Rana Mitter talks to the novelist Philip Hensher and Professor Philip Horne about the impact of Italy on the writing of Henry James, James, the centenary of whose death falls this year, first visited Italy when he was 26. It was love at first sight. Over the next forty years he made many more trips to the country and published an acclaimed collection of essays called Italian Hours.
Henry James: A Life in Letters edited by Philip Horne is out now. Philip Hensher's most recent book is a collection of short stories called Tales of Persuasion.
Producer: Zahid Warley