Mat Osman: ‘I wanted to write about a dirty, dangerous, working-class London’

The Suede bassist and author on writing without a safety net, terrifying himself for his next novel and which of the Thursday Murder Club books – by his brother Richard – he likes bestMat Osman is, along with Brett Anderson, a founding and current member of the band Suede, and the author of two novels. The Ruins, published in 2020, is a modern murder mystery about estranged brothers. His latest, The Ghost Theatre, is set in Elizabethan London and tells the tale of the Blackfriars Boys, a real life Elizabethan theatre troupe made up of children who were often snatched from the streets to act in popular plays of the day. They are joined by Shay, a young female “Aviscultan”; a worshipper of the birds that she communes with as she scales the city’s rooftops on the run from her enemies. The book has been widely praised and the Guardian picked it as one of its novels of 2023. Osman is the older brother of TV presenter and fellow novelist Richard Osman and lives in north-west London..It isn’t the kind of book you imagine a musician would write…I really hope that’s true. My first novel was about a musician, about brothers and stuff and it drew from [my] experience. [With The Ghost Theatre] I was really aware that I wanted to write something without a safety net, where I had to make it all up. Because I want to be a writer, not a musician who has written a book. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-03-23 18:00:26 UTC ]

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Linnea Hartsuyker on Finding Her Characters in Old Norse Folklore

When I spoke with Linnea Hartsuyker back in 2017, her epic saga was just beginning. The first novel opens with her hero, Ragnvald, seeing a vision of a golden wolf who will unite the feuding kingdoms of Norway under one rule. The vision sets the course of Ragnvald’s life, bringing him into the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-10-04 08:47:45 UTC ]
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Actor Fernandes to co-judge 2020 Blue Peter Book Awards

TV presenter and EastEnders actor Meryl Fernandes has joined the judging panel for the 2020 Blue Peter Book Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-02 09:23:36 UTC ]
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Modern Epics: Fantasy in Translation, by T. Patrick Ortez

Lit Lists T. Patrick Ortez Fantasy is often overlooked when it comes to literature in translation, but from Gilgamesh to the Edda to The Epic of Darkness, fantasy lies at the heart of human storytelling. The genre has changed a lot since then, but fantasy... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2019-10-01 14:00:27 UTC ]
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New Anne Enright novel on fame and sexual power set for 2020

Man Booker-winning author Anne Enright’s next novel, Actress, about sexual power and celebrity, will be published by Jonathan Cape in February 2020. Jonathan Cape publisher Robin Robertson acquired UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada from Peter Straus of Rogers, Coleridge & White... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-27 08:38:57 UTC ]
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Viking snaps up new Nick Hornby novel

Nick Hornby’s first novel in five years, Just Like You, will be published by Viking. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-27 01:29:37 UTC ]
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Center for Fiction Names 2019 First Novel Prize Shortlist

The Center for Fiction named its 2019 First Novel Prize shortlist this morning. The post Center for Fiction Names 2019 First Novel Prize Shortlist appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2019-09-26 17:53:27 UTC ]
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Here are the seven shortlisted debut novels for the 2019 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.

Lit Hub is excited to announce the shortlist for the 2019 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. This year’s judging panel included Tommy Orange, Emma Straub, Monique Truong, Maaza Mengiste, and Claire Messud. They are: De’Shawn Charles Winslow, In West Mills Chia-Chia Lin, The Unpassing Julia... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-09-26 13:59:29 UTC ]
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David Mitchell just announced his first novel in five years.

Today, Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell announced his next project: Utopia Avenue, which will be first full-length novel since 2014’s The Bone Clocks. (I suppose he has some time now that he’s done writing The Matrix 4.) Mitchell said in his announcement that the idea for the book came in part... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-09-26 12:40:53 UTC ]
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David Mitchell announces Utopia Avenue, his first novel in five years

Due out next summer, the novel will explore the power of music, following the career of the eponymous psychedelic bandCloud Atlas author David Mitchell is to tackle the story of “the strangest British band you’ve never heard of” in his first novel for five years, Utopia Avenue.Announcing the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-09-26 10:42:58 UTC ]
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Pan Mac scoops historical crime novel in two-book deal

Pan Macmillan has landed the first novel in a historical crime fiction series from D V Bishop. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-20 00:24:27 UTC ]
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Reimagining Folktales, But for the Ear: A Conversation with Mahsuda Snaith, by Carolyne Larrington

Interviews Carolyne Larrington Audible’s new fiction podcast, Hag, launching August 29, features eight reimaginings of traditional British folktales by eight contemporary female writers, with folktales chosen from across the UK. The collection will be... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2019-08-30 14:21:50 UTC ]
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Olivia Laing calls out Boris Johnson, splits £10,000 literary prize with fellow nominees.

Celebrated British writer and cultural critic Olivia Laing has been widely praised for her decision to split her James Tate Black award winnings with her fellow shortlisted authors. “I said in Crudo that competition has no place in art and I meant it,” Laing told the gathered crowd upon... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-19 15:39:24 UTC ]
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Center for Fiction Names 2019 First Novel Prize Longlist

The Center for Fiction announced its 2019 First Novel Prize Longlist yesterday. The award is given to the “best debut novel published between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of the award year,” and the prize-winning author receives $10,000. Here is the 2019 longlist (featuring many titles from our 2019 Book... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2019-07-25 17:22:45 UTC ]
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Here’s the Center for Fiction’s 2019 First Novel Prize longlist.

The Center for Fiction just announced the longlist for this year’s best debut novel. The shortlist will be announced in September and the winner will be announced in December at The Center for Fiction’s Annual Benefit and Awards Dinner at its new, spacious, happening location in Brooklyn.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-25 16:41:15 UTC ]
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Girl, Haunted

A drowning haunts Susan Steinberg’s dark first novel about teenagers’ summer adventures. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2019-07-23 10:00:00 UTC ]
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Dolly Alderton's first novel goes to Fig Tree

Fig Tree will publish journalist and author Dolly Alderton’s debut novel, Ghosts, about a food writer with a dedicated online following whose personal life is falling apart. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-10 16:29:40 UTC ]
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Chris Packham signs five book deal with UCLan

TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham has signed a five-book deal with student-run publishing house UCLan.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-08 09:56:31 UTC ]
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Tochi Onyebuchi Recommends African Visions of the Future by Women and Nonbinary Authors

Tochi Onyebuchi’s young adult books, the duology Beasts Made of Night and Crown of Thunder, are fantasy novels with a Nigeria-influenced setting. His upcoming War Girls is set in a post-nuclear, post-climate change Nigeria of 2172. Riot Baby, his first novel for adults (also forthcoming), is a... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-07-04 11:00:10 UTC ]
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Judith Krantz, Whose Tales of Sex and Shopping Sold Millions, Dies at 91

She published her first novel at 50, and her heroines were invariably rich, savvy, ambitious and preternaturally beautiful. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-06-24 20:37:23 UTC ]
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Looking Back, Moving Forward: ReShonda Tate Billingsley Reflects on Her 50 Novels

As she celebrates a series of career milestones—which coincide with the 20th anniversary of her publisher, Dafina Books—the author starts a new chapter by revisiting classic characters in the long-awaited sequel to her first novel, My Brother’s Keeper. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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