Private Passions

Michael Berkeley is joined by Francis Spufford, an award-winning writer who loves to inhabit different worlds and vividly bring them to life. Golden Hill, which won the Costa First Novel Award, takes place in Manhattan in 1746, Light Perpetual begins in a Woolworths in south London in 1944 and his latest novel Nonesuch is a historical fantasy set during the Blitz. It wasn't until he was 52 that Francis felt confident enough to write works of fiction, before that his books covered a wide variety of topics from polar expeditions to the economic optimism of post-Stalin Russia and an exploration of the role religion has played in his life. He talks about his life and career and picks music by Byrd, Satie, Mozart and Ravel.