The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
It's sixty-five years since John Wyndham published The Midwich Cuckoos, the fourth in his hugely successful series of science fiction novels that began in 1951 with The Day of the Triffids. Many people\u2019s first introduction to The Midwich Cuckoos is through the classic film from 1960, which was renamed The Village of the Damned and starred George Sanders. We\u2019re joined for this episode by the writer and director David Farr, who has just produced the most recent adaptation of the novel: a seven-episode series for Sky. As well as assessing the merits of the book \u2013 sometimes obscured by its popular success \u2013 we discuss the process of adapting a classic novel for a modern audience. This episode also features Andy sharing his holiday read \u2013 The Feast by Margaret Kennedy (author of The Constant Nymph which we featured last year). The novel is set in Cornwall, which was exactly where Andy found himself when he read it. John also introduces a new independent publisher, Hazel Press, whose exquisite small, environmentally friendly books include The Wren by Julia Blackburn, a haunting sequence of short journal entries and prose poems. \nTimings: (may differ due to variable advert length) \n11:00 - The Feast by Margaret Kennedy. \n18:01 - The Wren by Julia Blackburn. \n22:48 - The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham \n* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our bookshop at\xa0uk.bookshop.org/shop/backlisted\xa0where all profits help to sustain this podcast and UK independent bookshops. \n* For information about everything mentioned in this episode visit\xa0www.backlisted.fm \n*If you'd like to support the show, listen without adverts, receive the show early and with extra bonus fortnightly episodes, become a Patreon at\xa0www.patreon.com/backlisted\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices