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Book of the Week

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Serialised book readings, featuring works from various genres

Serialised book readings, featuring works of non-fiction, biography, autobiography, travel, diaries, essays, humour and history

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Book of the Week: Sharp - The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion

Alexandra Mathie

Michelle Dean

Sara Davies

Gaynor Macfarlane

Book of the Week: Sharp - The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion: Episode 2: Mary McCarthy

Sharp - The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion

Episode 2

Episode 2: Mary McCarthy

Mary McCarthy

BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week, Sharp - The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion, Mary McCarthy

Profile of novelist and critic Mary McCarthy, noted for her bitingly satiric commentaries.

As both a novelist and a critic, Mary McCarthy was noted for bitingly satiric commentaries on marriage, sexual expression and the role of women in contemporary America.

by Michelle Dean

Mary McCarthy

As both a novelist and a critic McCarthy was noted for bitingly satiric commentaries on marriage, sexual expression and the role of women in contemporary urban America.

Dean's book builds a picture of the social and political progress of women through the twentieth century from Dorothy Parker to Nora Ephron. 

Dorothy Parker, Mary McCarthy, Susan Sontag, Pauline Kael and Nora Ephron -these brilliant women are the central figures of Sharp: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion. They are united by their 'sharpness', the ability to cut to the quick with precision of thought and wit. The world would not have been the same without Dorothy Parker's acid reflections on the absurdities of her life. Or Mary McCarthy's fiction which is noted for its acerbity in analysing the finer nuances of intellectual dilemmas. Or Susan Sontag's ideas about interpretation, or Pauline Kael's energetic swipes at filmmakers. Or Nora Ephron's biting wit and strong female characters. Together they define the cultural and intellectual history of twentieth century America. 


Michelle Dean is a journalist, critic, and the recipient of the National Book Critics Circle's 2016 Citation for Excellence in Reviewing. A contributing editor at the New Republic, she has written for the New Yorker, Nation, New York Times Magazine, Slate, New York Magazine, and Elle.


abridged by Sara Davies
read by Alexandra Mathie
produced by Gaynor Macfarlane.

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

Michelle Dean charts the social and political progress of women through the 20th century.

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