Premiering titles on the Arts Channel for February 2014.

RUSSIA'S OPEN BOOK: WRITING IN THE AGE OF PUTIN

Monday 3 February, 8.30pm

Some of the greatest literary achievements of the 19th and 20th century are Russian: Alexander Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, Tolstoy's War and Peace, and Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Readers in the West may have stopped hearing about Russian literature after the USSR collapsed, but that doesn't mean the Russians stopped writing. Russia's Open Book: Writing in the Age of Putin asks the question: Who is the new Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, or Gogol waiting to be discovered by the English-speaking world? Hosted by actor and author Stephen Fry, the documentary celebrates contemporary Russian authors who are carrying on one of the world's great literary traditions - yet doing so on their own terms. Each author is interviewed extensively in the film, with contributions from their literary critics, publishers, and peers. Excerpts from the authors' recent works are brought to life by vivid animated sequences created exclusively for the film and voiced-over with dramatic readings in English by Fry.

THE HAY SESSIONS

Stuart Prebble: Friday 7 February, 8.30pm

Carl Bernstein: Friday 14 February, 8.30pm

John Le Carre Part 1: Friday 21 February, 8.30pm

John Le Carre Part 2: Friday 21 February, 9.15pm

Caitlin Moran: Thursday 27 February, 8.30pm

Eric Schmidt: Friday 28 February, 8.30pm

The Hay Festival is, in Bill Clinton's words, “the Woodstock of the mind”. Famous cultural figures discuss the world as it is and imagine how it might be. Every year, leading filmmakers, novelists, philosophers and poets travel to Hay-on-Wye, in the beautiful Brecon Beacons, to share stories and ideas. This enchanting and thought-provoking series brings together a selection of the best talks, events and musical treats: Eric Schmidt of Google examines the future of a connected world; Tom Dalyell interviews Stuart Prebble, who scooped the story of the sinking of the Belgrano; spy novelist John le Carre discusses his incredible literary career; War Horse author Michael Morpurgo reminisces with writer of classic children's books, Judith Kerr; Jaspar Rees interviews comedian Lee Mack; Melvyn Bragg discusses his novel, Grace and Mary; and Rupert Everett talks about his new memoir.

THE BOOK SHOW (SEASON 7)

Tuesdays from 18 February, 7.45pm

A-list authors and big-name guests discuss their favourite reads and their own works. The Book Show is a weekly show featuring interviews with leading authors and well known guests including world figures President Carter and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, entertainment personalities Bob Geldof and Michael Palin, and international authors P D James, Salman Rushdie, Terry Pratchett and John Irving. The show covers topical literary news such as the trend for vampire fiction, the phenomenon of atheist books, the demise of paper books, and authors’ working environments. Every programme also includes entertainment, either music inspired by literature or performance poetry.