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The Culture Show: Wars of the Heart

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James Runcie

Katy Homan

Janet Lee

The Culture Show: 2013/2014: Episode 18: Wars of the Heart

Wars of the Heart

Episode 18

Episode 18: Wars of the Heart

2013/2014

BBC Two - The Culture Show, 2013/2014, Wars of the Heart

James Runcie examines how some writers found inspiration in the danger of the Blitz.

James Runcie examines how the Blitz influenced the work of novelists Graham Greene, Henry Green and Elizabeth Bowen, and American poet Hilda Doolittle.

For those who remained in London during the Second World War, the Blitz was a terrifying time of sleeplessness, fear and loss, but some of London's literary set found inspiration in the danger and intensity. With the threat of death ever present, nerves were tested and affairs began; it was an absolute gift for a writer seeking new material. 

Presenter James Runcie tells the story of novelists Graham Greene, Henry Green and Elizabeth Bowen, and American poet Hilda Doolittle, who revelled in the creative and personal freedom they discovered even as the bombs rained down. The programme reveals how these writers distilled the surreal and often frightening atmosphere of the time into some of their finest work.

The Culture Show: 2013/2014

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Episode 18: Wars of the Heart

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