4th Estate and William Collins writers open up about LGBTQ+ identities
In celebration of Pride in the UK, we have put together a selection of writing by 4th Estate and William Collins authors who have used their craft to represent the lives of those in the LGBTQ community. Whether writing non-fiction, fiction, or something in the middle, these writers have significantly contributed to the demonstration that love is love, by writing complex depictions of individuals outside the heteronormative spectrum (this list is non-exhaustive).
‘…all against the grave and tragic rhythm of the earth in its most timeless phase: the sea.’ William Faulkner
Authors tend to get serious when they portray the world’s oceans. They address the sea in reverent tones. It’s a mood inspired, at least in part, by the sea’s inhuman ancientness. The ocean reveals the brevity of humanity’s time on earth; that we’re just one of many short-lived species that primordially flopped out from its depths onto land. Yet perversely, while looking out to sea thinking of death, people have also marked it as a fine place to holiday. In light of this month’s vacation-orientated ‘Out of the Office’ theme, here are 4 great works on the sea:
As part of our music-themed month on the blog, we’ve been asking our authors to talk us through four songs that have in some way shaped their writing. In this second post in our ‘4 Tracks’ series, Philip Hoare writes of a youth hewn by music, and the elemental nature of song.
‘Write Here’ takes us into our authors’ writing spaces across the globe, where they tell us about how they go about their craft. We mark each location on the map at the bottom of each post. Today’s edition takes us to a beach house in Cape Cod, where Philip Hoare writes in the comfort of his bed…
This month our blog theme is ‘Love in All its Forms’ – we’re celebrating the diverse ways in which love is depicted in literature – so we asked our authors to tell us who their dream fictional date would be. Philip Hoare unhesitatingly chose Ishmael, the able-bodied seaman who narrates Herman Melville’s ‘Moby Dick’…
Pen or computer? (Material)
Starting in a notebook or scraps of paper, gradually accumulating to ever-expanding screeds on my laptop…
Sitting or standing? (Pose)
… which is pulled over my bed, where I write.
Morning or evening? (Time)
From five am onwards… never in the afternoon or evening
Here are the five online things that are essential reading, watching and sharing this week. Chosen for you by us at 4th Estate.
