2012 is the 200th anniversary of Grimm's Fairy Tales. In celebration of this anniversary, award-winning author Philip Pullman presents his fifty favourite stories from the Brothers Grimm in a 'clear as water' retelling, making them feel fresh and unfamiliar with his dark, distinctive voice. 
 
These are two of the tales read by Pullman himself and made available for digital download to mark this exciting publication.

Philip Pullman: Grimm Tales (Author Readings)

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Do you sometimes behave irrationally or impulsively? Do you face some situations with fear and trepidation? Do feelings of self-doubt consume everyday activities?

Leading Consultant Psychiatrist, Prof Steve Peters, knows more than anyone how impulsive behaviour or nagging self-doubt can impact negatively on our professional and personal lives.

In this, his first book, Steve shares his phenomenally successful mind management programme that has been used to help elite athletes and senior managers alike to conquer their fears and operate with greater control, focus and confidence.

The Chimp Paradox by Prof Steve Peters

The first collection of poetry by ‘the hottest name in spoken word’ George The Poet.

‘The title is Search Party – the idea being that we’re all out here looking for something, and my poems are my way of finding myself.’

A young black poet blending spoken word and rap; an inner city upbringing with a Cambridge education; a social consciousness with a satirical wit and infectious rhythm – George The Poet is the voice of a new generation.

Search Party is a thought-provoking and deeply autobiographical collection. From the overtly political ‘Go Home’ to the deeply personal ‘Full-time’; the narrative poems that offer vivid and unapologetic snapshots of inner-city life, such as ‘His Mistakes’, ‘Believer’ and the anthemic ‘My City’; to the provocative social commentary in ‘Lazy Dog’ and ‘YOLO’; to the inspiring, idea-driven pieces such as ‘The Power of Collaboration’ and ‘School Blues’, George takes poetry into new territories and to new audiences, offering a different way to talk about the things that matter, to explore his own experience and ideas, and encourage others explore theirs.

George The Poet’s mesmerising and unforgettable live performances have earned him critical acclaim. From sell-out headline gigs and YouTube hits, to recording his own music, and now his first collection of poetry, George uses his work to speak truth to power and challenge our preconceived ideas about the society we’re living in.

Whether you’re searching for yourself, for answers, for change – join the search party.

Performed by George the Poet.

The Spectrum

All Existence is Contribution

Elephant Knows

One of Britain’s most successful, controversial columnists looks back on his childhood and how we got from there to here.

Richard Littlejohn was born in Ilford, Essex in 1954. It wasn't just another century, it was another country. Wartime rationing was still in force. Children who grew up in the fifties and sixties ran free and wild. They were always outdoors and played in cornfields, on building sites and in air raid shelters.

There was no suffocating elf'n'safety culture, no computer games and no-one suffered from now-fashionable food allergies. Milk came from cows at the local dairy, not supermarkets. Beef dripping was good for you.

Instead of the internet, there were libraries. Instead of 24-hour satellite television, there was the anarchic free-for-all of Saturday morning pictures and the Under The Bedclothes Club on Radio Luxembourg.

Richard revisits childhood haunts, encountering an England changed beyond recognition - from the covered market which is now a 30-storey Dubai-style tower block to his old primary school, where pupils now speak 20 different languages as their mother tongue. His old grammar school has been abolished and demolished.

From Muffin the Mule to Jimi Hendrix at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, this book is part memoir, part social documentary. Poignant, warm and funny, it really is a journey to a Lost World.

Littlejohn's Lost World written and read by Richard Littlejohn (Audiobook Extract)

Find out why Philip Pullman has returned to the realm of his trilogy, His Dark Materials. In this exclusive London launch of the highly anticipated La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One, Pullman reveals why he has come back to much-loved character Lyra Belacqua’s world 22 years after the first book.

"I do actually believe in ghosts, fairies, hobgoblins; nature's spirits of every kind, because they help me write stories."
PHILIP PULLMAN

Pullman reflects on his writing process, what drew him back to Lyra’s world more than two decades after Northern Lights was first published, and why the struggle for freedom of expression against despotic rulers that has been at the heart of his books, is more pressing now than ever.


This podcast is part of London Literature Festival 2017 at Southbank Centre southbankcentre.co.uk/londonlitfest
For more of biggest and most influential names in modern literature southbankcentre.co.uk/literature

Philip Pullman: La Belle Sauvage

Philip Pullman reading "Little Red Riding Hood" from his new book, Grimm Tales.

About the book:
2012 is the 200th anniversary of Grimm's Fairy Tales. In celebration of this anniversary, award-winning author Philip Pullman presents his fifty favourite stories from the Brothers Grimm in a 'clear as water' retelling, making them feel fresh and unfamiliar with his dark, distinctive voice. 



Philip Pullman: Grimm Tales (Author Reading) Little Red Riding Hood

Philip Pullman reading "Three Snake Leaves" from his new book, Grimm Tales. 

About the book: 
2012 is the 200th anniversary of Grimm's Fairy Tales. In celebration of this anniversary, award-winning author Philip Pullman presents his fifty favourite stories from the Brothers Grimm in a 'clear as water' retelling, making them feel fresh and unfamiliar with his dark, distinctive voice.

Philip Pullman: Grimm Tales (Author Reading) Three Snake Leaves

On the eve of Milton's 400th birthday, Claire Tomalin and Philip Pullman talk about why, for them, Milton's poetry has never lost its magic.

Milton: Where Joy Forever Dwells (Philip Pullman, Claire Tomalin)

Penguin Books publishes blockbusting, prize-winning, celebrated, controversial, heart-warming, thought-provoking and inspiring books by a range of authors from Ali Smith to Zadie Smith, Jeremy Clarkson to Jeremy Paxman and Jamie Oliver to Oliver Goldsmith.

Philip Pullman: Grimm Tales (Author Reading) Three Snake Leaves

Penguin Books UK