Melvyn Bragg – författare

Part One: The History (What do we know?)This brief historical introduction to William Tyndale explores the social, political and religious factors that formed the original context of his life and writings, and considers how those factors affected the way he was initially received. What was his impact on the world at the time and what were the key ideas and values connected with him? Part Two: The Legacy (Why does it matter?)This second part explores the intellectual and cultural `afterlife' of William Tyndale, and considers the ways in which his impact has lasted and been developed in different contexts by later generations. Why is he still considered important today? In what ways is his legacy contested or resisted? And what aspects of his legacy are likely to continue to influence the world in the future? The book has a brief chronology at the front plus a glossary of key terms and a list of further reading at the back.

'This is historical fiction with a human face'Peter Ackroyd, The Times'A vivid and erudite tour de force'Penelope Lively, Booker Prize-winning author of Moon Tiger'A skilled, ornate and convincing examination of a nineteenth-century scandal in Bragg's own Cumbria'Thomas Keneally, Booker Prize-winning author of Schindler's ArkSet in the Lake District in the early nineteenth century, this is a riveting story of love and deception, and a scandal that shook the entire nation.

'A strikingly taut and intense first novel' London Review of Books'A vivid and totally original imagination . . . brilliant'ScotsmanGrowing up in an isolated cottage in the hills of Cumberland, Tom knows the bitter cold of shooting expeditions with his grandfather and long evenings spent with his father and mother. But taken away from the hills to live in the small town of Thornton, Tom experiences a tumult of conflicting emotions, which he must master before he can come to terms with his identity.

Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize'Profoundly moving'The Times'Bragg excels himself here'Financial TimesDisillusioned with his successful life in London, Richard Godwin moves to a remote Cumberland village in search of a more fulfilling existence. His arrival coincides with a birth of an illegitimate child to a local woman, binding her to a future she had hoped to escape. As these two outsiders struggle to come to terms with themselves - and each other - their passion, desperation and delight draw all those around them into conflict.

'Brilliant' Daily Telegraph'The book is exciting . . . a pleasure to be remembered'Financial TimesAt once a love story and a portrayal of innocence brutally curtailed, Josh Lawton charts the rites of passage of a young Cumbrian farm worker and keen fell runner - an exceptionally good man whose very integrity proves his undoing.'With this novel, Melvyn Bragg has established his place in English letters to the extent that his Cumbria is as potent a literary region as Hardy's Wessex, Lawrence's Midlands and Housman's Shropshire' New Statesman

'The effect of the book is massive . . . loving, deep and perceptive'Sunday Times'Bragg has a very sure touch with his characters: they live'Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork OrangeIn the shadow of Hadrian's Wall, two young men chafe at the constraints of rural life and yearn to break free from the courses set for them: John Foster, driven hard by his tyrannical, ambitious father on their tenant farm, and Arthur Langley, reluctant inheritor of his father's waning estate. Though class has long kept their neighbouring families apart, the pair form an intense friendship - until John makes the mistake of falling for Arthur's mercurial sister.

Jimmie Johnston first became a Labour MP in Cumbria when there was a brave new post-war world to build. Now, in the late 70s, another general election looms but he is no longer so optimistic. And as he fights to keep his seat, his family begins to fracture around him and scandal threatens. In this absorbing and fast-paced novel, Melvyn Bragg's portrait of the mood and politics of the era remains as pertinent today as on its original publication.

'Rosemary is an outstanding creation' Sunday Telegraph'Bragg writes with a timelessness'Financial TimesHalf-French and with an agile, inquiring mind, Rosemary Lewis cannot help being out of the ordinary in Thurston, the Cumbrian market town where she grows up between the wars. An early, bruising failure in love drives her inwards to the solace of books until she meets Edgar - vigorous, down to earth and determined to win her. Charting their life together, this powerful novel probes with exceptional acuity the heights and tortured depths of a bond that becomes a shackle.

