing how other cultures are now impacting on our less than homogenous society. And it seems that the Japanese are as good at exporting animated films and comic books as they are at making reliable cars. I knew nothing about anime and manga and it has surprised me that these are so big in western pop culture. Apparently it's huge and growing exponentially.
This programme hit all the right notes and is beautifully written and produced, throwing in facts and thoughts at just the right moments but it reminded me a little of WNYC's Radio Lab series on a bit of an off day. Yes, it was extremely good but perhaps a little too measured for my taste. It was very interesting and I listened intently but if the phone had rung in the middle of it I'm not sure I would have put it on pause!

Comment for "Death In Juarez"

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Review of Death In Juarez

Near the beginning of this piece a priest living in Juarez says in a drol manner "This is not a nice place." And as this programme unfolds one realises how much of an understatement this is.
All the information you need to know about the content is written in the accompanying material. It is simply put together but the strength of this programme is in the choice of interviewees. They are very eloquent and give a thorough idea of what's happening in Juarez and why. Why are so many women being murdered and the killers seem to be perpetrating them with impunity.
This is a very thought provoking programme and well worth playing although you'd have to check whether it's still contemporaneous since it was made more than two years ago. For exmaple, at one stage someone says that Vincente Fox is the president. He no longer is.

Comment for "A Conversation with Shimon Peres"

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Review of A Conversation with Shimon Peres

Is it possible to broadcast an hour long live speech followed by a Q&A session? My instinct would be to say no not really. However, I was fascinated with this piece. I was absorbed from beginning to end. Shimon Peres is a wonderful speaker. Thoughtful, precise and engaging. I was surprised. I've always thought of him as lacking charisma and of being the 'also man' - even though he's been around longer than any other Israeli politician and has held practically every important post in the government there. One wonders though, if someone of his sensibilities (as it comes across here anyway)and his stature isn't able to bring peace to the region, then who can?
This is a programme of two halves. The first half an hour is a speech. His main thrust is that the economy and business are the most important aspects of a society. "Governments have budgets and not money," he says cynically. Modernising is important and that the current clashes are with those who're afraid of losing their way of life.
Also, the questions put to him were thoughtful and intelligent. This can sometimes be the trouble with Q&As. Questions can be trite and boring.
There are some very powerful moments especially when he describes as prime minister seeing the first suicide bombing of a bus in Jerusalem and the chants of traitor directed to him fom his own people.
The only problem with this is that of course it is one sided. Israel comes across as a country that is just defending itself from outside aggression and is reacting to circumstance. Isn't it a bit more complicated than that!
However, pushing that aside, it's worth listening to just to hear the views of a man steeped in history.

Comment for "The Gospel of Lido"

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Review of The Gospel of Lido

As a child I used to go to Ruislip Lido in West London. A chink of summer sun and my two sisters, two cousins and I would gleefully head for the water. It's more than thirty years ago now but I still remember the clashing mix of calm and chaos, sound and silence.
I thought this programme might bring those memories crashing back. It was not to be. Where's the sound? Where are those memories. I felt detached. If you're going to make a story about lidos then the lido has to be the star and not just have a walk-on part.
There were good speakers but I wasn't really interested in what they had to say. In fact, I didn't care what they had to say. I wanted them to talk about the Lido as though it was their best friend. I wanted anecdotes.
It would be hard to find a spot for this in any US programming. It's very British and the content makes it too parochial although the concept is anything but - lakes in an urban landscape.

Comment for "Life After the Holocaust: Thomas Buergenthal" (deleted)

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Review of LIFE AFTER THE HOLOCAUST: THOMAS BUERGENTHAL (deleted)

This is a classic profile feature. Buergenthal is a fascinating man with an extraordinary history and so one can't really go wrong when making a piece on his life. So, just for the content of this programme I would have given a four rating. The final rating is less because I just felt that the presentation could have been a little more imaginative. I would have preferred to have heard a straight interview which would have created a warmer and more intimate connection. Instead, the listener is felt detached from Buergenthal because his words have been edited between rather stodgy links.

Also, the The International Court of Justice in The Hague is hinted at at the beginning of the programme and then disappears without a trace. A shame because if anyone belongs in such an important legal institution it's Buergenthal. A marriage of true minds with no impediment.

