Show Notes
In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, award-winning writer Jenni Fagan shares the process of writing her latest novel, The Delusions – a story of profound human connection, on an unprecedented scale.
Jenni Fagan won the Gordon Burn Prize for her memoir, Ootlin, which was also longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction. Her debut novel, The Panopticon, saw her selected as a Granta Best Young British Novelist, and her second novel, The Sunlight Pilgrims, gained her Scottish Author of the Year. Jenni has been listed for the Encore Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes, the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Sunday Times Short Story Award, and the Pushcart Prize. She is a Doctor of Philosophy, a member of Liberty, and a Royal Society of Literature Fellow.
She sat down with NCW’s Peggy Hughes to reflect on the novel’s complex themes, including death and the afterlife, delusion and self-confrontation, and the enduring importance of connection, love, and humanity. They also touch on the ‘absolute freedom’ of writing fiction, experimenting with different styles and genres, and how an initial idea can evolve into a vivid, fully realised story.
More from The Writing Life
In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Belgian author Dieter Rogiers explores how place shapes his writing, discussing both the locations where he writes and the international settings of his novels.
In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, bestselling novelist Isabel Allende shares insights into her creative process and craft, as outlined in her latest book Storytelling – a profound exploration of the art and magic of writing.
In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, debut novelist Ruthy Mason shares how she explores the creative possibilities of liminality and transformation in Death Do Us – a haunting story that peels back the veil from the institution of marriage and exposes the rot underneath.
In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Polly Barton andCharlotte Goff discuss their paths into literary translation and their experience translating Nao-Cola Yamazaki’s novels from Japanese into English.
In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Norfolk-based writer Laurence Mitchell reveals how he brought the spirit of landscape and place onto the page in his award-winning book, Flint Country: A Stone Journey.