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Take Four Books

BBC Radio 4
Literary Influence
Love
Art
The Party
Nostalgia
The Troubles
Covid-19
Moby Dick
Petersburg
The Lord Of the Rings
Activism
Lockdown
Betrayal
Revolution
Bristol
Women's Freedom
A Case Of Matricide
The Proof Of My Innocence
Virginia Woolf
Old Soul

Presenter James Crawford looks at an author's latest work and delves further into their creative process by learning about the three other texts that have shaped their writing.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes62Founded2 years ago
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BooksArts

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Artwork for Take Four Books

Latest Episodes

Imani Thompson speaks to Take Four Books about her debut novel Honey. Together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other literary works. In Honey, PhD student Yrsa doesn't set out to kill. But after an incident involv... more

The award-winning writer Deborah Levy speaks to Take Four Books about her latest novel, My Year In Paris With Gertrude Stein, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its three key literary influences.

The new book follows three fe... more

The American writer Katie Kitamura speaks about her Booker-shortlisted novel, Audition, and together with presenter James Crawford they explore its connections to three other literary works.

Audition begins with two people meeting for lunch in a Man... more

Presenter James Crawford speaks to award-winning novelist Amitav Ghosh about his new book, Ghost Eye, and its three key literary influences.

Ghost Eye is told through the memories and recollections of its narrator, Dinu, who grew up in Calcutta and ... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Deborah Levy
British South African novelist, memoirist, and playwright
Episode: Deborah Levy
Katie Kitamura
Acclaimed American novelist, journalist, art critic, and creative writing teacher
author of Audition
Episode: Katie Kitamura
Amitav Ghosh
Author of Ghost Eye
Writer
Episode: Amitav Ghosh
Gwendoline Riley
English novelist, author of The Palm House
Author, The Palm House
Episode: Gwendoline Riley
Solvej Balle
Award-winning Danish novelist
Author of On the Calculation of Volume
Episode: Solvej Balle
Jenni Fagan
Scottish writer and poet, author of The Delusions
Author
Episode: Jenni Fagan
Yann Martel
Canadian novelist and short story writer
Author of Life of Pi and Son of Nobody
Episode: Yann Martel
Susan Choi
Author of Flashlight
Author
Episode: Susan Choi
John Lanchester
Author, journalist, and short story writer
Episode: John Lanchester

Host

James Crawford
Host of Take Four Books

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#227
United States/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#30
United Kingdom/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#82
United Kingdom/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#125
Canada/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#230
Canada/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#38
Australia/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#123
Germany/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#124
Australia/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#169
Italy/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#187
Germany/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#207
France/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#6
New Zealand/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#17
New Zealand/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#41
Chile/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#45
Denmark/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#55
South Korea/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#73
Chile/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#78
Ukraine/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#104
Ireland/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#107
South Korea/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#123
Denmark/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#152
Spain/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#155
South Africa/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#159
Ukraine/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#177
Russia/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#178
India/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#182
Switzerland/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#194
Sweden/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#202
Taiwan/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#224
Philippines/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#249
Belgium/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Katie Kitamura
Q: Tell us why the opening meeting in Audition feels so uncertain.
Kitamura explains that the scene is designed to be open to interpretation, layering multiple readings and drawing the reader into the mystery of the characters' dynamic.
Jenni Fagan
Q: What drew you to Frankenstein and Wait as three foundational influences?
Frankenstein offered a lens on creation, power, and the monstrous within humanity, while Wait reframes myth to reveal ordinary moments of weight and responsibility, together guiding The Delusions from origin to outcome in a way that emphasizes human connection.
Jenni Fagan
Q: How did Nina Cassian's Temptation influence the mood and imagery of the book?
Temptation provided a direct, provocative spark that informs the book's yearning for something greater than life and its vivid, life-affirming imagery that the narrator carries into Edie's perspective.
Jenni Fagan
Q: What is Processing in The Delusions, and how does it shape the story's exploration of life after death?
Processing is portrayed as the largest soul terminus where the newly dead must account for their lives; it reveals how truth, memory, and delusion interact within a system, shaping Edie's responsibilities and the novel's philosophical core.
Yann Martel
Q: How did you approach writing the footnotes and the two parallel narratives in the book?
I planned the sections so that fragments of the poem and the accompanying footnotes could speak to each other; one fragment leads into a footnote that sheds light on the other, and vice versa, creating a dialogic structure that mirrors how memory and interpretation work in storytelling.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Frequently Asked Questions About Take Four Books

What is Take Four Books about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers on authors and their latest works, with a strong focus on the three books or texts that influenced each guest's writing. Conversations typically explore how memory, history, environment, and personal experience shape narrative voice, structure, and character. Across episodes, guests range from novelists to essayists, with recurring attention to themes like time, place, and cultural context, as well as influences from classic and contemporary literature. The format often blends close reading of a new work with discussions of writing practice, process, and the interplay between fiction and reality, offering listeners practical insight into craft and storytelling. A standout aspect is the way guests articulate three core infl... more

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These podcasts share a similar audience with Take Four Books:

1. Bookclub
2. The Waterstones Podcast
3. World Book Club
4. Ask Penguin
5. Backlisted

How many episodes of Take Four Books are there?

Take Four Books launched 2 years ago and published 62 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Take Four Books?

Recent guests on Take Four Books include:

1. Deborah Levy
2. Katie Kitamura
3. Amitav Ghosh
4. Gwendoline Riley
5. Solvej Balle
6. Jenni Fagan
7. Yann Martel
8. Susan Choi

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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