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Vikram Seth

Discussion programme that sets the cultural agenda for the week. Tom Sutcliffe talks to writers Vikram Seth, Nick Groom and Olivia Laing and ecologist Nick Davies.

Tom Sutcliffe talks to the Indian writer Vikram Seth about his latest collection of poetry, Summer Requiem, which traces the dying days of summer and is haunted by loss and decay. The cuckoo's song may celebrate the arrival of spring, but as Nick Davies explains the cuckoo is also a signal of doom, as he explores how cheating evolves and thrives in the natural world. The writer Olivia Laing finds inspiration in a murmuration of birds to ask questions about the beauty of patterns and freedom of movement, and Nick Groom celebrates and regrets the passing of the English seasons and folklore.
Producer: Katy Hickman.

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43 minutes

Last on

Mon 4 May 2015 21:30

Vikram Seth

is a writer and poet.

Summer Requiem: A Book of Poems is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Nick Davies

is Professor of Behavioural Ecology at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Pembroke College.

Cuckoo: Cheating by Nature is published by Bloomsbury.

Olivia Laing

is a writer and critic.

– collaborative art project at the Brighton Festival
Sat 2 - Sun 24 May
Wed - Fri, 12 noon - 7pm
Sat & Sun, 11am - 6pm

ONCA Gallery
14 St George’s Place, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 4GB

Tickets: Free

Nick Groom

is Professor in English at the University of Exeter and a writer.

The Seasons: A Celebration of the English Year is published by Atlantic Books.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Tom Sutcliffe
Interviewed Guest Vikram Seth
Interviewed Guest Olivia Laing
Interviewed Guest Nick Groom
Interviewed Guest Nick Davies
Producer Katy Hickman

Broadcasts

  • Mon 4 May 2015 09:00
  • Mon 4 May 2015 21:30

Podcast