Nights at the Circus is a novel by Angela Carter, first published in 1984 and that year's winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. The novel focuses on the life and exploits of its main female protagonist, known as Fevvers. Fevvers is – or so she would have us believe – a Cockney virgin, hatched from an egg laid by unknown parents ready to develop fully fledged wings. The story takes place in 1899 at which point she is a celebrated aerialiste, a sensational, often outrageous performer who captivates the young journalist Jack Walser during an interview. Walser runs away with the circus and falls into a world that none of his journalistic exploits could have prepared him to encounter. Nights at the Circus can fall under many different categories of fiction such as postmodern, magical realism, or post-feminist but, rather like its protagonist, is an artful blend of many different philosophies and styles. In keeping with her previous works, Angela Carter plays with many literary aspects and dissects the traditional fairy tale structure in the most imaginative way.

read by Rowena Cooper