'A gripping saga of great passion'The Times'As splendid a ripping yarn as any of the best classics'Daily Telegraph'I loved it . . . [a] stately, seething, passionate epic'Literary ReviewBritain during the Dark Ages is the setting for the fascinating story of Bega, a young Irish princess who became a saint, and her lifelong bond with Padric, prince of the north-western kingdom of Rheged. This dramatic, far-reaching tale brings to life a land of warring kings, Christians and pagans, and tribes divided by language and culture, illuminating a little-known yet critical period in British history.

The fascinating story of science unfolds in this account of the lives and extraordinary discoveries of twelve of its greatest figures - Archimedes, Galileo, Newton, Lavoisier, Faraday, Darwin, Poincaré, Freud, Einstein, Marie Curie and Crick and Watson. Exploring their impact and legacy with leading scientists of today including Stephen Jay Gould, Oliver Sacks, Lewis Wolpert, Susan Greenfield, Roger Penrose and Richard Dawkins, Melvyn Bragg illuminates the core issues of science past and present, and conveys the excitement and importance of the scientific quest.

THE FIRST NOVEL IN 'ONE OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED LITERARY SERIES IN RECENT TIMES' (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)'His masterpiece'Sunday Times'Outstandingly good'Scotsman'A great achievement'ObserverWhen Sam Richardson returns in 1946 from the 'Forgotten War' in Burma to Wigton in Cumbria, he finds the town little changed. But the war has changed him, broadening his horizons as well as leaving him with traumatic memories. In addition, his six-year-old son now barely remembers him, and his wife has gained a sense of independence from her wartime jobs. As all three strive to adjust, the bonds of loyalty and love are stretched to breaking point in this taut, and profoundly moving novel.

BOOK ONE IN THE CUMBRIAN TRILOGY'An intensely moving, deeply worked book'Sunday Telegraph'Extraordinary'The TimesSet in Cumbria and covering the period from 1898 to the early twenties, this is the powerful saga of John Tallentire, first farm labourer, then coal miner, and his wife Emily. John's struggle to break free from the humiliating status of a 'hired man' is the theme of a novel which has been hailed as a classic of its kind - as meticulously detailed as a social document, as evocative as the writings of Hardy and Lawrence.

BOOK THREE IN THE CUMBRIAN TRILOGY'An uncommonly high talent'Guardian'An ambitious, panoramic novel'Daily TelegraphDouglas Tallentire has at last achieved what his father and grandfather before him fought for so bitterly. Educated and independent, he can carve out his own career and spread his wings. But success, freedom and happiness are more elusive than ever in the fiercely competitive Seventies. From Cumbria to the frenetic whirl of sophisticated life in New York and London, Douglas, like all the Tallentires, must come to terms with private uncertainty and pain.

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZETHE SECOND NOVEL IN 'ONE OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED LITERARY SERIES IN RECENT TIMES' (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)'A novel of remarkable power and grace . . . astounding'The Times'Deeply humane and acutely truthful'Sunday Times'Full of a simple poetry . . . a true portrayal of the rhythms of everyday working-class life'IndependentAfter the upheavals of the Second World War, the Richardson family - Sam, Ellen and their young son Joe - settle back to working-class life in the Cumbrian town of Wigton. Yet for them, as for so many, life will never be the same again. As the old order begins to be challenged and new vistas open, Sam and Ellen forge their future together with differing needs and desires - and conflicting expectations of Joe, who grows up with his own demons to confront.

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZETHE THIRD NOVEL IN 'ONE OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED LITERARY SERIES IN RECENT TIMES' (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)'An enormously important piece of literature'Guardian'Richly detailed and extraordinarily poignant'Sunday Telegraph'Expertly told . . . a continuation of a monumental series'The TimesSet in Britain during the 1950s, this moving and evocative novel follows the intertwined fates of people crossing boundaries in their lives.As a teenager in the small northern town of Wigton, Joe Richardson falls in love with Rachel just as her life is about to be uprooted. While his parents, Sam and Ellen, face the frontiers of middle age, Joe finds himself drawn to the intoxicating world beyond home and swept into situations that seem beyond his control.Vividly conveying the spirit of the mid-century and the profound social changes taking place across Britain, this is a masterly successor to the award-winning The Soldier's Return and A Son of War.

