Q&A with Kirsty Lang, 2008 Chair

Our 20th anniversary celebrations are now in full swing, with the third of our BBC Woman’s Hour interviews taking place this morning at 10am.

Today 2008 Chair of Judges Kirsty Lang will discuss her year’s Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction winning book The Road Home by Rose Tremain. Tune in from 10am to hear the interview, or listen online here.

We caught up with Kirsty prior to the interview to chat impactful fiction, feminism and the importance of recognising women’s achievements.

Can you name a book written by a woman that has changed your life?

I remember reading Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook as a first year university student at the LSE in London and it having a huge impact on me. I was just discovering politics and feminism and marvelled at the way Lessing interwove the stories of her female characters ( plus their husbands, lovers and children) with the wider political context of what was happening in the world.

Why do you think the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction and celebrating women’s achievements is important?

For centuries the world ignored women’s achievements, the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction plays an important role in redressing that

Where and how do you pick up new books and recommendations? ​

The best books are those recommended by friends and family who know what you like.

Did you miss Kirsty’s interview? No problem! Catch up here, listen from 9 minutes in to hear Kirsty champion Rose Tremain’s The Road Home.