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Paul Bailey

Episode 2 of 5

Novelist Paul Bailey discusses writing in his ninth decade.

The novelist Paul Bailey discusses writing in his ninth decade. What does it mean to be creatively active for long enough to have a late style? 'Do not let me hear of the wisdom of old men', TS Eliot says, 'but rather of their folly'. Late Beethoven stared human extinction in the face and composed music of stark clarified beauty; late Rubens painted with a looser more sensuous brush stroke - was he remembering the flesh of his younger life or was his arthritis affecting his grip? Late style for writer might include a maturation of style, a relaxing into the wisdom of age and experience, but it might also mean struggling to hold onto your gifts, and writing through illness and through grief. A week of essays from three poets and two novelists. Producer: Tim Dee.

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15 minutes

Last on

Tue 25 Apr 2017 22:45

Broadcast

  • Tue 25 Apr 2017 22:45

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