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Castaway guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

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Kirsty Young

Francesca Simon

Desert Island Discs: Francesca Simon

06/11/2011

BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Francesca Simon

Children's author Francesca Simon is interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs.

Kirsty Young's castaway is the children's author Francesca Simon. 

Educated at Yale and Oxford she initially thought she'd pursue an academic life - but within weeks of her son's birth, found that ideas for children's stories started flowing. She's now written twenty books featuring her creation Horrid Henry and they sell in their millions. 

She sees Horrid Henry as sitting within the long tradition of anarchic characters in children's literature. She says: "Everyone responds to Henry because I think everyone feels - however conventional they seem on the outside - that they are rebellious and unconventional, and Henry really taps into that." 

Producer: Leanne Buckle.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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