This week, Thea Lenarduzzi and Lucy Dallas are joined by the novelist Margaret Drabble to consider the ‘curiously free-floating reputation’ of Russell Hoban, whose adult novels, including ‘Riddley Walker’, now appear as Penguin Modern Classics; as twin exhibitions mark the centenary of the birth of the English sculptor, painter, writer, designer and illustrator Michael Ayrton, the critic Boyd Tonkin delves into the myth-laden maze of the artist’s thought

‘From Oprah to Medusa: The endlessly various world of Russell Hoban’ by Margaret Drabble: www.the-tls.co.uk

‘Michael Ayrton: A singular obsession’, Fry Art Gallery Too, Saffron Walden, until October 31st

‘Michael Ayrton Centenary: Ideas, images, reflections’, edited by Justine Hopkins

‘Celebrating Michael Ayrton: A centenary exhibition’, the Lightbox, Woking, until August 8th

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Producer: Ben Mitchell

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