Stephen Sondheim's biographer David Benedict and writer and musician Jason Hazeley join us for a special episode devoted to Finishing the Hat and Look, I Made a Hat, the late and very great songwriter's two volumes of lyrics, memoir, criticism and much more, first published in 2010 and 2011 respectively; Sondheim's work defies easy categorisation and these glorious books are no exception. NB. This show contains expert recommendations for further listening and, as you'll hear, putting it together was a real thrill. Somehow we also find time to discuss the novel O Caledonia, a modern classic of Scottish fiction by Elspeth Barker, and Finna, the second collection by American poet Nate Marshall.Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)07:45 - The Kids by Hannah Lowe. 14:18 - The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow. 22:25 - Love in Five Acts by Daniela Krien. 27:56 - Men Who Feed Pidgeons by Selima Hill. 37:54 - The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk. 42:03 - The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English by Hana Videen. 45:52 - Eat or We Both Starve by Victoria Kennefick* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our bookshop at uk.bookshop.org/shop/backlisted where all profits help to sustain this podcast and UK independent bookshops.* For information about everything mentioned in this episode visit www.backlisted.fm*If you'd like to support the show, listen without adverts, receive the show early and with extra bonus fortnightly episodes, become a Patreon at www.patreon.com/backlisted Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.