The Booker Prize Podcast

Possession by A.S. Byatt: January's Monthly Spotlight

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A.S. Byatt's Possession is a blockbuster of a novel, loved by both critics and readers. If you haven't already read it, you've probably heard of it. (And if you haven't heard of it, well, we're here to fill you in.) Possession won the 1990 Booker Prize and it's a romp of a novel that's part detective thriller and part romance. It also happens to be the subject of our first Monthly Spotlight of 2024 – formerly known as Book of the Month – so tune in as we delve into the book and the life of its author.


In this episode Jo and James:


  • Share a brief biography of A.S. Byatt

  • Explore Byatt's literary rivalry with her writer sister, Margaret Drabble

  • Summarise the plot of Possession

  • Hear a clip of Byatt reading from the book at the 1990 Booker Prize ceremony

  • Discuss their thoughts on the novel


    • Reading list:


    • Possession by A.S. Byatt: https://thebookerprizes.com/archive/books/possession

    • An Awfully Big Adventure by Beryl Bainbridge: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/an-awfully-big-adventure

    • The Gate of Angels by Penelope Fitzgerald: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-gate-of-angels

    • Lies of Silence by Brian Moore: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/lies-of-silence

    • Amongst Women by John McGahern: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/amongst-women

    • Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/solomon-gursky-was-here

    • The Virgin in the Garden by A.S. Byatt

    • The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt

    • The Biographer's Tale

    • The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-childrens-book


      • A full transcript of the episode is available at our website: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/the-booker-prize-podcast-episode-28-possession-by-as-byatt


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