Santa: A Life
By Jeremy Seal
Abridged by Polly Coles
Read by Alan Cox.
Produced by Clive Brill.
Book of the Week, 20051212 to 20051216
Repeated on Radio 7, 20101220 to 20101224
Jeremy Seal's quest to discover the real St Nicholas takes him from Birmingham to Turkey as he investigates how a 4th-century saint gradually became the jolly, red-and-white clad figure
160/44; 80 MB total; sound quality excellent
01 20051212 Jeremy Seal sets off on his journey to trace the story of Santa Claus
02 20051213 Tracing the myth of Saint Nicholas back to Turkey, the writer finds mysterious relics - including a finger. The Byzantine bishop Saint Nicholas becomes the saint of all things nautical and embarks on his long journey around the world towards his modern role as Santa Claus.
03 20051214 The battle ensues for the bones of Saint Nicholas (one day to be Santa Claus) in an 11th century Europe obsessed with relics.
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Replies
Santa: A Life by Jeremy Seal
04 20051215 Leaving southern Europe behind, Saint Nicholas heads north for Amsterdam where he becomes Sinterklaas and starts to play a very different role in the lives of his devotees.
05 20051216 The Santa Claus we know today is fully fledged in 19th century America and England. Jeremy Seal ends his journey of discovery in Santa Claus new home at the northernmost point of the globe.
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Santa - A Life - pt4.mp3
Santa - A Life - pt5.mp3