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When a shock wave hits the world, how do artists respond? In a new five-part series, artists chronicle how they have responded to the crisis. Dare they dream and imagine what work might emerge out of the pandemic?

In January 2020, author Naomi Alderman was four years into writing her next book, the fictional story of a flu-like virus spreading across the globe, carried by pigeons. One month later, with 180,000 words under her belt, she decided she had to stop. The story seemed too close to reality. In this programme, Naomi traces the pandemic year through her writing and speaks to fellow novelists, literary historians and to her editor about how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted on the world of literature and how big shocks have affected literature in the past.

Producer: Sarah Shebbeare