Telling Tales

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Telling Tales: Sofie Hagen

Sofie Hagen

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Telling Tales, Sofie Hagen

The comedian, writer, podcaster and activist talks about better representation in fiction.

Comedian, writer, podcaster and activist Sofie Hagen talks about her first book and a desire to see better representation in fiction.

This week’s guest is a Danish comedian, podcaster and fat activist, who has just published her very first book.

Sofie Hagen’s literary career began early, with hilariously naive fan fiction dedicated to the Irish band Westlife. After sharing some of these tales with audiences in her 2015 Edinburgh Fringe show, Sofie took home the prize for Best Newcomer.

But these stories also helped Sofie deal with depression. A fact she has shared in her stand-up shows and her other work, including the 2019 book Happy Fat, which she has recorded as an audiobook for Audible.

We hear an extract from Sofie’s book, which is part memoir and part social commentary, with advice and cultural history dotted in between.  Of particular interest to Sofie is how fat women are represented fictionally, in books and on screen.

Plus, we delve further into the history of food, and its long-established cultural connection to morality, with an extract from a documentary Sofie made with 7digital for Radio 4 in 2019, titled, The Unexpected History Of Clean Eating.

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