The Booker Prize Podcast

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

Listen Later

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


      Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes.

      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      The Booker Prize PodcastBy The Booker Prize
      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4
      • 4.4

      4.4

      61 ratings

      More shows like The Booker Prize Podcast

      View all
      The New Yorker: Fiction by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

      The New Yorker: Fiction

      3,348 Listeners

      The Book Review by The New York Times

      The Book Review

      3,881 Listeners

      Ask Penguin by Penguin Books UK

      Ask Penguin

      157 Listeners

      In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

      In Our Time

      5,471 Listeners

      World Book Club by BBC World Service

      World Book Club

      375 Listeners

      Backlisted by Backlisted

      Backlisted

      596 Listeners

      The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker by The New Yorker

      The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker

      2,145 Listeners

      Bookclub by BBC Radio 4

      Bookclub

      243 Listeners

      The Paris Review by The Paris Review

      The Paris Review

      798 Listeners

      The Waterstones Podcast by Waterstones

      The Waterstones Podcast

      37 Listeners

      On the Road with Penguin Classics by Penguin Random House UK

      On the Road with Penguin Classics

      26 Listeners

      NPR's Book of the Day by NPR

      NPR's Book of the Day

      647 Listeners

      The Radio 2 Book Club by BBC Radio 2

      The Radio 2 Book Club

      3 Listeners

      Take Four Books by BBC Radio 4

      Take Four Books

      5 Listeners

      A Good Read by BBC Radio 4

      A Good Read

      29 Listeners