Samuel Pepys: Re-discovering the vim of his vigour [audio 33min @ 19:08:20]

For the series championing influential works of art, presenter Philip Dodd is joined by biographer Claire Tomalin, writer and broadcaster Iain Sinclair, and historian Vic Gatrell to discuss The Diary of Samuel Pepys. Pepys lived in some of the most turbulent years in British history--the death of Cromwell, the Restoration, the Second Anglo-Dutch War, The Great Plague, the Fire of London--and in the million words in his much-celebrated diaries, the MP and naval administrator provided a unique insight into life in London, while also revealing his own colourful personal life--his affairs, his gourmandise, his tirelessness as a Navy administrator and his sheer, vital curiosity about himself and others. The Diary Samuel Pepys: A Selection is published by Penguin Classics; Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self by Claire Tomalin is published by Penguin Books.