“Is she fact or is she fiction?” So runs protagonist Sophie Fevvers’ slogan in Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus (1984), which is the focus of the latest episode of The Exploding Library, a series for BBC Radio 4 which explores the cherished cult books of a number of comedians. Carter’s celebrated novel is presented by Kiri Pritchard Maclean, as she explores her own, sometimes fraught, relationship with performance inspired by Carter’s feminist and aerialiste heroine. Produced by Overcoat Media and producer Leonie Thomas, this episode also features a number of contributions from other speakers: Susannah Clapp, Carter’s literary executor, Emma Rice, director of Wise Children, and academics Professor Marie Mulvey-Roberts, Dr Becky Munford, and me! Indeed, I have to say that it was a genuine pleasure to take part in this episode, which is my first radio production. Naturally, such a long and complex novel is impossible to summarise or dissect in under thirty minutes, but I think the episode provides both a fantastic taster of Carter’s magical realist circus adventure and a reflection on some of the most significant issues related to performance and spectacle, which are central to the novel. Go and listen to it now on the BBC website!
Angela Carter Online 