Another World

In this new memoir, Melvyn Bragg takes the reader on a journey of discovery, as he leaves his childhood in Wigton for Oxford in the late 1950s

'It is all rather irresistible . . . the book ripples with warmth'

The Times

'Poignant and lyrical'

Spectator 'Another World attractively maps out the stage in his odyssey between humble pub and broadcasting glory'

Daily Telegraph

'A poignant read about awakening ambition'

i paper

Having won a scholarship to Oxford University, eighteen-year-old Melvyn Bragg leaves his hometown of Wigton to travel south and immerse himself in a new and golden world.

There, he must find his place amongst the raucous public school boys and the students fresh from National Service, making new friends from varied backgrounds but never forgetting those at home. Over three formative years - as his tutors, his studies and the people around him all expand his horizons and his sense of what is possible - he takes his next steps into adulthood, surrounded by the old, imposing buildings and libraries (and protests and parties) of the 'city of dreaming spires'.

In this moment of change, for a young man and for the nation, Bragg looks to the past and the future, and as he studies History in his tutorials, so he remembers the histories of family, friends and lovers that shaped his own story.

Alive with insight and tenderness, Another World beautifully captures a decisive step in a remarkable life.

PRAISE FOR BACK IN THE DAY:

'A memoir bursting with affection . . . fascinating' Sunday Times

'Masterly . . . I loved it' Observer

'Utterly captivating' Daily Mail

About the Author

Melvyn Bragg was born in Wigton, Cumbria, in 1939. He went to the local Grammar School and then to Wadham College, Oxford. He joined the BBC in 1961, and published his first novel, For Want of a Nail, in 1965.

He left the BBC and continued to write novels which include The Soldier's Return (WH Smith Literary Award), Without a City Wall (Mail on Sunday John Llewellyn Rhys Prize) and Now Is the Time (Parliamentary Book Award 2016). A Place in England, Son of War and Crossing the Lines were all nominated for the Booker Prize. His non-fiction includes The Adventure of English and The Book of Books, and his first memoir, Back in the Day, was published in 2022 to critical acclaim.

He edited and presented The South Bank Show from 1977 and hosted the BBC Radio 4 programme In Our Time from 1998. He has now retired from both. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society and of The British Academy. He was given a Peerage in 1998 and a Companion of Honour in 2017.