Comment for "Liberty and Justice for... Whom?" (deleted)

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Review of Liberty and Justice for... Whom? (deleted)

The issue of how one's freedom is being eroded by governments reponse to the current geo-political scene is an essential debate. Today's rushed laws to deal with the 'terror' threat are tomorrow's ball and chain. And laws are a little like concrete, once laid down they're tough to get rid off.
So, in that respect this programme is an important arm in that debate. So, you'd think this half an hour would be riveting. Well, I found it a little too indigestable. Too dry. Where's the sound? This is radio not the editorial column of a national daily newspaper.
If you're making a big pumpkin pie don't forget the seasoning.
For re-broadcasting there would have to be some editing. Rumsfeld, praise the Lord, is no longer Defence secretary. So, edit that bit out with a big smile on your face.

Comment for "Reports from a Warming Planet (American RadioWorks)"

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Review of Reports from a Warming Planet (American RadioWorks)

This is a timely programme and one which can no doubt be broadcast at any time over the next few years - the main thrust of its subject matter being an issue which is going to tax human endeavour and resilience over many decades to come.
There are reports from across the world looking at how climate change is already affecting populations, from the slopes of a volcano in Ecuador to the deltas of Bangladesh. Each report is a microcosm of what's happening globally and tells the same dismal story. No-one is going to be immmune but, as per usual, it's the people who contribute least to the problem who are likely to suffer the most.
It may be an idea to broadcast some of these items seperately because I feel that an hour is too long mainly because there's very little light and shade. Every item is produced in the same way and it just starts to pall half way through. These are nearly all illustrated essays. As a listener I felt too detached which is a shame because the subject is one of the most important imaginable.
It's a great idea to travel around the world giving examples of how climate change is already affecting the planet and some far flung examples were found. However, for it to work fully, more thought has to be put into the sound as a whole. This is one case where the sum of all parts is not equal to each individual item.

Comment for "Radiolab, Show 205: Space"

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Review of Radio Lab, Show 205: Space

All I can say about this is that if you have an hour slot to fill then this is an absolute must. It's fantastic radio. The scripting and use of sound is exceptional.
I don't need to describe the content but from the first note (and I use that word deliberately as the programme is akin to a symphony) it has you wrapped around its finger.
This programme can't be recommended enough. Oh gush, gush, And I promise that I'm not related in any way!

Comment for "Radiolab, Show 203: Morality"

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Review of Radio Lab, Show 203: Morality

This is excellent radio. It's thought-provoking, amusing and, most importantly, brilliantly produced. The use of music is perfect and the innovative way the two presenters interact within each feature has the effect of drawing you in futher to the discussion. This is a great example of how quite simple features can become transformed using imaginative production. There was superb editing work in there.
I give five stars as sparingly as Howard Hughes gave interviews but I have no hesitation in recommending this and no doubt all the other Radio Lab programmes too.

Comment for "Another Time" (deleted)

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Review of Another Time (deleted)

These two hour theatre plays are broadcast by many US stations. I would have no problem at all recommending them. They are of the highest quality. The problem will be slotting a two hour whole in to your programming. A Saturday or Sunday afternoon slot? Or perhaps a late evening broadcast? I would suggest that it has to be played in its entirety because, with this play anyway, there is an intensity that shouldn't be broken. I thought I I would listen to an hour one evening and the rest the following evening because I didn't start listening until late in to the night. Well, a stupid thought. I listened to it in one sitting.
I like enormously the concept of this. Live, in front of an audience. It gives an added depth. I felt as though I was also present which was great because, living in Amsterdam, I can so rarely go to an English speaking play. I preferred the dynamics of a live broadcast compared to most radio plays which I believe can lose so much vitality in a recording studio.

Why do I only give four stars? Certainly not for the quality of the production. However, the play itself - excellent but not Harwood's greatest. Actually, I feel a bit churlish not giving five stars but..........

Comment for "Unpredictable Journey"

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Review of Unpredictable Journey

This is described as a personal essay. Marc Steiner is part of a group that returns to Vietnam. An hour long programme is a long time to keep the listener engrossed. I feel it lies uncomfortably between two stools. There's the predominant studio based essay interspersed sporadically with some sound and an occasional interview from the trip. The two never quite come together leaving a sense of detachment. However personal the story may be somehow it just doesn't give a sense of the atmosphere of what that return journey was really like. It just doesn't come alive and I was never drawn in to their world.
There are of course some interesting moments such as when the culture police become involved and try to prevent an interview. Once it is sorted out the interviewee says to them not to worry - that it's comedy and not tragedy. For me though it can't resurrect the uncomfortable marriage of essay and inadequate sound.

