Kathleen Hale

Desert Island Discs: Archive 1991-1996

English - October 30, 1994 11:15 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MB - ★★★★★ - 64 ratings
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Previous Episode: Lynda La Plante

Next Episode: Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The castaway this week in Desert Island Discs is the writer and illustrator Kathleen Hale. Mainly renowned for that hero of children's literature - Orlando, the Marmalade Cat - and now 96 years old, she'll be talking to Sue Lawley about the excitement and glamour of her bohemian girlhood after the First World War. As secretary to the painter Augustus John, she lived a turbulent but fascinating life at the heart of artistic London.

Marriage and motherhood introduced stability into her life, but boredom with the children's books then on offer led her to create Orlando - the cat who went on to star in 18 beautifully-illustrated and charmingly-written books - considered by many to be the epitome of good children's literature.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: La Sardana De Les Monges by La Principal De Perelada
Book: A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust
Luxury: A gilabra (cloak of gold)