A.S. Byatt's Possession is a blockbuster of a novel, loved by both critics and readers. If you haven't already read it, you've probably heard of it. (And if you haven't heard of it, well, we're here to fill you in.) Possession won the 1990 Booker Prize and it's a romp of a novel that's part detective thriller and part romance. It also happens to be the subject of our first Monthly Spotlight of 2024 – formerly known as Book of the Month – so tune in as we delve into the book and the life of its author. In this episode Jo and James: Share a brief biography of A.S. Byatt Explore Byatt's literary rivalry with her writer sister, Margaret Drabble Summarise the plot of Possession Hear a clip of Byatt reading from the book at the 1990 Booker Prize ceremony Discuss their thoughts on the novel Reading list: Possession by A.S. Byatt: https://thebookerprizes.com/archive/books/possession An Awfully Big Adventure by Beryl Bainbridge: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/an-awfully-big-adventure The Gate of Angels by Penelope Fitzgerald: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-gate-of-angels Lies of Silence by Brian Moore: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/lies-of-silence Amongst Women by John McGahern: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/amongst-women Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/solomon-gursky-was-here The Virgin in the Garden by A.S. Byatt The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt The Biographer's Tale The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-childrens-book A full transcript of the episode is available at our website: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/the-booker-prize-podcast-episode-28-possession-by-as-byatt Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices