About this episode
Sofka Zinovieff discusses her family history and its influence on her writing, including her recent novel and her father's legacy in music.
Like many writers, Sofka Zinovieff draws on her own history in her books – and her family tree offers plenty of inspiration. Her paternal grandmother was born into Russian high society, fled to England after the 1917 revolution and became a Communist. Sofka wrote her biography. Her maternal grandmother married the eccentric aristocrat Robert Heber-Percy, and for a time shared a house with his lover, the artist and composer Lord Berners. Sofka has also charted her story. Her father Peter was a composer and co-founder of Britain's first synthesiser manufacturer, making instruments used by the likes of Pink Floyd and David Bowie. He banned his many children from attending his funeral – a decision which inspired her most recent book, a novel called Stealing Dad. Sofka's music includes Bach, Monteverdi, Theodorakis and Mozart.
People in this episode
Guest: Sofka Zinovieff
Topics covered
- writing
- family history
- Russian high society
- music
- biography
- personal stories
Keywords
- Sofka Zinovieff
- family history
- biography
- Stealing Dad
- music
- Russian high society
- Peter
- Robert Heber-Percy
- Lord Berners
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Stealing Dad, Bach, Monteverdi, Theodorakis, Mozart
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