This autumn, we’re celebrating 30 years of 4th Estate, and with it, we’ve hand-picked 30 of our memorable, moving and award-winning titles. While remember, remembering the 5th of November, we’ll be looking beyond (or behind?) Bonfire Night, and reaching far back into our memories, touching on our specially selected classic 30 titles. Read more…
You’re well known to booklovers already for your brilliant history writing – what made you want to take the leap into fiction?
The great thing about writing fiction is that you can just go for it – you don’t need to worry about the libel lawyers or the expectations of good taste demanded by a serious work of history. After my stroke I didn’t want to spend my time hanging around in libraries, but I did want to spend my time reflecting on some of what I have learned in over 30 years reporting on politics. Head of State is the result.
In Head of State, Britain is on the verge of an in/out EU referendum. When you began writing the novel, did you have any idea how relevant this issue would become?
I thought that the idea of an in/out referendum would be impossible for British politicians to dodge for much longer. It has slightly surprised me that this issue has certainly been pushed to the front of current the news agenda by events taking place now inside the Conservative party and UKIP. There is going to be a referendum, it will come sooner or later, and many of the issues discussed in Head of State will arrive at the forefront at that time. I just hope for all our sakes that we’re not led by the same kind of characters you find in my book – but I may well be wrong! Read more…
If you’ll excuse the pun, there’s been a constant buzz around The Bees, the debut novel from playwright Laline Paull, and rightly so. The novel was published on the 8th of May, and has since received a deluge of rave reviews here in the UK and across the pond. In this downloadable podcast, Laline reads a thrilling extract from the novel and is interviewed on its origins, themes and story Read more…
Artist and writer Stanley Donwood is known for his close associations with Radiohead, having created the album and poster art for their albums, EPs and singles since 1994. His work is startlingly recognisable, and this unique and unsettling aesthetic made him the perfect candidate to design twenty one covers for our J.G. Ballard reissue editions. When approached by editor Clare Reihill, he responded that the request was ‘better than an OBE’. Donwood’s creativity, vision and unique execution have resulted in covers that are as mesmeric as the words within them.
