Original version

BBC World Service Online

The Arts Hour

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

The best global arts coverage from across the BBC.

The Arts Hour: Highlights: Books & Music

comp_week53.jpg

04/01/2014

Highlights: Books & Music

BBC World Service - The Arts Hour, Highlights: Books & Music

Nikki Bedi presents 2013's very best book and music interviews from the BBC

Author Maya Angelou remembers how she and Billie Holiday fell out when the jazz legend swore in front of her son, Jhumpa Lahiri reveals the brutal story that inspired her novel, The Lowland and we take a tour round one of the world's most eccentric bookshops - Shakespeare and Company in Paris.  Michael Cathcart from partner station ABC National talks about the year's biggest literary hits in Australia, including Christos Tsiolkas's new book Barracuda.  Thomas Bangalter from electronic duo Daft Punk talks about how they used the best of old and new technology to craft their bestselling album Random Access Memories, Damian Marley explains how his collaboration with Sean Paul stemmed from a long acquaintance and US acapella group Naturally 7 give us a taste of their funky Vocal Play.  Michelle Constant from partner station SAFM shares her favourite South African releases of 2013 and Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiou on the challenge of singing the role of Magda in Puccini's opera La Rondine.

Photo: Maya Angelou (c) Kris Connor/Getty, Damian Marley (c) Christopher Polk/Getty, Jhumpa Lahiri (c) Evan Agostini/Getty

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Arts Hour

Highlights: Books & Music

Genres

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service