Comment for "Guerilla Gardeners" (deleted)

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Review of Guerilla Gardeners (deleted)

I have a bit of a problem with this programme. There wasn't any gardening. Just people talking about it and I was half way through before I really knew even what it was. It seemed muddled to me. Amorphous. Like a drunk amoeba. Where was the form? And music suddenly arrived three quarters of the way through.
Just do the interviews and see what we come up with. Close your eyes, grab a few items from the kitchen cupboard, throw them into a bowl, whisk, put in oven and will it make a victoria sponge?
I'm sorry if this is a bit harsh but it's a great subject and ten minutes is ample time to really get to grips with it. I just felt it lacked any depth. Which just goes to show how personal these opinions can be considering the other reviews are far more praising.

Comment for "Central America After the Wars Part Four - The Press, Indigenous Identity & The Artists' View"

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Review of Central America After the Wars Part Four - The Press, Indigenous Identity & The Artists' View

This is three separate items within an hour long format. Each one is very well researched and produced giving a different aspect to life in Guatemala. The first is the most disturbing. Yes, the civil war in the country is now over but how free is the press? Journalists are being intimidated and threatened. Those who dare to report about the widespread corruption in the military are putting their lives at risk. There are many interviews including first hand accounts. It would have been nice if a spokesperson for the military was interviewed but I'm sure the producers tried.
This was broadcast a year ago and so events may have moved on but if you're looking for a slot with a rounded and authoritative edge then you can do no better than re-broadcast any of these excellent pieces.
My only quibble is that it was very much the Maria Martin show, host and reporter. She's good but perhaps a little too much if one wants to play the complete hour long programme.

Comment for "Morality Lost"

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Review of Morality Lost

It's difficult to find anything redeeming in the Bush administration's foreign policy and the stories that have been coming out of Iraq and Guantanomo Bay make the heart sink to ever greater depths. Radio programmes, such as this, which deconstruct these policies are of course an essential pillar in the democratic process but there are times when I feel that the presenting style is so didactic and preachy that despite the seriousness of the issue I want to switch off. The two interviews in this programme are strong enough in themselves to make one very much aware of what's going on. I don't then need to be prodded in the stomach with a blunt instrument by a street preacher in the guise of a presenter. This is clearly a programme preaching to the converted. Isn't it more important to bring the doubters in to the fold?
I feel that the producer of this programme was so intent on focusing on the horror of internment and torture that he/she forgot about some of the basics of radio making. Who is the interviewer who appears from no-where? I also had to rewind to find out who the interviewee was in the second interview. Very confusing.
The first interviewee, Moazzam Begg was very eloquent but I wanted his story to have more structure. When did his kidnap happen? Where and how? How long was he detained for?
In my book let the interviewee damn with eloquence, facts and experience. That's the power of radio and certainly the strength here. I don't need to be hit on the head with hobnail boots by the presenter.

Comment for "Gorilla Man" (deleted)

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Review of Gorilla Man (deleted)

This feature reminds me more of an illustrated newspaper column than a real radio report. It has some nice sound but my impression is, although I know it's obviously not the case, that it could have been taken from a sound effects CD. The report seems distant and detached and there's no sense that the reporter was actually in situ. Was she really doing the interviews? If so, where is she? It's a good story but it needs to be brought alive by some hands on reporting, getting your hands dirty and in to the thick of the action.

Comment for "Wandering Souls"

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Review of Wandering Souls

Firstly, this is a fantastic story. Manna from heaven for any radio producer. It could so easily have been called 'Homer's Odyssey' - a Vietnam veteran called Homer kills a Vietnamese soldier and thirty-six years later sends back to the soldier's family the letters and documents taken from his body. There is some truely wonderful and moving material in this programme. Weaving between accounts from the Vietnamese family and from Homer and his acquaintances. Both sides to the story are told. For once a face to the enemy. Yes, flesh and blood like anyone else.
I do thoroughly recommend this programme and so why haven't I given it five stars? Because it could have been an exceptional piece of radio.
It falls short because, despite the great use of music (although sometimes too long) and the high production values, it's just not tight enough. For my ear, the narrative was too intrusive and broke the power. It invaded a highly charged space. I would love to hear this programme edited down to half an hour. Then I'd willingly give it five stars plus.

