Moby-Dick is the leviathan of American literature - a great white whale of a book that everyone has heard of but few have actually read. As a marathon readalong gets underway, organised by the University of Plymouth, we listen in to some of the celebrity readers - who include Tilda Swinton, David Cameron and David Attenborough. Plus we talk to the man behind the project, Samuel Johnson prize-winning author Philip Hoare, about his mission to democratise one of the world's great literary masterpieces.
Then we take a trip back in time with the great nephew of Robert Graves, whose new memoir, The White Goddess: An Encounter, brings an extraordinary poetic entourage to vivid life under the clear blue skies of Mallorca, where Graves, his muse, his wife and their many children ate, drank and made mayhem. We're joined by Sam Jordison, who explains why he was inspired to publish the book - and then runs us through the shortlist for the Guardian's Not the Booker prize, which he also runs.
Reading list:
The White Goddess: An Encounter, by Simon Gough
Moby-Dick Big Read
