Department of English

Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University

2202441  British Fiction from the Twentieth Century to the Present

Puckpan Tipayamontri

Office: BRK 1106

Office Hours: M 1–3 and by appointment

Phone: 0 2218 1780

puckpan.t@chula.ac.th

Virtual Fireside Readings

Date: Every weekday (Monday to Friday, except where indicated in the tentative schedule below)

Time: 8:00–8:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom Meeting Room

Tentative Schedule (Sign up to read by e-mailing acharn Puckpan with the date and your selection title.)
 

Jan. 19: 1900s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Rudyard Kipling, "How the Whale Got His Throat," 1897, Just So Stories, 1902, narrated by Michael Ducharel [7.26 min.]
  
• Rudyard Kipling, "A Sahib's War" excerpt
  
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapters 1–2
  

Jan. 20: 1900s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Joseph Conrad, The Shadow-Line excerpt
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapters 3–4
  

Jan. 21: 1910s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Joseph Conrad, The Shadow-Line chapter 1 (pp. 273–76)
  
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 3
  

Jan. 22: 1910s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Joseph Conrad, The Shadow-Line excerpt
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapters 8–10
  

Jan. 23: 1910s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Joseph Conrad, The Shadow-Line chapter 3 (pp. 291–93)
  
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 20
  

Jan. 24: 1910s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Joseph Conrad, The Shadow-Line chapter 4 (p. 323), chapter 6 (p. 358)
  
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 12
  

• Joseph Conrad, The Shadow-Line excerpt
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 21

Jan. 26: 1900s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Joseph Conrad, The Shadow-Line chapter 5 (pp. 327–30)
  
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 26
  

Jan. 27: 1900s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Joseph Conrad, The Shadow-Line chapter 5–6 (pp. 340–43)
  
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 14
  

Jan. 28: 1910s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 15
• Agatha Christie, "The Witness for the Prosecution," 1925, narrated by Christopher Lee; pp. 1–7 ("and asked instead a further question")
  

Jan. 29: 1920s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 23
• Agatha Christie, "The Witness for the Prosecution," 1925, narrated by Christopher Lee; pp. 7 ("'And you did handle her affairs for her at her request?'")–12 ("that must be just Janet's imagination")
  

Jan. 30: 1920s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 25
• Agatha Christie, "The Witness for the Prosecution," 1925, narrated by Christopher Lee; pp. 13 ("'And that is all?'")–18 ("He wished he felt more conviction on the point.")
  

Jan. 31: 1920s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 27
  
• Agatha Christie, "The Witness for the Prosecution," 1925, narrated by Christopher Lee; pp. 18 ("The police court proceedings were brief and dramatic.")–24 ("he murmured to himself as he got in")
  

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 28
• Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway excerpt, narrated by Virginia Leishman, Recorded Books, 2002; pp. 3 ("Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.")–5 ("this moment of June.) [3:56 min.]
  
• Agatha Christie, "The Witness for the Prosecution," 1925, narrated by Christopher Lee; pp. 24 ("The trial of Leonard Vole for the murder of Emily French aroused widespread interest.")–33 [9:00 min.]
  

Feb. 2: 1930s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapters 29
• Frank O'Connor, "Guests of the Nation," narrated by Arron Gill; pp. 1–5 ("pick bleeding apples."/"Hadam and Heve!") [13:10 min.]
  

Feb. 3: 1930s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 30
• Frank O'Connor, "Guests of the Nation," narrated by Terry McMahon; pp. 5 ("I don't know clearly how we got over that day")–10 [17:10 min.]
  

Feb. 4: 1930s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 31
  
• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 1 (pp. 15–24), narrated by Stephen Fry [19:13 min.]
  

Feb. 5: 1940s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 32
  
• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 2 (pp. 25–31 "All were agreed that no animal must ever live there.")
  

