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 ]
News tagged with: #safety net #brother richard #brett anderson #current member #band suede #ghost theatre #elizabethan london #blackfriars boys #popular plays #widely praised #guardian picked #older brother #tv presenter #north-west london #first novel

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Reese's Book Club Comes to London—and Stays at the Sheraton

Just in time for the London Book Fair, Hello Sunshine has set up shop in the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane, a five-star Art Deco hotel just down the way from Buckingham Palace, where a new pop-up library and bookstore, Reese’s Book Club x Sheraton Lobby Library, has been installed. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Leslie Jamison Writes A Different Kind of Love Story In “Splinters”

Leslie Jamison’s new memoir Splinters follows the aftermath of divorce and the awakening of motherhood, but it explores desire more than it does any kind of death. Jamison wants to make meaning, to connect, to love, to feel, to mother, to write, and to revise her life endlessly. There are losses... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-03-08 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Unruly Writing: On the Problem with the Fragmented Art History Book

There is a disturbing trend that has emerged in the literary world as of late. Let’s call it the “Fragmented Non-Fiction Art History” book. These titles look good on bookshelves, with their aesthetically-inclined covers and trendy lineup of female artists they purport to be about. The covers are... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-05 09:53:47 UTC ]
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Rights Edition: London Book Fair’s Rights Center: 500+ Tables

The International Rights Center at London Book Fair is 'slightly' bigger than last year, and returns to ground floor for 2024. The post Rights Edition: London Book Fair’s Rights Center: 500+ Tables appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-03-01 19:34:09 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2024: Setting the Agenda

The London Book Fair embraces its new status as the first major publishing event of the year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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U.K. Publishing Spotlight: Advice for Americans Working with Brits

A U.S.-based publishing exec for John Murray Press offers five pieces of advice on working with colleagues in the U.K. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2024: Program Highlights

PW offers a selection of the more than 150 panels and discussions featured on tap in the fair’s Seminar Program, including sessions on AI, Audiobooks, BookTok, DEI, and the Freedom to Read and Publish. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Richard Osman to publish first novel in new crime series

We Solve Murders introduces a new detective duo – but the author has not abandoned his Thursday Murder Club charactersA new crime series by Richard Osman called We Solve Murders has been announced, after the huge success of his Thursday Murder Club novels.The beloved elderly sleuths from the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-02-20 17:44:06 UTC ]
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London Book Fair: Main Stage Programming Announcements

New additions to the upcoming London Book Fair's Main Stage lineup include Michael Sheen, Julie Smith, and Steven Bartlett. The post London Book Fair: Main Stage Programming Announcements appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-02-16 21:59:06 UTC ]
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At London Book Fair: International Publishers Association Perspectives

During London Book Fair in March, the IPA will contribute to programming and hold various membership meetings on the sidelines. The post At London Book Fair: International Publishers Association Perspectives appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-02-12 21:39:37 UTC ]
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Audiobooks Are Booming. Spotify Wants in on the Action.

There are early signs that Spotify’s addition of audiobooks to its streaming service is helping drive audiobook consumption — already a growing market. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-01-29 17:00:09 UTC ]
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Jonathan Escoffery: ‘I was trying to write novels aged nine’

The If I Survive You author on the suspense of the Booker ceremony, Americans’ warped view of the Caribbean, and writing his next novel on the roadJonathan Escoffery, 43, was born in Texas and lives in Oakland, California. His debut, If I Survive You, about a second-generation Jamaican in Miami,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-27 18:00:42 UTC ]
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Shilpi Somaya Gowda Wants to Move Beyond the Rhetoric

For the bestselling author, fiction is a way to explore an increasingly polarized and volatile world. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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