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Mark Lawson

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Rebecca Nicholson

Front Row: Donna Tartt; Forest Whitaker

Donna Tartt; Forest Whitaker

14/11/2013

BBC Radio 4 - Front Row, Donna Tartt; Forest Whitaker

American novelist Donna Tartt, Forest Whitaker on The Butler and 'days of the week' songs.

American author Donna Tartt on The Goldfinch, her first new novel in over a decade; Forest Whitaker on The Butler, inspired by the real-life story of a black White House butler.

With Mark Lawson

Author Donna Tartt discusses her long-awaited third novel, The Goldfinch. Like her previous books, The Secret History and The Little Friend, The Goldfinch has taken Tartt a decade to write. The plot centres around the theft of a priceless painting, the goldfinch of the title, which is stolen from a museum after a horrific bombing in the opening chapters. Donna Tartt talks about the long gestation period for her novels, and how studying Greek tragedy informed the book's structure.

Actor Forest Whitaker discusses his starring role in The Butler, a film inspired by the real-life story of a White House butler who served during seven presidential administrations. Through the eyes of the butler and his family, the film follows the changing tides in American politics and race relations - from the assassinations of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King, to the Black Panthers, and Watergate.

The Pet Shop Boys' latest single is called Thursday. David Quantick considers which days of the week are the least-loved, by songwriters.

Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

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