photo by Ana
Readers’ Digest
with John Crace and Tom Vowler
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Recorded at the 2011 Small Wonder Festival
at Charleston House, East Sussex
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In 2007, Tom Vowler completed an MA in Creative Writing at Plymouth University where he also edited the literary journal, INK. In 2009, he received an Arts Council grant to research and write a novel. His debut collection of short stories, The Method, has been described as ‘provocative, bold, brutal and tender.’ In 2010, the Method won Salt Publishing’s inaugural Scott Prize and in 2011 it was awarded the Edge Hill Readers’ Prize. Tom Vowler is currently the Assistant Editor of the literary journal Short Fiction.
Tom reads two stories from his collection: ‘The Little Man’ and ‘Breathe’.
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John Crace is a book reviewer for The Guardian. His column, Digested Reads, offers condensed versions of contemporary books written in the style of the books themselves. He believes there are ‘very few novels that wouldn’t be improved by being slashed by at least a quarter, sometimes more.’ In his book, Brideshead Abbreviated, he has edited 100 of the best books of the 20th century into bite-sized pastiches.
John Crace reads his condensed version of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, followed by a passage from his memoir Vertigo: One Football Fan’s Fear of Success.
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Listen:
Readers’ Digest
(1 hour, 10 minutes)
With thanks to the organisers of the Small Wonder Festival for their permission to publish this recording.
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Please excuse the interference at the beginning of the recording
