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The Arts Hour

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The Arts Hour: Lena Dunham, Wilbur Smith, Neel Mukherjee

Lena Dunham, Wilbur Smith, Neel Mukherjee

12/10/2014

BBC World Service - The Arts Hour, Lena Dunham, Wilbur Smith, Neel Mukherjee

"The term 'over-sharing' is so complicated" - Lena Dunham

Jamaican poet Kei Miller has just won the prestigious £10,000 Forward Prize for the best poetry collection of 2014. He explains how his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has helped fuel his prolific output. Creator, producer and star of HBO series Girls, Lena Dunham, discusses her new memoir and the inspiration behind the hit TV series. Indian novelist, Neel Mukherjee, talks about his book, The Lives of Others, which explores the way an Indian family's history is disrupted when one member becomes involved in extremist political activism.

Has ethnic division entered Kenyan theatre? With more and more plays performed in various regional tongues, Wairimu Gitahi, reports on a phenomenon sparking debate across the country. Plus, legendary author, Wilbur Smith, on his new novel Desert God, and the secret to successful storytelling. 

We visit the KM Conservatoire of Music in Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was founded by the composer A.R. Rahman and it offers a unique kind of tuition, one that mixes both Hindustani and Western classical music teaching. As the Ebola outbreak continues to spread in West Africa, one of the vital questions is how do you spread public health messages in countries where many people can't read? In Liberia the spreading of messages is often done by the music radio stations who rap about whatever is current in the news. We listen in to Hot FM in Monrovia to get a flavour of their radio coverage. And, British man of words, George The Poet, describes his dizzying itinerary from Uganda to the Albert Hall via King's College Cambridge and performs from his latest work about premature parenthood.

(Photo: Lena Dunham (c) Jemal Countess/Getty Images, Wilbur Smith (c) Ben A Pruchnie/Getty Images, Neel Mukherjee (c) Nick Tucker )

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