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There has been on Radio 4's decision to broadcast readings from Hilary Mantel's short stories The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher next year.

I'd like to explain the decision.

Our readings programmes - notably Book at Bedtime and Book of the Week - present modern and classic literature every week of the year.

In doing so, they present a wide range of perspectives on all manner of issues.

Only last year, Charles Moore's official biography of Margaret Thatcher was .

The readings may delight, challenge, frustrate, educate or simply entertain - as the best literature from around the world should.

But they are chosen on merit and with our audience in mind. And we will not shy away from literature simply because it touches upon controversial subject matter.

So to the case in point.

The work of Hilary Mantel - a double Booker Prize-winning author and one of the most popular authors of our generation - is of significant interest to the public.

Naturally, her first collection of short stories is something which we think the Radio 4 audience will be keen to hear.

That one of the four stories that will be read in January is about a fictional assassination attempt on Margaret Thatcher is, of course, something we discussed.

But we believe our audience is sophisticated enough to accept a broad range of viewpoints, and we are loath to censor or avoid significant works of literature because they might be controversial; we would rather present the work and let listeners make up their own minds.

The reading of Hilary Mantel's collection will no doubt provoke further discussion between now and its broadcast in the New Year. It will not be a first time - books have been central to public discourse for centuries and will continue to provoke debate.