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John Yorke unpacks the themes behind the stories in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

Producer and writer John Yorke unpacks the themes and impact behind the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

Producer and writer John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact behind the books, plays and stories that are being dramatised in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

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Opening Lines: Anna Karenina - Episode 2

Anna Karenina - Episode 2

BBC Radio 4 - Opening Lines, Anna Karenina - Episode 2

John Yorke looks at the themes and structure of Tolstoy’s great novel Anna Karenina.

The series that looks at books, plays and stories and how they work. John Yorke explores the themes and structure of Tolstoy’s great nineteenth century novel Anna Karenina.

The series that takes a look at books, plays and stories and how they work. John Yorke explores the themes at the heart of Leo Tolstoy’s great nineteenth century novel, Anna Karenina.

In the second of three episodes, John looks at the secondary great love story in the novel, that of Kitty and Levin, and how it is built into and reflects the structure of the story. As  Anna and Vronksy’s affair plays out under the disapproving gaze of St Petersburg society, Levin and Kitty take a different path to happiness, seeking meaning and fulfilment within the boundaries of convention. 

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for 30 years, and he shares his experience with Radio 4 listeners as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories that are being dramatized in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday/Saturday Drama series. 

From EastEnders to the Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless, he has been obsessed with telling big popular stories. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe and has brought together his experience in his bestselling book Into the Woods. 

As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed and critically acclaimed TV drama. As founder of the hugely successful BBC Writers Academy, John has trained a generation of screenwriters - his students have had 17 green-lights in the last two years alone.

Contributors:
Rosamund Bartlett, Tolstoy biographer and translator of new Oxford World Classics edition of Anna Karenina.
Dr. Sarah Hudspith, Associate Professor in Russian at the University of Leeds
Linda Marshall-Griffiths, writer and adapter of new radio drama of Anna Karenina
Readings by Jules Wilkinson


Credits:
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, trans. Constance Garnet, 1901 William Heinemann

Produced by Lore Windemuth
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
Researcher: Nina Semple
Production Manager: Sarah Wright
Sound by Ian Hunter

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