Moby Dick
The Prime minister reads chapter thirty, The Pipe, from Moby Dick which is now 161 years old. David Cameron reads form this particular book as part of the Moby Dick Big Read along with Stephen Fry, Tilda Swinton, Benedict Cumberbatch and Sir David Attenborough. All of these celebrities have become involved in a project that aims to broadcast every chapter (135 in total) of the Herman Melville's classic.
Tilda Swinton opened the readings with Call Me Ishamel on 16th September and since this initial reading the site has had over half a million viewers.
It has taken two years to get The Moby Dick Big Read underway and came about because of the collaboration of award-winning author Philip Hoare and artist Angela Cockayne, who both have a great fondness for the text. Hoare is keen for those who don’t read or those who do not read often to open the text and give it a go, hopefully spurred on by the more digital-age-appealing broadcasts.
Each reading and online broadcasts are coupled with images that have been inspired by the original text from modern artists such as Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley.
The project was originally launched at the Plymouth International Book Festival in September and is ongoing.Find more info on The Moby Dick Big Read website.