Titus Groan, Gormenghast and Titus Alone by Mervyn Peake

Novelist Joanne Harris (Chocolat, A Narrow Door) is our guest for a celebration of Titus Groan (1946), Gormenghast (1950) and Titus Alone (1959) by Mervyn Peake, three novels which are often referred to, erroneously, as the Gormenghast Trilogy. With Joanne's expert guidance, John and Andy revisit Peake's visionary work for the first time in decades and are surprised and delighted by what they discover. Also in this episode, Andy marks the belated UK publication of Maud Martha, the sole novel by poet Gwendolyn Brooks (Faber); while John enjoys Geoff Dyer's new book about tennis and much more, The Last Days of Roger Federer: And Other Endings (Canongate). Timings: 07:49 - Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks 13:55 - The Last Days of Roger Federer: And Other Endings by Geoff Dyer 18:07 - The Gormenghast series of books by Mervyn Peake For more information on everything discussed in this episode visit https://www.backlisted.fm You can support us and unlock bonus material at https://www.patreon.com/backlisted All books mentioned in the show are available to purchase at https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/backlisted