...the amazing Maurice Sendak. That's why I was so happy yesterday to find this new TateShots episode of Sendak talking about his work. I just love his integrity. Right at the start of this clip, he talks about being asked to write a sequel to Where the wild things are. 'Go to hell,' he says, 'I'm not a whore.' Where the wild things are is … [Read more...]
The moment I fell in love with the short story
As it's National Short Story Day, I've been thinking about the moment I fell in love with the short story. And there was a specific moment. It happened when I was 17. I was watching MTV, and saw one of the spots in their 'Books: feed your head' campaign. The spot featured Aidan Quinn reading the opening lines of Kafka's Metamorphosis. I fell in … [Read more...]
Look what the postie brought me all the way from Toronto…
...the advance reading copy of the North American edition of Instruction Manual For Swallowing. I'm loving the little robot wasp on the cover. It comes out from ECW Press next April, and will be part of their BackLit series, which features bonus material - in this edition of IMFS there will be two new short stories and an interview (with me, I … [Read more...]
Kikinda Short Story Festival, Serbia
I just spent the most amazing week of literary hedonism in Serbia, at the Kikinda Short Story Festival. Along with 23 writers from 18 countries, I ate testicles, showered in sulphurous water, did a live interview on Serbian radio at 8am after 3 hours' sleep while hungover, then got to feel like royalty on a horse-and-carriage tour of … [Read more...]
Thank you Arts Foundation!
For years I've been getting up at 6am every day to write for an hour or so before heading out to work. I've always longed to have proper time to write, and now, finally, I have it. It's all thanks to the Arts Foundation. At the end of January, they awarded me the Arts Foundation Fellowship in short story writing. At the awards … [Read more...]
You visits me
Today I welcome the lovely Nuala Ní Chonchúir to my blog as part of her blog tour to celebrate the launch of her super debut novel You, which I just finished reading, and loved. Nuala, what was the very first germ of the idea for You? Where were you at the time, and what were you doing? It’s a while ago so it’s hard to remember exactly; I … [Read more...]
Heavy metal woodlouse
I went for coffee with a friend at King's Place (round the corner from Kings Cross) this morning and discovered this beautiful sculpture of a woodlouse on its back. It's big. I kicked it to see if it would roll up into a ball, but it did not. … [Read more...]
Shoreditch House
I just ran about two miles to get to old street tube in time for my train. Googlemaps on my iPhone said the walk would take 15 mins. I did it in like 5, and these shoes have a little heel on them too. Had a super night at the Shoreditch House literary salon. The lovely Clare Wigfall read a brilliant and unfinished short story - will have to wait … [Read more...]