Post War

Available for 30 days

Stephanie Cole reads from a collection of essays by acclaimed writer Diana Athill. Written from the vantage point of her late 90s, Athill's essays are wise, cheering and thought-provoking. They range from gentle (her love of beautiful clothes), heartbreaking (the miscarriage of a much-wanted child) to salutary (her difficult decision to relinquish her independence and move into a care home). In this first essay, "Post-War", Athill delights in debunking the myth that Britain in the 1940s and 1950s was a mire of dreariness. A young woman when the war broke out, peace and its aftermath was a time of joy, freedom and optimism. Diana Athill's book, first published in 2015. Read by Stephanie Cole Abridged in five parts and produced by Kirsteen Cameron First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in December 2015. Photo credit: Mark Crick