The Katherine Mansfield BBC Radio Collection

Dramatisations and Readings of Selected Stories

By: Katherine Mansfield

Narrated by: Andrew Sachs, Claire Skinner, Derek Jacobi, Eileen Atkins, Emilia Fox, full cast, Hattie Morahan, Hugh Bonneville, Indira Varma, Penelope Wilton

A landmark collection of BBC Radio productions of the works of Katherine Mansfield - plus bonus dramas and documentary.

One of the great Modernist authors, Katherine Mansfield was a short story virtuoso, redefining the genre with her subtle, powerfully perceptive tales. A prolific writer, she penned over 60 stories and several poetry collections before her death from TB in 1923, aged only 34.

This outstanding collection opens with Radio 4's 2020 series And Other Stories: Katherine Mansfield. It comprises dramatisations of 'Marriage a la Mode', 'Something Childish But Very Natural', 'Bliss', 'Daughters of the Late Colonel', 'The Garden Party', 'Ma Parker' and 'Her First Ball', all starring Hattie Morahan, as well as readings of 'The Stranger', 'Miss Brill', 'A Cup of Tea', Poison' and 'The Doll's House', narrated by Hugh Bonneville, Barbara Flynn, Hattie Morahan and Blake Ritson.

Morven Christie reads Mansfield's newly-discovered early short story 'Little Episodes', and selected stories from her first collection In A German Pension - 'Germans at Meat and Frau Fischer', 'The Sister of the Baroness', 'The Modern Soul', 'The Advanced Lady' and 'Frau Brechenmacher Attends a Wedding' - are dramatised with a cast including Claire Skinner, Eleanor Bron and Emma Cunniffe.

Also included are eight of her lesser-known tales: 'A Dill Pickle' (read by Clare Corbett), 'Mr Reginald Peacock's Day' (read by Brian Gear), 'Sun and Moon' (read by Lin Sagovsky), 'Psychology' and 'Pictures' (read by Eileen Atkins), 'The Voyage' (read by Indira Varma), 'Honeymoon' (read by Emilia Fox) and 'The Fly' (read by Sam Dale). In addition, her evocative poem 'Winter Song' is read by Sir Derek Jacobi.

Two original dramas explore moments in the life of the great author. Katie Hims' Luxembourg Gardens reimagines Katherine Mansfield's last day in Paris and stars Hattie Morahan, while Cherie Rogers' An Oddly Complete Understanding looks at Mansfield's friendship with Virginia Woolf and stars Rosalind Shanks and Penelope Wilton. The passionate correspondence between Katherine Mansfield and her husband John Middleton Murray is revealed in Darling Mouse, Precious Worm, read by Kerry Fox and Michael Maloney. And in Great Lives: Katherine Mansfield, Jacqueline Wilson assesses the impact of Mansfield's brilliant but tragically short career.

Track listing:

1. Bliss
2. Something Childish But Very Natural
3. Marriage a la Mode
4. Daughters of the Late Colonel
5. The Garden Party
6. Life of Ma Parker
7. Her First Ball
8. The Stranger
9. Miss Brill
10. A Cup of Tea
11. The Doll's House
12. Poison
13. Little Episode
14. Germans at Meat and Frau Fischer
15. The Sister of the Baroness
16. The Modern Soul
17. The Advanced Lady
18. Frau Brechenmacher Attends a Wedding
19. Dill Pickle
20. Mr Reginald Peacock's Day
21. Sun and Moon
22. Psychology
23. Pictures
24. The Voyage
25. Honeymoon
26. The Fly
27. Winter Song
28. Luxembourg Gardens by Katie Hims
29. An Oddly Complete Understanding by Cherie Rogers
30-34. Darling Mouse, Precious Worm - letter between Katherine Mansfield and John Middleton Murray
35. Great Lives: Katherine Mansfield - with Jacqueline Wilson

©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Not accurate to the original written text

I bought this as an accompaniment to reading her stories. I thought it might be nice to listen as I read. While it is beautifully read, the actual spoken word differs greatly in the initial stories I read/listened to - Her First Ball, Bliss and A Cup of Tea - to name the three. If your only purpose is sheer enjoyment, this is perfect. If you are studying or need accurate quotes, you'll need to check the actual written copy.