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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UK: The Research and Scholarly Forum: London Book Fair, March 14

The 'Research and Scholarly Forum' at London Book Fair will look at AI, open access, and academic publishing policy. The post UK: The Research and Scholarly Forum: London Book Fair, March 14 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-01-22 19:37:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post uk #open access #academic publishing #london book fair


‘There is joy, and there is rage’: the new generation of novelists writing about motherhood

From the shock and awe of labour to domestic isolation, a wave of recent novels captures the transformative nature of being a motherThey say nothing prepares you. Before having my baby, I approached the literature of motherhood as though I were about to sit an exam. If my studies tempered the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-20 11:00:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #shirley jackson #adrienne rich #toni morrison #margaret atwood #angela carter #early 2000s #present day #novelists


Lisa Marie Presley started writing a book before she died. Riley Keough completed it

Lisa Marie Presley's posthumous memoir will hit shelves later this year, with the help of her daughter Riley Keough, who picked up the pieces. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-01-11 20:25:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #posthumous memoir #hit shelves #memoir


Writing as an Act of Grieving

In her essay for PW, author E.L. Shen reflects on the experience of losing her father as a teenager and the catharsis of writing about grief in her forthcoming book for middle graders, 'Maybe It's a Sign.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Marc Jaffe, Editor Whose Work Spanned Nearly a Century, Dies at 102

The former editorial director of Bantam and Ballantine and founder of Villard Books at Random House and an eponymous imprint at Houghton Mifflin, whose long and storied career in trade book publishing lasted into his final hours, died on December 31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #eponymous imprint #houghton mifflin #storied career #trade book #random house


What Booksellers Can Teach Us About Reading, Writing and Publishing

My longtime girlfriend is a longtime bookseller. Her relationship with bookselling predates ours three times over. It is a surprisingly taxing career path—one that asks of the body, and of the mind. There are the bad days, where she brings home the classic bookseller gripes: failed hand-sells,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-01-05 09:56:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #longtime bookseller #bad days #bookseller


Poetry sales boom as Instagram and Facebook take work to new audiences

Writing and reading poems is no longer a minority pastime as verse overlaps with self-help genre and classics are revisitedIt was only last year that the Scottish poet Donna Ashworth was given a publishing contract. Now the 48-year-old has ended 2023 with five of her books in the Top 20 poetry... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-24 12:00:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hardback books #publishing contract #hardback


Most Parents Want School Libraries for Their Children–But With Restrictions

95% of parents believe every school should have a library, but 60% also believe those libraries should have restrictions. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-12-20 13:21:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #school libraries #libraries


A One Piece anime remake is in the works from Netflix and Wit Studio

Right now’s a really good time to be a One Piece fan. Netflix announced on Sunday that it’s working with Wit Studio — the animation studio behind the early seasons of Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga — for a new anime adaptation of the long-running series. It’ll start fresh from the East Blue... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-12-17 22:14:11 UTC ]
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Pearson’s biggest shareholder says it should leave London and relist in US

Cevian Capital founder argues most of education publisher’s business is there and move would raise its valueBusiness live – latest updatesPearson’s biggest shareholder has said it should be relisted in the US, arguing that leaving London would be better for shareholders as most of the education... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-15 12:22:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #biggest shareholder #leave london #education publisher #increasing number #pearson


Dhonielle Clayton Is Working to Make the Book World More Diverse

Her solution? A packaging business that sells ideas for commercial genre fiction featuring characters from broadly diverse backgrounds. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-10 10:00:31 UTC ]
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Jon Fosse Wants to Say the Unsayable

The prolific Norwegian is the rarest of recent literary prize winners: an author and playwright in thrall to the divine. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-07 21:43:26 UTC ]
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When Eye-Reading Just Isn’t Working

Here are some ways to keep reading when your eyes just don't want to cooperate, even if you don’t have access to audiobook versions. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-12-06 11:32:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #audiobook versions #audiobook


Christopher Paolini Wanted a Job Involving Dragons, So He Created One

Paolini, a best-selling author of young adult fantasy novels, has a new book out, “Murtagh.” In it, he returns to the world of “Eragon” and the adventures he began creating as a teenager. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-02 10:02:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #best-selling author


Would I use AI to write my novels? I'd get better results from a monkey with an iPhone | Monica Ali

I asked ChatGPT to improve my latest novel and lost no sleep over the results. But I do worry about diverse voices being crowded out This summer two worlds – literature and technology – collided. News stories began appearing about authors suing OpenAI and Meta for using their works to train... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-01 06:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #black box #monica ali #english pen #writing north #full version #pen transmissions


Quarto to Go Private, Delist from London Stock Market

The U.K.-based publisher said a proposed stock market delisting will save money and give it more flexibility to react to business challenges and opportunities. The U.S. is Quarto's largest market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2024: Main Stage Keynote Sessions

Speakers announced for the March 12 to 14 London Book Fair include Jonathan Karp, Dan Conway, Karine Pansa, Maria Pallante, and more. The post London Book Fair 2024: Main Stage Keynote Sessions appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-22 16:05:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dan conway #karine pansa #maria pallante #london book fair #book fair