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5: Still Lives with Paintbrushes

Watching the paint dry on a community centre wall, a man suddenly fears what has been painted over. Jonathan Forbes concludes a powerful series of stories celebrating still lives.

Watching the paint dry on a community centre wall, a man suddenly fears what has been painted over.

Jonathan Forbes reads the final story in a series from the acclaimed author of Reservoir 13, exploring stillness and still lives. Each story celebrates a classical still life image: a bowl of fruit, a plate of cheese, an opened door, a coffee pot. These are stories in which, seemingly, nothing is happening. And yet, through these scenes, powerful and heart-rending stories emerge.

Reader: Jonathan Forbes
Author: Jon McGregor is the multi award-winning novelist and short story writer. He has been nominated for the Booker Prize for three of his novels, including his 2002 debut If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, which also went on to win the Betty Trask Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award, and has won the Â鶹ÊÓƵAV National Short Story Award. His third novel, Even the Dogs (2010), earned McGregor the International Dublin Literary Award in 2012, whilst his 2017 work Reservoir 13 scooped up the Costa Book Award.
Producer: Justine Willett

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14 minutes

Last on

Friday 22:45

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Broadcast

  • Friday 22:45