Unsound Methods

No guest this month (don't worry, more fantastic writers will be appearing here starting again in January). In this Xmas '18 special edition, Lochlan and Jaimie get tanked up on port and mince pies to conduct a brief dissection of the first year of Unsound Methods as well as a review of what they've learnt before getting stuck in to a couple of most commonly quoted lists of writing advice from Mes...

This month we speak to Tom Lee award-winning short fiction writer and author of The Alarming Palsy of James Orr. We talk about Tom's approach to writing and how he finds new ideas, the impact of ill-health on his writing as well as the difficulties in moving from short stories to longer form fiction. Tom's work has appeared in The Sunday Times, Esquire and Prospect in the UK, The Dublin Review in...

In this month's episode we speak to Lars Iyer, weaver of fiction in blog-form, novelist and erstwhile philosopher. Among many other things we talked to Lars about turning blogs into novels (as he did with his first three novels 'Spurious', 'Dogma' and 'Exodus'), his path to being a serial producer of trilogies and making the most of your spouse as your first reader and editor. Post-interview, Lars...

Welcome to the second series of Unsound Methods. In this episode we speak to Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi, the author of Call Me Zebra from Alma Books (in the UK). Azareen's debut novel was Fra Keeler. Topics covered in our chat included research, working with editors and the paths that reading can take while putting a novel together. Thanks to Burley Fisher bookshop for providing us with the reco...

This is the audio recording of the event at the Institut Francais that followed our chat with Noémi Lefebvre and Eimear McBride. The Institut Francais have kindly shared the audio of this event which took place on 17th May 2018. Thanks to: Nicci Praca, Cecile Menon, Sophie Lewis (who hosted the event), Axelle Oxborrow (translation) and Lucie Campos.

This episode was recorded at the Beyond Words Festival at the Institut Francais on Thursday 17th May 2018. We sat down with Noémi Lefebvre, the author of 'Blue Self-Portrait' (available from Les Fugitives: http://www.lesfugitives.com/books/#/blue-self-portrait/ ) and Eimear McBride, author of 'A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing' (Galley Beggar Press/Faber) and 'The Lesser Bohemians' (Faber). It was hot...

We speak to Olga Tokarczuk and Jennifer Croft, fresh from winning the International @ManBookerPrize for the superb 'Flights', out now on @FitzcarraldoEds  - https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/books/flights Among other things we discuss the whirlwind of prize-winning, composing constellation novels, suppressing your first published book, and the challenges of translating a title. You can find Jennife...

In this week's episode we speak to novelist and essayist, Joanna Kavenna. We talk about beginnings, finding a voice in fiction and taking a Wittgensteinian view of reality, as well as how to deal with Polar Bears while conducting research and the ways in which literature can help us understand and limit technology before the machines destroy us. Joanna is the author of the Ice Museum: In Search of...

This week we speak to Patrick Langley, author of Arkady from Fitzcarraldo Editions. With a background in art criticism and radio production, Paddy talks to us about drafting and structuring a work, finding inspiration from the urban backwaters of London and the problem with building elaborate memory palaces… You can find Arkady here: https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/books/arkady And follow Paddy o...

This week we speak to novelist, poet and teacher, Will Eaves.  We discuss his approach to structuring a novel, turning notes into a finished work and capturing the dream-like state of the unconscious in prose.  Will was Arts Editor of the TLS from 1995 to 2011 before moving to Warwick, where he is now Associate Professor. Most recently he is author of the Murmur from CB Editions. 

Something slightly different this week, as we speak to Daniel Levin Becker. Daniel doesn't consider himself primarily a fiction writer, but as a member of the OuLiPo (Ouvroir de littérature potentielle, or 'Workshop for potential literature') he is in the company (spiritually if not temporally) of writers such as Raymond Queneau, Georges Perec and Italo Calvino. Daniel talks to us about the attrac...

This week we speak to Alex Pheby about having different editing and writing persona, blending fiction with historical research and whether it's rational to have any faith in an external reality. Alex's novels include 'Grace' (Two Ravens Press), 'Playthings' and the forthcoming 'Lucia' (both Galley Beggar Press - https://www.galleybeggar.co.uk/alex-pheby ) You can follow Alex on Twitter @alexpheby...

This week we speak to Esther Kinsky, recent winner of the Leipziger Buchmesse Prize and author of River from Fitzcarraldo Editions. We talk about the interplay between memory and writing, walking the river Lea and urban change in London and trying to apprehend the gap between sensation and the experience of language. River is available in English: https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/books/river Follo...

This week we speak to Michael Stewart. Michael is the author of the novels 'King Crow' and 'Cafe Assassin' (both with Bluemoose Books - https://bluemoosebooks.com/books ) and the collections 'Couples' and 'Mr Jolly' (both Valley Press - http://www.valleypressuk.com/author/51/michael_stewart ) Michael's latest novel 'Ill Will' is published this month by HarperCollins - https://www.harpercollins.co....

This week we speak to Argentine author Iosi Havilio. We speak about his upbringing in Paris and Buenos Aires, the links between music and literature and the process of creating and exploring a unique new universe with each progressive novel. Open Door, Paradises and Petit Fleur are all published by And Other Stories, you can buy them here: http://www.andotherstories.org/book/petite-fleur/ Follow u...

This week we speak to Megan Dunn, author of Tinderbox (Galley Beggar, 2017). We cover the act of balancing fiction and non-fiction, wrestling with the estate of Ray Bradbury and writing the great mermaid novel of the Western canon. You can find Megan's website at: https://www.megandunn.org/ Follow her on Twitter: @MeganDunn90 Tinderbox is available from Galley Beggar Press: https://www.galleybegga...

Welcome to the first episode of Unsound Methods. In this episode we speak to Neil Griffiths, author of Betrayal in Naples, Saving Caravaggio and As A God Might Be. We discuss the ecosystem of fiction, the present golden age of indie publishing and the Republic of Consciousness prize, which Neil founded. Follow us @unsoundmethods or unsoundmethods.co.uk As A God Might Be is published by Dodo Ink: h...