Part 4 of a series of BBC Radio 4 programmes on the late Penelope Fitzgerald, who studied at Somerville College and won the Booker Prize in 1979, will come to an end this weekend.

Fitzgerald wrote a number of novels between the mid-1970s and her death in 2000, as well as two short stories, three biographies, and a number of essays and reviews. She won the Booker Prize in 1979 for her novel Offshore, which is set among people living on barges in 1961 Battersea.

The series, named Penelope Fitzgerald: A Life, follows the recent publication of a biography of Fitzgerald of the same name, written by Hermione Lee, literary critic and President of Wolfson College, Oxford.

In each episode, abridged excerpts from Lee’s book are read by the actress Penelope Wilton.Episode 5 first played at 9.45am on 6 December, and again at 12.30am on 7 December.

Each episode can still be listened to on BBC iPlayer for several days following the programme.

Further reading?

Green Fridays at Somerville: Sustainability within and beyond the College

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03 August 2026
Green Fridays at Somerville: Sustainability within and beyond the College

Professor Owens Elected to Fellowship of the British Academy

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17 July 2026
Professor Owens Elected to Fellowship of the British Academy

Professor Rajesh Thakker receives highest award from American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

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16 July 2026
Professor Rajesh Thakker receives highest award from American Society for Bone and Mineral Research