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Steve Toltz on Quicksand

Presenter Alex Clark talks to Australian novelist Steve Toltz about his new book Quicksand, the story of a friendship between a policeman, who is also a writer, and a criminal.

Alex Clark talks to Australian novelist Steve Toltz about his new novel Quicksand, the story of an unlikely friendship between Liam a policeman, who also happens to be a writer, and Aldo, an unlucky man who spends some time in prison. The novel is full of one liners, aphorisms, jokes and word play and questions ideas about fate, luck and what it is to be an artist.

Also on the programme, the winner of this year's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Jenny Erpenbeck discusses her novel The End of Days, a moving and bleak portrait of 20th century Germany seen through the many lives of one woman; Elizabeth Day and Tessa McWatt talk about writing about London and an editor shares her pick of June's new titles.

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Thu 4 Jun 2015 15:30

Chapters

  • Steve Toltz

    Duration: 08:58

  • The Wall Creeper by Nell Zink

    Duration: 04:35

  • Jenny Erpenbeck

    Duration: 06:32

  • Books based in London discussion

    Duration: 07:05

Read the first chapter of Quicksand by Steve Toltz

by Steve Toltz

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Alex Clark
Interviewed Guest Steve Toltz
Interviewed Guest Jenny Erpenbeck
Interviewed Guest Elizabeth Day
Interviewed Guest Tessa McWatt

Broadcasts

  • Sun 31 May 2015 16:00
  • Thu 4 Jun 2015 15:30

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