The Little Box Which Contains the World
Episode description
Emily Berry leads us on an exploration of agoraphobia: a poetic journey through the lives of people who don't like going on journeys.
Agoraphobia is elusive and elastic – and it's very probably not what you think it is.
Poet Emily Berry was diagnosed with agoraphobia over ten years ago, a condition which limits her ability to travel. And so she's setting off in a different way: on a journey into the life of the mind, guided by a chorus of fellow agoraphobics. What does it mean to come up against the boundaries of the self and how might those limits be breached through the power of the imagination – in the words of poet Vasko Popa, "the little box which contains the world."
Featuring Graham Caveney, Charlotte Levin and Peter Ruppert.
Includes extracts from a BBC interview with Dr Claire Weekes.
Graham Caveney's memoir is called On Agoraphobia (Picador) Charlotte Levin's most recent novel is If I Let You Go (Mantle) Peter Ruppert's on-line community is anxietyfitness.com