From the Ban to the Booker

Two programmes in which best-selling author Val McDermid examines the development of the lesbian novel. She looks at the furore surrounding Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness, banned in 1928 because of its lesbian content. Virginia Woolf's Orlando was published in the same year but escaped the censor. The programme includes a rare BBC recording of Vita Sackville-West, the inspiration behind Woolf's masterpiece. Contributors include Jeanette Winterson, Sarah Waters and Ali Smith.

From the Ban to the Booker
Tuesday 12 August and 19th august
11:30am - 12:00pm
BBC Radio 4

The programmes are available for listen again on the BBC iPlayer.