Episode 1
Elizabeth von Arnim's semi-autobiographical account of a garden created on her husband's family estate. Read by Caroline Martin.
Best known for The Enchanted April, Elizabeth von Arnim's first novel, the semi-autobiographical Elizabeth and her German Garden, was published anonymously in 1898. In it she mines her unhappy marriage to an overbearing Count 鈥� the 'Man of Wrath' 鈥� and the mores of the German landed gentry. Subversive, witty and a beautiful meditation on the joys of gardening, it was a huge bestseller and firmly established von Arnim's reputation as an author.
Written as a series of diary entries, Elizabeth is a wild spirit whose minor eccentricities (she is happiest when eating salad outdoors) bemuse the servants and shock the high-born neighbours of her husband's family estate in northern Germany. Rather than hating its remoteness and dilapidation, Elizabeth sees her sojourn there as an opportunity to create a beautiful garden in which she can spend time thinking about the world, playing with her beloved daughters and tolerating the occasional visitor.
Reader: Caroline Martin
Writer: Elizabeth von Arnim
Abridger: Sara Davies
Producer: Kirsteen Cameron
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Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Reader | Caroline Martin |
| Author | Elizabeth von Arnim |
| Abridger | Sara Davies |
| Producer | Kirsteen Cameron |
Broadcasts
Mon 6 Jul 2015 22:45主播大秀 Radio 4- Mon 11 Nov 2019 14:00主播大秀 Radio 4 Extra
- Tue 12 Nov 2019 02:00主播大秀 Radio 4 Extra
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