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Desert Island Discs

Castaway guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

Desert Island Discs: Paul Hogarth

11/01/1998

Paul Hogarth

BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Paul Hogarth

Sue Lawley's castaway is artist and illustrator Paul Hogarth

Sue Lawley's castaway is artist and illustrator Paul Hogarth.

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the artist and illustrator Paul Hogarth. He has portrayed A Year in Provence for Peter Mayle, depicted Doris Lessing's Africa and captured Majorca with Robert Graves.

Born into a working-class family, his parents disapproved of his two great loves - travel and drawing. In the face of their opposition, he won a scholarship to art school where he was drawn into radical politics, becoming a communist and abandoning both art and family to fight in Spain. A popular figure with writers, he could match Brendan Behan drink for drink, and survived a 30-year working relationship with Graham Greene. Now 80, he says he still has the urge to travel, and continues to draw on his rich and varied life. 

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] 

Favourite track: Far Horizons by Glyn Boyd Harte
Book: Times Atlas of World History
Luxury: Solar-powered Apple Mac

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Letter from America by Alistair Cooke

Alistair Cooke’s weekly talks on American life, history and politics from 1946 – 2004.

Alistair Cooke’s weekly talks on American life, history and politics, as broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 1946 – 2004.

Alistair Cooke’s weekly talks on American life, history and politics. Over 900 programmes, as broadcast from 1946 – 2004.

Letter from America by Alistair Cooke: New York society 

New York society 

BBC Radio 4 - Letter from America by Alistair Cooke, New York society

Social change in America and the continual cycles of New York's 'high society'.

Class mobility and social change in New York are illustrated by Alistair Cooke with the stories of the Astors, the Metropolitan Opera House, JP Morgan and Mrs Stuyvesant Fish.

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