Jane Odiwe Jane Austen Sequels

I'm so thrilled and honoured to have Janet Todd on the blog today to delight us with an excerpt from her new novel, A Man of Genius . I've long been an admirer of Janet's non-fiction books on Jane Austen, though she's also known for her feminist works on Mary Wollstonecraft and Aphra Benn.  Janet i s very kindly giving away a copy of her new book A   Man of Genius , which has been described by  Sarah Dunant as   'A quirky, darkly mischievous novel about love, obsession and the burden of charisma, played out against the backdrop of Venice's watery, decadent glory', and by  Philippa Gregory  as ' Strange and haunting, a gothic novel with a modern consciousness.'   All you have to do to for a chance to win is answer the question,  "Would you rather meet Jane Austen or Lord Byron?"   Please leave your answer in a comment at the bottom of the post. The book is very generously being offered internationally, and the competition will be ...

Blogger is being naughty this morning and won't let me post any pictures or hidden links! I wanted to draw your attention to this wonderful programme about Jane Austen's early writing which can be listened to on BBC iplayer. From the BBC with the link: Juvenile Jane - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00w1yqk Listen now (30 minutes) Availability: 6 days left to listen Last broadcast yesterday, 11:30 on BBC Radio 4. SYNOPSIS Jane Austen's surprisingly neglected but delightfully precocious and revealing early works celebrated by Austen expert Janet Todd with the help of the writer and illustrator Posy Simmonds and the actor Anna Maxwell Martin. Considering how frequently Jane Austen's six great novels are adapted for film, radio and television, it is perhaps surprising that the three small exercise books containing twenty two little stories and plays written during her teen years have not received more notice. Some of these stories - with titles such as "The Adventure...