Feb. 6: 1940s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 33
• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 2 (pp. 31 "The animals had their breakfast"–34)
• Aldous Huxley, Brave New World chapter 1 (pp. 1–7 ("and even that was difficult")

Feb. 7: 1940s [Listen | Volunteer]

• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 1 ("Beasts of England" song), narrated by Timothy West, chapter 2 (pp. 25–34)
  

• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 4 (pp. 44–50)
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 35 (pp. 177–81)
  

Feb. 9: 1940s [Listen | Volunteer]

• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 5 (pp. 51–56 "that is, badly")
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 36 (pp. 182–88)
  

Feb. 10: 1940s [Listen | Volunteer]

• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 5 (pp. 56 "Apart from the disputes over the windmill")–6 (pp. 63–73)
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 37 (pp. 189–91)
  

Feb. 11: 1940s [Listen | Volunteer]

• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 7 (pp. 74–87)
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 38 (pp. 192–98)
  

Feb. 12: 1940s [Listen | Volunteer]

• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 8 (pp. 88–103)
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 39 (pp. 199–204)
  

Feb. 13: 1940s [Listen | Volunteer]

• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 6 (pp. 63–71 "The windmill was in ruins.")
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 40 (pp. 205–10)
  

Feb. 14: 1940s [Listen | Volunteer]

• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 10 (pp. 117–28)
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 41 (pp. 211–14)
• Wildcard
  

• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 10 (pp. 117–28)
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 39
• Wildcard
  

Feb. 16: 1940s [Listen | Volunteer]

• George Orwell, Animal Farm chapter 7 (pp. 74–81 "But boxer was still a little uneasy.")
  
• Arthur C. Clarke, "Hide and Seek" pp. 85–89 ("but that was rather too much to hope for.")

Feb. 17: 1940s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Arthur C. Clarke, "Hide and Seek" pp. 89 ("He turned to examine his new home.")–97

Feb. 18: 1950s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 37
• Wildcard
  

Feb. 19: 1950s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 38
• Wildcard

Feb. 20: 1950s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 39
  

Feb. 21: 1950s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 40
• Wyndham Lewis, "My Fellow Traveller to Oxford" 1–4 ("directed against the same group of ‘rights’ as was the reactionary rhyme.")

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 41
• Wyndham Lewis, "My Fellow Traveller to Oxford" pp. 4 ("The second class of 'rights'")–6

Feb. 23: 1960s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Muriel Spark, "The House of the Famous Poet" pp. 263–68 ("and I recognized the famous poet.")
  
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapters 42
  

Feb. 24: 1960s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 43
• Muriel Spark, "The House of the Famous Poet" pp. 268 ("It was the same with the upstairs room")–73
  
• Samuel Beckett, "Ping"
  

Feb. 25: 1970s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 44
  

Feb. 26: 1970s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill excerpt

Feb. 27: 1970s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill excerpt
• Wildcard
  

Feb. 28: 1970s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill excerpt
• Wildcard
  

• Angela Carter, "The Snow Child"
• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 45
• Muriel Spark, Curriculum Vitae: Autobiography chapter 5 excerpts
  

 
Mar. 2: 1980s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapters 46
• Salman Rushdie, "The Perforated Sheet," Midnight's Children pp. 9–13 ("(It's bridge was wide.)")
  

Mar. 3: 1980s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill chapter 50
• Salman Rushdie, "The Perforated Sheet," Midnight's Children pp. 13 ("My grandfather's nose: nostrils flaring")–17 ("And, also from Tai, my grandfather heard about noses.")
  

Mar. 4: 1980s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill excerpt
• Salman Rushdie, "The Perforated Sheet," Midnight's Children pp. 17 ("Tai tapped his left nostril")–21 ("Time settles down and concentrates on the importance of the moment.")
  

Mar. 5: 1980s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Salman Rushdie, "The Perforated Sheet," Midnight's Children pp. 21 ("The house was opulent but badly lit")–23 and "Mercurochrome" pp. 24–25 ("because he had never seen her face.")

• Salman Rushdie, "Mercurochrome," Midnight's Children pp. 25 ("His mother lay on her bed")–29 ("who didn't know two things about anything.")

