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Front Row: Patrick, Colm Tóibín on James Joyce, Amy Macdonald, Christopher Reid

17/11/2020

Patrick, Colm Tóibín on James Joyce, Amy Macdonald, Christopher Reid

BBC Radio 4 - Front Row, Patrick, Colm Tóibín on James Joyce, Amy Macdonald, Christopher Reid

Belgian film Patrick, Colm Tóibín on James Joyce's The House Of The Dead.

Belgian black comedy Patrick; Colm Tóibín on James Joyce's The House Of The Dead controversy in Dublin; singer Amy Macdonald; poet Christopher Reid.

Patrick is a black comedy from Belgium set in a woodland nudist camp. After his father dies and leaves him to run the campsite, Patrick’s favourite hammer is stolen, and he finds himself on an existential quest as he attempts to recover his beloved tool. The film is by Tim Mielants who directed the third series of Peaky Blinders. Briony Hanson gives us her verdict. 

The Dublin residence known as The House Of The Dead because James Joyce used it as the setting for part of his 1914 short story The Dubliners is in the news because developers want to turn it into a 50-bed hostel. Many important Irish writers have objected, saying that it would 'destroy an essential part of Ireland’s cultural history'. Colm Tóibín explains why he thinks the development shouldn’t go ahead. 

The poet Christopher Reid won the Costa Book of the Year in 2009 with A Scattering, in which he reflected on the death of his wife Lucinda. Today he discusses his new collection The Late Sun, in which he also memorialises those recently departed, including his mother, but also celebrates the vitality of living, as well as travel and the reality of the day-to-day experience.

Scottish singer songwriter Amy Macdonald talks about her fifth album The Human Demands, which spans a range of emotions, from the happiness of falling in love to a feeling of loneliness. 

Presenter Samira Ahmed
Producer Oliver Jones

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