John York

Hello, I'm John York and I want to tell you about Opening Lines, a series from BBC Radio 4 in which I'll be looking at books, plays, poems and stories of all kinds that have made a mark and asking, what makes them work?

I'll be asking lots of questions.

What's at the heart of the story?

How does it achieve its effect?

What makes it special?

I'll be hearing from people who know and love these works.

Writers.

We do have an orgasm evoked on the page.

Dramatists.

biographers.

It's worn better as a book about England than it has as a book about sex, I think.

And directors too.

In the end, I'll be asking, what makes this work worth reading now?

Join me to find out in opening lines from BBC Radio 4 and available on BBC Sounds.