Image via WikiÂmeÂdia ComÂmons
For decades, the BBC has interÂviewed legÂendary British novÂelÂists, askÂing them how they creÂate their memÂoÂrable charÂacÂters, paint their evocaÂtive setÂtings with words, and develÂop plots that keep us turnÂing pages. Now, these audio interÂviews appear online in a colÂlecÂtion called In Their Own Words. The archive takes you back to 1937, to a conÂverÂsaÂtion with VirÂginia Woolf, then moves you forÂward to interÂviews with Aldous HuxÂley, JRR Tolkien, Doris LessÂing, MarÂtin Amis, VS Naipaul, and Salman Rushdie, to name just a few. These recordÂings sit niceÂly alongÂside a giant archive of litÂerÂary interÂviews recentÂly pubÂlished online by The Paris Review. (More on that here.) So, if you want to get into the “how” of litÂerÂaÂture, you can now tap instantÂly into the colÂlecÂtive wisÂdom of the litÂerÂary greats.
FolÂlow Open CulÂture on FaceÂbook and TwitÂter and share intelÂliÂgent media with your friends. Or betÂter yet, sign up for our daiÂly email and get a daiÂly dose of Open CulÂture in your inbox. And if you want to make sure that our posts defÂiÂniteÂly appear in your FaceÂbook newsÂfeed, just folÂlow these simÂple steps.
This is great! UnforÂtuÂnateÂly the Woolf video was removed for copyÂright reaÂsons. The HuxÂley interÂview is interÂestÂing — among othÂer things, he recÂomÂmends that artists (and proÂfesÂsors!) use drugs to expand their minds.
These videos are not availÂable in “my area” (I live in Chile, South AmerÂiÂca). In my underÂstandÂing, this is not “Open (free) CulÂture”. It’s a pity.