Take Four Books - Xiaolu Guo
This week, Take Four Books, presented by James Crawford, talks to the British-Chinese writer Xiaolu Guo about her new novel - Call Me Ishmaelle - which reinterprets Herman Melville's mighty Moby Dick story and follows the protagonist of Ishmaelle, a woman who sneaks onto a whaling ship disguised as a man. For her three influencing texts Xiaolu chose: Moby Dick by Herman Melville from 1851; Philip Hoare's Leviathan from 2009; and Othello by William Shakespeare (first performed in 1604).
The supporting contributor for this episode was the literary editor and founder of the independent publisher thi wurd - Alan McMunnigall.
Producer: Dom Howell
Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.
Published on Sunday, 20th April 2025.
Available Podcasts from Take Four Books
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