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Artwork for Take Four Books

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.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes66Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ArtsBooks

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Artwork for Take Four Books

Latest Episodes

Presenter James Crawford speaks to award‑winning American author Elizabeth Strout - winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and a two‑time Booker Prize nominee - about her new book The Things We Never Say and its three key literary influences. more

The Bangladeshi-born British writer, Tahmima Anam, speaks to Take Four Books about her latest novel, Uprising, and together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other works of fiction. Set on a fictional, sinking islan... more

The bestselling author of Hamnet returns with her tenth novel - Land - which is a soaring history set in Ireland in the years before and after the Great Famine. Maggie has sold more than eight million books worldwide and is translated into 44 differe... more

The Booker Prize-winning Scottish author, Douglas Stuart, speaks to Take Four Books about his latest novel, John Of John, and, together with presenter James Crawford, they explore its connections to three other works of fiction.

John Of John follows... more

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Recent Guests

Tahmima Anam
Bangladeshi-born writer and journalist, author of Uprising
Author, Uprising
Episode: Tahmima Anam
Maggie O'Farrell
Author of Land, guest on Take Four Books
Author
Episode: Maggie O'Farrell
Douglas Stuart
Author of John Of John
Author
Episode: Douglas Stuart
Imani Thompson
Author of Honey
Episode: Imani Thompson
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

Host

James Crawford
Host of Take Four Books

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 84 ratings
  • Sympathetic, sensitive programme…

    … inspired by a simple bit profound idea, hosted with genuine interest in the author’s, the worlds they create and the literary influences upon them.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Padmakumāra
    United Kingdom3 months ago

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#180
United States/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#20
United Kingdom/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#39
Canada/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#50
United Kingdom/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#98
Canada/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#30
Australia/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Tahmima Anam
Q: How did the three chosen influences—The Buddha in the Attic, Sultana's Dream, and Tiny Beautiful Things—inform your approach to Uprising?
The Buddha in the Attic influenced the decision to use a collective voice and to tell a migrant-and-women-centered story; Sultana's Dream offered a landmark example of feminist utopia and female-led power through science and education; Tiny Beautiful Things inspired radical empathy and the willingness to expose personal vulnerability to illuminate broader human truths.
Tahmima Anam
Q: Why tell the story as a Greek chorus of children, and how did that shape the narrative voice?
She wanted a universal perspective and a voice that could carry the weight of history while remaining approachable. Using a collective 'we' voice allowed readers to see the world through the children's perception, balancing harsh realities with a dreamlike quality and a sense of shared memory.
Tahmima Anam
Q: What sparked the idea for Uprising and its focus on a real place in Bangladesh?
Tahmima explains that the novel grew from discovering a floating brothel island, Bani Shanta, near the mangrove forest, which revealed a historical space where exploitation was real and systemic. This led to a longer, 15-year maturation of the idea and the decision to tell it through the eyes of the island's children to create distance and accessibility.
Maggie O'Farrell
Q: Tell us what the book and author is, Maggie, and how it connects us to your own novel, Land.
The influence is Star Of The Sea by Joseph O'Connor, which I describe as a polyphonic, richly interwoven voyage that mirrors how Land follows multiple perspectives and pieces together a larger history of Ireland through a single land and journey.
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.

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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1. A Good Read
2. Bookclub
3. The Waterstones Podcast
4. World Book Club
5. Ask Penguin

How many episodes of Take Four Books are there?

Take Four Books launched 2 years ago and published 66 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. Tahmima Anam
2. Maggie O'Farrell
3. Douglas Stuart
4. Imani Thompson
5. Deborah Levy
6. Katie Kitamura
7. Amitav Ghosh
8. Gwendoline Riley

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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