'Superb'Spectator'Consistently entertaining'Independent'Impressive and sage'New Statesman'Bragg's affection for his subject is infectious'ObserverEnglish is the collective work of millions of people throughout the ages. It is democratic, ever-changing and ingenious in its assimilation of other cultures. English runs through the heart of world finance, medicine and the Internet, and it is understood by around two thousand million people across the world. Yet it was very nearly wiped out in its early years.In this book Melvyn Bragg shows us the remarkable story of the English language; from its beginnings as a minor guttural Germanic dialect to its position today as a truly established global language. The Adventure of English is not only an enthralling story of power, religion and trade, but also the story of people, and how their day-to-day lives shaped and continue to change the extraordinary language that is English.

'An inspiring, fascinating and stimulating book'Irish Times'Bragg writes with passion . . . exciting and accessible'IndependentWhen we think of great events in the history of the world, we tend to think of war, revolution, political upheaval or natural catastrophe. But throughout history there have been moments of vital importance that have taken place not on the battlefield, or in the palaces of power, or even in the violence of nature, but between the pages of a book. In our digitised age of instant information it is easy to underestimate the power of the printed word. In his fascinating new book accompanying the ITV series, Melvyn Bragg presents a vivid reminder of the book as agent of social, political and personal revolution. Twelve Books that Changed the World presents a rich variety of human endeavour and a great diversity of characters. There are also surprises. Here are famous books by Darwin, Newton and Shakespeare - but we also discover the stories behind some less well-known works, such as Marie Stopes' Married Love, the original radical feminist Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman - and even the rules to an obscure ball game that became the most popular sport in the world . . .

THE FIRST NOVEL IN 'ONE OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED LITERARY SERIES IN RECENT TIMES' (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)'His masterpiece'Sunday Times'Outstandingly good'Scotsman'A great achievement'ObserverWhen Sam Richardson returns in 1946 from the 'Forgotten War' in Burma to Wigton in Cumbria, he finds the town little changed. But the war has changed him, broadening his horizons as well as leaving him with traumatic memories. In addition, his six-year-old son now barely remembers him, and his wife has gained a sense of independence from her wartime jobs. As all three strive to adjust, the bonds of loyalty and love are stretched to breaking point in this taut, and profoundly moving novel.

The final novel in 'one of the most distinguished literary series in recent times' (Sunday Telegraph).'Eclipses anything Bragg has written before'Daily Mirror'A powerful novel that communicates difficult emotional truths'The TimesA passionate but ultimately tragic love affair starts when two students - one French, one English - meet at university at the beginning of the sixties. From its tentative early stages, the relationship develops into a life-changing one, whose profound impact continues to reverberate forty years later.'Utterly absorbing'Scotsman'A terrific book'Daily Mail

Melvyn Bragg's In Our Time series regularly enlightens and entertains substantial audiences on BBC Radio 4. For this book he has selected episodes which reflect the diversity of the radio programmes, and takes us on an amazing tour through the history of ideas, from philosophy, physics and history to religion, literature and biology.We can discover the reasons for the fall of the Byzantine empire, and why women were persecuted as witches in the seventeenth century. What shape is the origin of life? Where does our calendar come from? We can unearth the influence of prime numbers, Socrates and Tectonic plates.Melvyn Bragg orchestrates the ideas of leading academics in each field so that the dynamic and lively discussion from the programmes comes through vividly on the page. IN OUR TIME brings to life the signposts of history, the moments that significantly changed the world as we know it, and the individuals and ideas that made us what we are today.

