Book Reading

Transcript

This transcript was typed from a recording of the program. The ABC cannot guarantee its complete accuracy because of the possibility of mishearing and occasional difficulty in identifying speakers.

2.05pm Mon - Fri
August 28 - September 8
Boule de Suif
by Guy de Maupassant
translated by Roger Colet
Boule de suif is considered by many to be Guy de Maupassant's finest story. Set in l87l at the end of the Franco-Prussian war, it tells the story of a coach-load of petit bourgeoisie trying to make their way through France to the port at Le Havre, which was still in French hands, and thence to Dieppe. The countryside is full of swaggering German victors as well as stragglers from the defeated French army. Amongst the passengers in the coach is a pretty, tubby little woman, notorious amongst those who frequent the red-light district of the town. She is known by her customers as Boule de Suif (Suet Dumpling).
Producer/director Gillian Berry
Boule de suif is published by Penguin Classics.

2.05pm Mon - Fri
September 18 - October 13
The Children's Bach
by Helen Garner
Read by Genevieve Picot
Athena and Dexter lead an ordinary, happy family life in inner-suburban Melbourne with their two sons. Their comfortable rut is disrupted by the reappearance of Elizabeth, close to twenty years after she and Dexter were at university together. The chance encounter of two old friends sets in train a series of upheavals and explosions which leaves none of them untouched. And all these dramas are played out to a soundtrack of music, which has a different meaning for each of them.
Helen Garner is one of Australia's best known writers. Her first book, Monkey Grip, was published in 1977 and inspired a feature film. Her other books include Honour and Other People's Children, The First Stone, True Stories - a collection of her journalism, and My Hard Heart, a new collection of fiction.
Genevieve Picot's work in theatre, film and television has made her one of Australia's best-known actors. Her role in the feature film Proof brought her a second AFI nomination for best actress, and she toured Australia as Olive in the Melbourne Theatre Company's 1995 revival of The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.
Sound engineer Paul Penton
Abridged and produced by Justine Lees
Cassettes of the reading are available from ABC Shops and Centres