Literature on Sky Arts Channel in October

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA: THE EXPEDITION

Thursday 16 October, 7.00pm

Literature/Conservation

Martin Falklind was 14 years old when he first read Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Old Man and the Sea, the tale of an unlucky fisherman who sets out to capture a giant marlin. Since then, he has dreamt of capturing one of these fabled giant fish, the size of a boat. Martin decides it is time to fulfil his dream. He sets out on the expedition of a lifetime, to catch an 18 foot (5.5 metre) fish in a small boat, on the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. However, the world is a different place now the marlin population is severely endangered due to overfishing. Martin’s expedition is no longer about the glory of the catch. It’s about highlighting the terrible effect overfishing has had, even on remote waters.

WRITERS OF EUROPE: ENGLAND OF MARTIN AMIS

Monday 20 October, 8.30pm

Literature/Culture

Writers of Europe sets out to explore the countries of Europe and to depict them as perceived and experienced by one or several major figures of the literature they have produced. English novelist Martin Amis is perhaps best-known for his novels Money and London Fields. His work centres on the excesses of late-capitalist Western society, whose perceived absurdity he often satirises through grotesque caricature; what the New York Times called "the new unpleasantness".

JUDITH KERR: HITLER, THE TIGER AND ME

Tuesday 21 October, 8.30pm

Literature/Interview

The utterly compelling story of bestselling author and illustrator Judith Kerr, creator of The Tiger Who Came to Tea and the Mog series. Alan Yentob interviews the warm, wise and articulate writer as she celebrates her 90th year. She revisits her childhood home in Berlin, recounts the excitement of fleeing the Nazis, and reveals the influence of Dr Seuss. Her father was a theatre critic and friend of Einstein, her mother was a translator for the Nuremberg War Crimes Commission. In 1932, the family fled for Paris, then London, leaving everything, including Judith’s toys. Her autobiographical volume, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, is now a set text in German schools. Exploring her much-loved masterpieces and detailing how she met her husband, Quatermass creator Nigel Kneale, this film unveils