Writers by Writers
Gossip writers and voyeurs calling themselves scholars - that was W.H. Auden's view of literary biographers. But how do they see themselves? Are they noble seekers after truth or heartless parasites on the creative genius of others? And where do they draw the line when they're tracking down the writer behind the work?
Humphrey Carpenter, himself a biographer, investigates this contentious form of writing with the help of fellow-practitioners Michael Holroyd , Claire Tomalin ,
Hilary Spurling , Andrew Motion and Ian Hamilton. Producer LIZ EDWARDS
(Re-broadcast next Monday)