Mar. 9: 1980s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Salman Rushdie, "Mercurochrome," Midnight's Children pp. 29 ("'Because I am an orphan'")–32 ("something was not right here.")

Mar. 10: 1980s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Salman Rushdie, "Mercurochrome," Midnight's Children pp. 32 ("Close-up of my grandfather's right hand")–36

Mar. 11: 1910s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children excerpt

Mar. 12: 1980s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children excerpt

• Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children excerpt

Mar. 16: 1980s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Salman Rushdie, "The Perforated Sheet," Midnight's Children pp. 18 ("...Doctor Aziz in 1915")–21 ("Time settles down and concentrates on the importance of the moment.")
  
• A. S. Byatt, Possession chapter 1 beginning–p. 4 ("scanned with his eyes.")
  

Mar. 17: 1980s [Listen | Volunteer]

• A. S. Byatt, Possession chapter 1 pp. 4 ("It was immediately clear")–11 (end of chapter)
  

Mar. 18: 1980s [Listen | Volunteer]

• A. S. Byatt, Possession chapter 2 pp. 12–16 ("and the first tantrum")
  
• Timothy Mo, Renegade, or Halo2 chapter 1 pp. 9–12 ("my buckler and my blade")
  

Mar. 19: 1990s [Listen | Volunteer]

• A. S. Byatt, Possession chapter 2 pp. 16 ("Val left him for the first time")–19 ("without having to share it with Randolph Ash")
  
• Timothy Mo, Renegade, or Halo2 chapter 1 pp. 12 ("Ma was only fourteen years older than me")–14 ("the youngest of Ma's barkada, Auntie Lovely-Anne")
  

• A. S. Byatt, Possession chapter 2 pp. 20 ("In the dark hall the pictures were difficult to see.")–25
  
• Timothy Mo, Renegade, or Halo2 chapter 1 pp. 14 ("We were pimping for the pum-pum girls")–16 ("forever wittering about")
  

Mar. 23: 1990s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 3–7 ("It took us a while to work this out.")
• Timothy Mo, Renegade, or Halo2 chapter 1 pp. 16 ("Because everyone was a transient")–17 ("No such luck.")
  

Mar. 24: 1990s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 7 ("Adrian allowed himself to be absorbed into our group")–14 ("we felt that it had missed a powerful educative opportunity")
  
• Timothy Mo, Renegade, or Halo2 chapter 1 pp. 17 ("Bambi was tubercular")–19 ("a dangerous but predictable quantity.")

Mar. 25: 1990s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 14 ("Perhaps we wouldn't have been so hard on Robson")–20 ("I had attempted the world's worst pick-up line")
  
• Sue Townsend, Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years pp. 3–13 ("and disconnected the call")
  

Mar. 26: 2000s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 20 ("My girlfriend was called Veronica Mary Elizabeth Ford")–27 ("or treating me as lower-class scum")
  
• Sue Townsend, Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years excerpt
  

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 27 ("Veronica's brother, Jack")–33 ("I felt a throb of vindication")
  
• Sue Townsend, Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years excerpt
  

Mar. 30: 2000s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 33 ("Veronica and I continued going out together")–40 ("He wasn't the sort who would get his name or face into the newspapers")
  
• Clare Wigfall, "The Numbers" pp. 1–5 ("began again at its greiting.")
  

Mar. 31: 2000s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 40 ("You can probably guess")–46 ("Annie was part of my story, but not of this story")
  
• Clare Wigfall, "The Numbers" pp. 5 (Potatoes)–9 (end)

Apr. 1: 2000s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 46 ("My parents thought of getting in touch")–53 ("a fucking terrible waste")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness "The Last Wolf" pp. 1–8

Apr. 2: 1910s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending p. 53 ("A year on")–part 2 p. 61 ("he never did run out of animals")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 1 pp. 9–19 ("the great gas towers hove into view")

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 61 ("I get on well with Susie")–68 ("end up sounding like them?")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness pp. 19 (The building was a tall, new block")–29 ("close to his niece's address")
  

Apr. 6: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 68 ("The less time there remains in your life")–75 ("All I could do was not use it myself")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness pp. 30 ("The gathering was held")–41 ("Jean looked away")
  