Based on Melvyn Bragg's stirring novel of rural and industrial working life early in the twentieth century, The Hired Man tells of one family's - Bragg's grandparents' - journey from land laborers to colliers and back to the land. The superb score is a marvelous succession of chorales, operatic duets and vigorous foot stomping rhythms.5 women, 14 men

'It is all rather irresistible . . . the book ripples with warmth'The Times'Poignant and lyrical'Spectator'Another World attractively maps out the stage in his odyssey between humble pub and broadcasting glory'Daily Telegraph'A poignant read about awakening ambition'i paperHaving won a scholarship to Oxford University, eighteen-year-old Melvyn Bragg leaves his hometown of Wigton to travel south and immerse himself in a new and golden world.There, he must find his place amongst the raucous public school boys and the students fresh from National Service, making new friends from varied backgrounds but never forgetting those at home. Over three formative years - as his tutors, his studies and the people around him all expand his horizons and his sense of what is possible - he takes his next steps into adulthood, surrounded by the old, imposing buildings and libraries (and protests and parties) of the 'city of dreaming spires'.In this moment of change, for a young man and for the nation, Bragg looks to the past and the future, and as he studies History in his tutorials, so he remembers the histories of family, friends and lovers that shaped his own story.Alive with insight and tenderness, Another World beautifully captures a decisive step in a remarkable life.PRAISE FOR BACK IN THE DAY:'A memoir bursting with affection . . . fascinating' Sunday Times'Masterly . . . I loved it' Observer'Utterly captivating' Daily Mail

BOOK TWO IN THE CUMBRIAN TRILOGY'Masterly'Daily Telegraph'A graceful and confident writer'ObserverJust like his father before him, Joseph Tallantire is determined to make something of himself. But life isn't easy for an uneducated young man in Cumberland, a forgotten corner of the country where opportunities are scarce. As the Second World War plunges Britain into further turmoil, Joseph must endure hardship and loss on his journey to independence.

BOOK THREE IN THE CUMBRIAN TRILOGY'An uncommonly high talent'Guardian'An ambitious, panoramic novel'Daily TelegraphDouglas Tallentire has at last attained the freedom his father and grandfather before him fought so hard for. Educated and independent, he can carve out the career of his choice. But even amid the new-found security of city life in the late 1970s, happiness remains as elusive as ever. From rural Cumbria to the frenetic whirl of London and New York, Douglas, like all the Tallentires, must come to terms with pain and misfortune, as an old way of life is replaced with a new one.

BOOK ONE IN THE CUMBRIAN TRILOGY'An intensely moving, deeply worked book'Sunday Telegraph'Extraordinary'The Times'A magnificently strong and sinewy novel' Sunday MirrorIn rural Cumbria at the turn of the nineteenth century, John Tallentire and his wife, Emily, struggle to make ends meet. First as a farm labourer, then a coal miner, John dreams of breaking free from his humiliating status as a 'hired man'. But in a rapidly changing world, the couple find themselves caught between the demands of daily survival and striving for a better life.

The King James Bible has often been called the Book of Books both in itself and in what it stands for. Since its publication in 1611 it has been the best selling book in the world, and many believe, had the greatest impact. The King James Bible has spread the Protestant faith. It has also been the greatest influence on the enrichment of the English language and its literature. It has been the Bible of wars from the British Civil War in the seventeenth century to the American Civil War two centuries later and it has been carried into battle in innumerable conflicts since then. Its influence on social movements - particularly involving women in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries - and politics was profound. It was crucial to the growth of democracy. It was integral to the abolition of slavery and it defined attitudes to modern science, education and sex. As THE ADVENTURE OF ENGLISH explored the history of our language, so THE BOOK OF BOOKS reveals the extraordinary and still-felt impact of a work created 400 years ago.

What drives a musician to write extraordinary songs? How do writers create their worlds? How does an actor achieve greatness?For over thirty years of The South Bank Show, Melvyn Bragg has interviewed many of the greatest cultural icons of our age. These interviews offer revelatory insights into the lives and work of writers, actors, artists and musicians. In The South Bank Show: Final Cut he has revisited some of these artists and used the interviews as the basis for fuller portraits.The range of artists is remarkable and this book is true to The South Bank Show's ethos of seeking out the highest quality whatever the art form.Melvyn Bragg's unique perspective makes this book indispensable for anyone interested in the work and lives of some of the best artists of our time.