Comment for "Tales from Urban Forests 3:The Urban Forest Healing Center/Every Tree Tells a Story"

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Review of Tales from Urban Forests 3:The Urban Forest Healing Center/Every Tree Tells a Story

How often have you been feeling tired, a little depressed, and in need of a bit of revitalisation? How many of you would instinctively migrate towards some greenery to revive your spirits? Well, I certainly would and I do and this programme makes me more aware of why. Why I seek out nature to soothe my tired mind.
This programme is divided into two parts and both are well worth listening to. Very well written, produced and mixed. The first concentrates on the healing power of nature from helping reduce crime in urban areas to improving the productivity of employees. Did you know that on top of City Hall in Chicago is a field with its own hill and a beehive. The honey is auctioned off by the Mayor each year?
It's an absorbing programme because one can relate so quickly to the sentiment. Living in Amsterdam, a city of water, just the gentle glistening of the sun on a lightly rippling water is enough to restore my spirits.
The second of the programmes looks at how immigrants need a little of their natural heritage to help them in their new environments. There's the Russian who finds peace amongst the birch groves in Hampstead Heath in London and the extraordinary sound of song birds in a Chinatown park in New York. People creating their own private space in a public sphere.
It's a delight to listen in. My only criticism is that in the presenter's quest to give many examples in my view she doesn't spend enough time on each. In fact, many of the examples could be expanded to a full programme. What a fascinating programme the song birds would make...following these Chinese. Any takers. If it's ever made please let me know.

Comment for "Poetry Unbound"

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Review of Poetry Unbound

Near the beginning of this interview the interviewer says that there are those who believe that poetry doesn't translate very well on radio. I'm one of those who agree with Rao's answer that poetry is, on the contrary, very effective on radio using the power and force of sound to best advantage. Her poetry, mixed with music is very absorbing and intriguing. Her use of music actually makes you listen even more to the potency of the words. Unfortunately, I feel that there are not enough examples of her work in this piece and the interview itself is a bit turgid. A series of questions that never really get beyond a superficial response. I'm sure that Rao's an interesting woman with an interesting slant on life and her surroundings but her power in this interview comes from listening to her work and not to the conversation.

Comment for "The Life of Rachel Corrie"

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Review of The Life of Rachel Corrie

Rachel Corrie died whilst trying to stop an Israeli tank from bulldozing a home in the Gaza Strip. This interview with her parents, two erudite people with strong ethical and political views seems to miss the mark a little. It comes alive only about three quarters of the way through when the mother reads out one of her daughters e-mails she wrote from the Middle-East. Before that we hear about Rachel's youth and her influences. As a listener I don't find it particularly enlightening and the opening question doesn't give me much confidence. "Were there early signs that Rachel looked at the world in a unique way?" Well, she may have been an interesting, inquisitive child but a one off? A first? What clearly comes out of the interview is that she is a product of her parents and inherited their intellectual curiosity.

Unfortunately, the interview spends far too much time exploring Rachel's pre-Middle-East experiences and how that would have influenced her decision to go there. A programme on her time in the Palestinian territories interspered with her e-mails written whilst there(numerous apparently)would surely have been more riveting.

Comment for "Philip Roth" (deleted)

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Review of Philip Roth (deleted)

If you're interested in the musings of great writers then any hour long interview with one of America's finest is essential listening. I don't know how often he gives interviews (probably every time he has a new book out - and indeed this interview coincides with his latest work 'Everyman')but he never disappoints with his mix of dry wit, incisive social commentary and famous disdain.

The interview starts with a reading from 'Everyman' about the final moments of a man's life on earth. "Is it redemptive?" asks the interviewer. "That's not a word I use too much," says Roth, "unless I go to the grocery store with some coupons!"

There are moments when he doesn't make it easy for the interviewer but that makes it all the more entertaining. Relating back to the passage from 'Everyman' the interviewer says it reminds him of the writing of St. Francis about there being an eternal light. "No," says Roth, "it's exactly the opposite". Quite right, if you're going to ask pretentious questions be prepared for a rebuff!

Roth talks about growing old (the subject of 'Everyman') and like many of his eminent contemporaries describes his feeling of powerlessness under the current American administration. He can only "just whine with friends on the phone."

This is a straight interview conducted in Roth's home but compelling listening, as one would expect.