Apr. 7: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 75 ("I told her the story")–82 ("What possible evolutionary purpose could nostalgia serve?")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 3 pp. 42–52

Apr. 8: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 82 ("I had a friend who trained as a lawyer")–90 ("and from which side she'd arrive")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 4 pp. 53–64 ("the opalescent eye shine of an animal")

Apr. 9: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 90 ("But she was there already")–97 ("on your joint and anointed heads. Tony")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness "Eastern Bosnia. Winter 1995" p. 65–chapter 5 p. 75 ("a fox had mated with his Labrador")

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 97 ("Whisky, I find, helps clarity of thought")–103 ("our tragedy")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness pp. 75 ("'I doubt that very much'")–84 ("'This is where we start'")

Apr. 13: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 103 ("'The question of accumulation'")–110 ("that's a love song, isn't it?")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 6 pp. 85–96 ("the fox went to sleep")
  

Apr. 14: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 110 ("I don't want to blame Margaret at all")–117 ("closeness I couldn't handle")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 7 pp. 97–112 ("'Frontside axel stall'")
  

Apr. 15: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 117 ("The next week was very quiet")–122 ("the river ran upstream")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 8 pp. 113–124 ("soundlessly together")
  

Apr. 16: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 122 ("Of course, I was far too early")–128 ("There was a moon that night")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 9 pp. 125 ("In the short time they had been talking")–136 ("'They still go looking for watermelon?'")
  

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 129 ("Silence. Speed bump.")–135 ("the other three went into the shop with the minder")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness pp. 136 ("Minutes past midnight")–148 ("He watched until the checkpoint was lost from view")
  

Apr. 20: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 135 ("I got up, leaving by biro")–142 ("he was afraid of the pram in the hall")
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 10 pp. 149–59 ("'Before we get started'")
  

Apr. 21: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending pp. 142 ("What did I know of life")–150 (end)
• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 11 pp. 160–72 ("and it had begun with Archie")
  

Apr. 22: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 11 pp. 172 ("Though the next day was Saturday,")–84 ("the blood beat of his life.")
  

Apr. 23: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 12 pp. 185 ("A lone street-cleaning vehicle")–97 ("sure of foot as a ballet dancer.")

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 13 pp. 198 ("A20. M25. M23. A23.")–207 ("And he moved towards the door.")

Apr. 27: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 13 pp. 208 ("Iraq, 2009")–20 ("shook his head. 'Strange.'")
  

Apr. 28: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 14 pp. 220 ("The young woman walked into the cafe")–32 ("All of this.")

Apr. 29: 1910s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 15 pp. 233 ("A sound, a punctuation point")–40 ("was the head of the animal")

Apr. 30: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 16 pp. 241 ("Jean came back from her run")–52 ("'What do you want, Adama?'")

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 17 pp. 253 ("There is a time one sees a new love")–56 ("weeping in his heart")

May 4: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 18 pp. 257 ("'We all know the facts of the case here'")–65 ("Rosie had bitten him.")
  

May 5: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 18 pp. 266 ("At the far end of the compound")–72 ("and writhe in his hand")

May 6: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 19 pp. 273 ("In the year that followed")–79 ("a place named Shingle Street")

May 7: 1910s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 20 pp. 280 ("The woman opened the door of the City Road apartment")–86 ("formed itself into a fourth presence")

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 21 pp. 287 ("Attila walked with the dawn behind him")–92 ("he wrote the words: 'THE PARADOX'")

May 11: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 22 pp. 293 ("Wednesday, an hour before dawn")–300 ("the bark of a small cherry tree")
  

May 12: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 23 pp. 301 ("The car to take Attila to the conference hall")–06 ("The whole of it.")
  

May 13: 2010s [Listen | Volunteer]

• Aminatta Forna, Happiness chapter 24 pp. 307 ("March the 1st comes and goes")–09 (end)
  

Home  |  British Fiction from the Twentieth Century to the Present 

Last updated May 6, 2021