Full-cast dramatisations of three acclaimed novels by Elizabeth Taylor – including Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont – plus 17 readings of her short fiction

Described by Antonia Fraser as ‘one of the most underrated novelists of the 20th century’, Elizabeth Taylor was much admired for her witty, acutely observed stories of middle-class life. She never achieved widespread recognition during her lifetime – perhaps due to the fame of her Hollywood namesake – but since her death in 1975, her work has been rediscovered. This collection showcases the very best of her oeuvre, as heard on BBC Radio.

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont is the poignant tale of an elderly lady who moves into a genteel London hotel and strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young writer. Jean Anderson stars as Mrs Palfrey in this 1974 adaptation, with Tony Robinson as Ludo. In A Wreath of Roses, starring Angela Pleasence, a violent and disturbing incident at the start of her holiday proves to be a memory Camilla cannot escape, while In a Summer Season sees wealthy widow Kate marrying a younger man, provoking gossip among her conventional 1950s community. Kate Buffery stars in this moving drama about love and the transience of happiness.

Taylor’s short stories, a number of which appeared in The New Yorker and Harper’s Bazaar, are regarded by many as her crowning achievement. Included here are 15 of them, beginning with three tales read by Joanna Tope – ‘The Idea of Age’, ‘Plenty Good Fiesta’ and ‘The Blush’. Also featured is the Radio 4 anthology Dangerous Calm, comprising five stories abridged by Richard Hamilton: ‘The Letter Writers’, ‘The Benefactress’ and ‘Hotel du Commerce, read by Joanna David; and ‘Spry Old Character’ and ‘A Dedicated Man’, read by David Troughton. Seven more short pieces follow – ‘The Devastating Boys’ (abridged by Di Speirs), ‘Sisters’, ‘Swan Moving’, ‘Simone’, ‘Flesh’, ‘Gravement Endommage’ and ‘In and Out the Houses’, read by Sarah Badel, Sheila Mitchell, Fiona Walker, Ann Windsor, Rosemary Leach, Shireen Shah and Cécile Chevreau respectively.

Two 13-part Woman’s Hour serials conclude our compilation. In The Wedding Group, read by June Barrie, two rebellious young people, each escaping their families, make an unhappy marriage. And in The Sleeping Beauty, read by Nigel Anthony, a 50-year-old bachelor becomes smitten with an enigmatic recluse – but both of them are nursing secrets...

Cast and credits

Written by Elizabeth Taylor

Dramatisations

· Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont

· A Wreath of Roses

· In a Summer Season

Short Stories

· The Idea of Age

· Plenty Good Fiesta

· The Blush

· The Letter Writers

· The Benefactress

· Hotel du Commerce

· Spry Old Character

· A Dedicated Man

· The Devastating Boys

· Sisters

· Swan Moving

· Simone

· Flesh

· Gravement Endommage

· In and Out the Houses

· The Wedding Group

· The Sleeping Beauty

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