Comment for "America Abroad "Darfur: Genocide and Global Intervention"" (deleted)

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Review of America Abroad "Darfur: Genocide and Global Intervention" (deleted)

I'm on the verge of calling this an excellent programme. It's got some great speakers and packages but somehow the sum of its parts doesn't quite live up to the quality of each individual item. That's because it seems to tread with a firm grip around the edges of the issue of genocide and Darfur but doesn't hit the very centre.

There's an excellent and authorative interview at the start with the journalist Nick Kristof where he tells the harrowing story of what's happening on the ground in Darfur and ends with the disturbing statement that neighbouring Chad has a fifty fifty chance of falling apart by the end of the year.

However, it's followed by a package on the twentieth century history of genocide and then one of the history of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Good as these reports are (and there's definitely room for them in the programme) I just feel that I want to hear more about Darfur and the international failure to intervene and someone answering the questions Kristof throws out. There is a good package at the end of the programme on what's happening on the ground in Darfur and if there had been an interview after that with a politician answering questions on why governments singularly fail to act, then I would suggest this is essential listening.

Instead, I feel I've been served an excellent meal only that they forgot to serve me any wine.

Comment for "Making a Difference"

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Review of Making a Difference

David Gilmore has a gentle voice. It's soothing, conversational and packs a heavy punch. He pulls you into a story with seemingly minimal effort. The production values of the whole programme are high with an excellent use of music that is an almost constant feature throughout and it's far from being obtrusive as it could so easily be.

There are three features in this one all with the theme 'Making a Difference' and if you've only got twenty minutes to spare then save it for the final item with Barbara Bernstein. She recounts (with great style) her encounters in the early 1990s with the 'Oregon Citizens Alliance'. This was a religious group that was highly vocal in the State in this period and had a strong following. There are moments of utter absurdity which one could laugh at if it wasn't so threatening and serious. "I believe there is a devil," says one woman. "And I believe that he's deceived gay people into believing that their practices are OK." But then that's easily trumped by the 'Pink Swastika theory'. Homosexuals are responsible for the creation of the Nazi party! Yes, apparently fascism comes from "the minds and perverted ideas of homosexuals. Militant, sado-masochistic, paedophilic homosexuals!" By 2002 the leader of the band was serving a six month jail term and according to the programme his wife was due to join him. Hallelujah!

This would suggest that within the space of a decade public opinion can shift (positively) but there's a moment in the first item when you realise, in the US anyway, there are some trenchant and dangerous views. A gay fireman describes his experience on 9/11. He risked his life only to hear later the evangelist Pat Robertson blame the attack on homosexuals. This is a standard report (with a rather cliche ridden reporter's commentary ending with "his life will never be the same"....) about a 9/11 experience but when it's aligned with such bigotry one realises it's an important message. This fireman is 'Making a Difference' by speaking out.

The last two items are both written by articulate women with a good, strong, narrative style. It's fine and thought provoking material.

Comment for "The Writers Studio Season 2, featuring Margaret Drabble"

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Review of The Writer's Studio Season 2, featuring Margaret Drabble

You can't really go wrong when you've got a speaker as eloquent and erudite as Margaret Drabble. Her answers are so rounded and poised you feel that every word is a gem of originality. Of course, she's a doyen of the literary festival and there's certainly no question she wouldn't have heard before. And if there is a duff question or a non-sequitur thrown at her she's able to deflect it with consummate ease.

There were a couple of irritating questions like a ridiculously open ended one on links between literature and the law which would have taken a whole programme to shed any reasonable light on. There were moments when one wished the interviewer would have gone further with a particular line of discussion but despite that there were some interesting moments. Questions on 'the anxiety of influence', 'the multiplicity of perspectives' and 'cultural appropriation' all received interesting answers and makes one realise how difficult it must be to write truly original material. Drabble herself believes it's not possible however hard one might try. It was also interesting to hear that, in Drabble's days studying English at Cambridge in the 1960s, Virginia Woolf was never even mentioned and her books were hardly in print. Oh, how times change.

This is standard literary festival stuff but lovely to see it being given an hour long radio slot. Drabble herself must relish such an opportunity because these days it's rare to hear on the airwaves. I notice that this is a series and that writers such as Umberto Eco, James Ellroy and Bret Easton Ellis are also involved. Taken together it's no doubt a good option for all stations and listeners interested in the art of writing.

It would need a little editing if to be re-broadcast. It's plainly recorded prior to the last US presidential election and Alan Hollinghurst had just won the Booker prize.

Of course, one still skims the surface of Drabble's mind but it's a journey worth taking all the same.