Helena Attlee's guest appearances

Helena Attlee

El ojo crítico

Private Passions

John Sandoe Books

Writing Lives: Biography and Beyond

Stanfords Travel Podcast

Judith Herrin

Alexandra Harris

Hermione Lee

Juliet Nicolson

Siri Hustvedt

Isaiah Berlin

Jancis Robinson

Michael Craig-Martin

Helen Cammock

Tim Harford

Sugata Mitra

Andy McNab

Philippa Perry

Katy Brand

Simon Sebag Montefiore

OwlTail

The writer Helena Attlee transports Michael Berkeley to the sounds, smells, tastes and music of Italy. Helena has spent most of her life immersed in Italian culture, and she has written two bestselling books that take her readers to the heart of Italy via unexpected avenues: The Land Where Lemons Grow tells the story of citrus-growing in Italy, from the Medici to the Mafia; and Lev’s Violin recounts her obsessive search in Italy and beyond to discover the history of a battered but beautiful old violin. Helena chooses music by Paganini that takes her to the Tuscan garden once owned by Napoleon’s sister; a folk song from Sicily, the heartland of Italian citrus farming; and a moving recording of singing from the windows of Siena during the lockdown. She tells Michael how for much of her life she felt excluded from classical music until one evening, and one violin, transformed her relationship with music and changed the direction of her life.Producer: Jane Greenwood A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 3

The writer Helena Attlee transports Michael Berkeley to the sounds, smells, tastes and music of Italy. Helena has spent most of her life immersed in Italian culture, and she has written two bestselling books that take her readers to the heart of Italy via unexpected avenues: The Land Where Lemons Grow tells the story of citrus-growing in Italy, from the Medici to the Mafia; and Lev’s Violin recounts her obsessive search in Italy and beyond to discover the history of a battered but beautiful old violin. Helena chooses music by Paganini that takes her to the Tuscan garden once owned by Napoleon’s sister; a folk song from Sicily, the heartland of Italian citrus farming; and a moving recording of singing from the windows of Siena during the lockdown. She tells Michael how for much of her life she felt excluded from classical music until one evening, and one violin, transformed her relationship with music and changed the direction of her life. Producer: Jane Greenwood A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 3

Sophy Roberts

Helena Attlee and Sophy Roberts have both written "biographies" of musical instruments. Sophy Roberts’s book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia, sees her track down these instruments in remote landscapes all across Russia, tracing the unique importance of pianos to Tsarist and USSR history, and the poignant stories of the individuals who used them. Helena Attlee’s book, Lev’s Violin, follows the story of one particular violin across Italy and beyond, describing the wider history of European luthiers, and exploring how we ascribe monetary value to these emotionally charged objects. They talk to Kate Kennedy (herself a cellist) about what it means to write the story of an instrument. Donate to restore Lev’s Violin: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/save-levs-violin Find out more about: Sophy Roberts:  Book: The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2020) Website: https://www.sophyroberts.com/ Instagram: @sophy.roberts  Helena Attlee:  Book: Lev’s Violin: an Italian Adventure (2021) Website: www.helena-attlee.com Twitter: @HelenaAttlee  The Oxford Centre for Life-Writing:  Website: https://oclw.web.ox.ac.uk/ Twitter: @OxLifeWriting  If you'd like to be more involved, access exclusive events and attend our online book club, then join our Friends Scheme. We also offer writing groups and mentoring to those working on their own writing projects. The Oxford Centre for Life-Writing is based at Wolfson College, University of Oxford. Artwork by Una. Edited by Charles Pidgeon.

Helena Attlee and Sophy Roberts have both written "biographies" of musical instruments. Sophy Roberts’s book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia, sees her track down these instruments in remote landscapes all across Russia, tracing the unique importance of pianos to Tsarist and USSR history, and the poignant stories of the individuals who used them. Helena Attlee’s book, Lev’s Violin, follows the story of one particular violin across Italy and beyond, describing the wider history of European luthiers, and exploring how we ascribe monetary value to these emotionally charged objects. They talk to Kate Kennedy (herself a cellist) about what it means to write the story of an instrument. Donate to restore Lev’s Violin: <a href="https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/save-levs-violin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/save-levs-violin</a> Find out more about: Sophy Roberts: <ul> <li>Book: <a href="https://www.lostpianosofsiberia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Lost Pianos of Siberia</a> (2020)</li> <li>Website: <a href="https://www.sophyroberts.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.sophyroberts.com/</a></li> <li>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sophy_roberts/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@sophy.roberts</a></li> </ul> Helena Attlee: <ul> <li>Book: <a href="https://www.helena-attlee.com/levs-violin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lev’s Violin: an Italian Adventure</a> (2021)</li> <li>Website: <a href="//www.helena-attlee.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.helena-attlee.com</a></li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/HelenaAttlee" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@HelenaAttlee</a></li> </ul> The Oxford Centre for Life-Writing: <ul> <li>Website: <a href="https://oclw.web.ox.ac.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://oclw.web.ox.ac.uk/</a></li> <li>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/OxLifeWriting" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@OxLifeWriting</a></li> </ul> If you'd like to be more involved, access exclusive events and attend our online book club, then join our <a href="https://oclw.web.ox.ac.uk/support-us#/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Friends Scheme</a>. We also offer <a href="https://www.oxfordwritingmentors.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">writing groups and mentoring</a> to those working on their own writing projects. The Oxford Centre for Life-Writing is based at <a href="https://www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wolfson College, University of Oxford</a>. Artwork by <a href="https://thingsbyuna.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Una</a>. Edited by Charles Pidgeon.

Helena Attlee & Sophy Roberts: writing the lives of musical instruments

Helena's citrusy history of Italy, The Land Where Lemons Grow, sold by the armful when it came out in 2014. Her new book tells the story of one fragile instrument and its journey across Europe, from Wales to Cremona to Russia. We still have some signed copies (at the time of uploading); please get in touch by email or telephone to reserve a copy.    Edited by Magnus Rena    Music: Broen Ensemble with Greg Lawson, Shaloka (trad. Armenian)

Helena's citrusy history of Italy, The Land Where Lemons Grow, sold by the armful when it came out in 2014. Her new book tells the story of one fragile instrument and its journey across Europe, from Wales to Cremona to Russia. We still have some signed copies (at the time of uploading); please get in touch by email or telephone to reserve a copy.  Edited by Magnus Rena  Music: Broen Ensemble with Greg Lawson, Shaloka (trad. Armenian)

Helena Attlee: Lev's Violin