Sunday afternoon is the perfect radio day.

A nice relaxed chat on BBC Radio Wales about Abandon All Hope.

I’ve always been a Sunday person. In my life I have enjoyed the strolls, the black and white movies, the hangovers, the hair of the dog, the aimless reading, the roasts, the injections of sport (watching), the lazy low hum of the radio in the background. And so it was a real delight to pop into the BBC this week to talk to the marvellous Lynn Bowles about my upcoming new book, Abandon All Hope. Lynn, like all good radio presenters, is very good company, and we had a really lovely, relaxed half hour or so chatting about how the book came to be, what I’m trying to do with it, and about the riches and colourful characters of Welsh literature’s glorious past. I haven’t listened back to it, yet, but in the moment it felt like a really good intro to the book, and a really good way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

You can catch it here, from 1.13.30 in.

Gary Raymond is a novelist, author, playwright, critic, and broadcaster. In 2012, he co-founded Wales Arts Review, was its editor for ten years. His latest book, Abandon All Hope: A Personal Journey Through the History of Welsh Literature is available for pre-order and is out in May 2024 with Calon Books.