Open Book - 11/10/2009

Mariella Frostrup talks to the thriller writer Robert Harris, whose latest book, Lustrum, set in Ancient Rome, is the second volume of a trilogy about the lawyer, politican and orator Cicero. Harris explains how modern and ancient politics collide, and why this novel about ancient intrigue is dedicated to Lord Mandelson. The Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector is the subject of a recent biography; as one of her novels is published in a new translation, Mariella is joined by the biographer Benjamin Moser to discuss why she is revered as one of the greatest writers in the Portugese language. And the masterpieces that never were; the author of a new history of literary hoaxes, Melissa Katsoulis, and the writer Kevin Jackson swap favourite tales of writers who pulled the wool over their readers' eyes.