Geoff Dyer sets his own encounter with late middle age against the last days and last achievements of writers, painters, athletes and musicians who've mattered to him throughout his life.

With a playful charm and penetrating intelligence, he examines a series of notable endings and considers the intensifications and modifications of experience that come when an ending is within sight. Oh, and there's stuff about Roger Federer and tennis, too.

This book on last things - written while life as we know it seemed to be coming to an end - is also about how to go on living with art and beauty, on the entrancing effect and sudden illumination that a piece of music or work of art can engender in even the most jaded sensibilities. Blending criticism, memoir and repartee into something entirely new, The Last Days of Roger Federer is a summation of Geoff Dyer's passions and the perfect introduction to his sly and joyous work.

Written by Geoff Dyer
Read by David Schofield
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for BBC Radio 4 Show less