• Saturday, August 22, 2026
    • 22.8 °C NP

Description

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the outstanding French writers of the twentieth century. The novels of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873 - 1954) always had women at their centre, from youth to mid-life to old age, and they were phenomenally popular, at first for their freshness and frankness about women’s lives, as in the Claudine stories, and soon for their sheer quality as she developed as a writer. Throughout her career she intrigued readers by inserting herself, or a character with her name, into her works, fictionalising her life as a way to share her insight into the human experience.

With

Diana Holmes Professor of French at the University of Leeds

Michèle Roberts Writer, novelist, poet and Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia

And

Belinda Jack Fellow and Tutor in French Literature and Language at Christ Church, University of Oxford

Producer: Simon Tillotson

What does President Trump plan to do with Venezuela’s oil?

audio-image
NPR

President Trump says he plans to control revenue f....

Emily Dickinson (Archive Episode)

audio-image
BBC Sounds

To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....

Supreme Court poised to rule on tariffs, birthright citizenship and more

audio-image
NPR

The Supreme Court is expected to rule this year on....

Jan. 6, 2021: Five Years Later

audio-image
NPR

Five years ago, a mob attacked the United States C....

Trump Says The U.S. Will 'Run' Venezuela After Capturing Maduro

audio-image
NPR

Overnight, the U.S. military launched strikes on V....

U.S. foreign aid changed in 2025 – and it was felt around the world

audio-image
NPR

On the night of his inauguration, President Trump ....

Welcome to the NPR Washington Desk

audio-image
NPR

Happy New Year! In this special episode, the Polit....

Shakespeare's Sonnets (Archive Episode)

audio-image
BBC Sounds

To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....

The Annual Can't Let It Go Year End Extravaganza

audio-image
NPR

We look back on some of the highlights from 2025 w....

Year In Review: The Impact Of Project 2025

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Year In Review: Trump's Immigration Policy

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Year In Review: Trump's Foreign Policy

audio-image
NPR

Editor's note: This episode originally aired on De....

Year In Review: Trump’s Environmental Policy

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Margery Kempe and English Mysticism (Archive Episode)

audio-image
BBC Sounds

To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....

Year In Review: Trump, Gerrymandering & Redistricting

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Year In Review: Trump's Economy

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Year In Review: Congress' Successes & Failures

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Trump Uses Prime-Time Speech To Blame Biden, Immigrants For Economy Woes

audio-image
NPR

President Trump used his prime-time speech Wednesd....

Eclipses (Archive Episode)

audio-image
BBC Sounds

To celebrate Melvyn Bragg’s 27 years presenting ....

Americans Give Trump Low Marks On The Economy In New Poll

audio-image
NPR

Only 36% of Americans approve of President Trump�....

Year In Review: Trump's Foreign Policy

audio-image
NPR

As we approach 2026, the NPR Politics Podcast is t....

Donald Trump Is Sports-Fan-In-Chief

audio-image
NPR

President Trump has built a brand as the sports-fa....