From stories about star-crossed lovers to heartfelt poetry, we’re enamoured with love itself. But how do we capture what love feels like in language? Novelist Monica Ali joins Lemn to explore affairs of the heart through the British Library Sound Archive.

Monica Ali is a bestselling writer and Booker Prize nominee whose work has been translated into 26 languages. She’s written five books: Brick Lane, Alentejo Blue, In the Kitchen, Untold Story and her most recent is called Love Marriage.

Recordings in the episode in order of appearance: 

‘I’m in love’ by The Subways, demo submitted to the Glastonbury Festival Unsigned Performers competition in 2004. Donated to the British Library Sound Archive and digitised by the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project.

British Library shelfmark: C1238/2540

‘Love is Strange’ performed by the The Bob Cort Skiffle Group, 1957.

British Library shelfmark: 1CS0042286

‘Al buren matau ae aki tara bai’ or ‘The Fault of my Eyes,’ a Pacific Island love song. The recording was made in South Tarawa, the capital of the Pacific island Republic of Kiribati, in August 1985 by Daisy Maerere and Simon Seligmann. The performers are Tokana (voice) Teawate (ukulele / voice) Ioatene (guitar / voice) Tio (chorus) Raiwan (chorus) and Tekaie (chorus).

British Library shelfmark: C205/1

Gabriel Aragón plays his own composition on a large harp with sound holes; the piece is described by the performer as an 'alegre fox', and as belonging to the music of the Inca area. The recording was made in October 1980 in Cusco, Peru, by Peter Cloudsley Collection and was digitised as part of the Unlocking our Sound Heritage Project.

British Library shelfmark: C9/17/ C1

Poet Choman Hardi reads her poem ‘Summer Roof’ in the British Library recording studio, made in September 2009 for the project ‘Between Two Worlds: Poetry and Translation.’

British Library shelfmark: C1340/30

Mr and Mrs Smethhurst recall the ‘monkey parade’ of how teenagers used to meet and socialise in Salford. The interview was recorded in August 1977 and it was part of the Manchester Studies Oral History Project, digitised as part of the Unlocking our Sound Heritage Project.

British Library shelfmark: UAP008/218 S1-S2

Diana Martin remembers her visits to the cinema in Great Yarmouth in the late 1950s, the interview was made in 2007. It was found in the Norfolk Record Office and digitised as part of the Unlocking our Sound Heritage Project.

British Library shelfmark: UNRO005/204

Actor Sir John Gielgud plays Romeo in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in August 1955. The extract is from Act 5 Scene 3.

British Library shelfmark: 1CL0005072

Ex-husband and ex-wife Andy and Jo reflect on the breakdown of their marriage. The recording was made as part of the Listening Project for the BBC in August 2016 © BBC. 

British Library shelfmark: C1500/1002

A piece called ‘Gendhing 'Rondhon sari' minggah Ladrang 'Surèngrana' sléndro manyur.’ Part of a performance on one of the gamelan sets of Mangkunegaran palace in Surakarta; the recordist focussed on the gendèr panerus part, played by Pak Turus. The recording was made in September 1990 in Central Java, Indonesia and is part of the David Hughes Collection.

British Library shelfmark: C1450/17/S1/C2

Civil partners Lyn and Mary discuss the future of their relationship. The recording was made as part of the Listening Project for the BBC in November 2012 © BBC. 

British Library shelfmark: C1500/0257