Today’s book of choice is Die My Love by Ariana Harwicz, an Argentine writer, screenwriter, playwright, and documentary maker. It was first published in Spanish in 2012, before being translated into English in 2017 by Sarah Moses and Caroline Orloff, and longlisted for the International Booker Prize. For our discussion, we are welcoming not one, not two, but three incredibly special guests: Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, celebrated director Lynne Ramsay, and award-nominated translator Carolina Orloff. Carolina founded Charco Press, and Die My Love was actually their first release!

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This is the third and final instalment in our three-part Frankenstein extravaganza. We’ve heard from a Shelley scholar about the origins of the book, we’ve heard from Guillermo Del Toro about the themes of the book, but today I wanted to focus on the characters of the book. Two people who know these characters very well are Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi.

In Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, Oscar portrays the eponymous Victor Frankenstein, while Jacob takes on the role of the creature. Their performances are magnificent, Jacob manages to show so many emotions just through his eyes, while Oscar delivers a captivating and raw journey throughout Victor’s life. Their on-screen chemistry is truly extraordinary and I hope they’ve got a lot of suits ready for awards season, because they’re going to need them.

I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to chat with these world class actors, about Frankenstein in particular but also books in general. I hope you enjoy the chat, and stay tuned afterwards for a special reading from the novel. 

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Mexican filmmaker and THREE-time Academy Award winner Guillermo Del Toro joins the Inklings Book Club to discuss Mary Shelley's gothic classic Frankenstein, as well as his new Netflix adaptation. We spoke about the horror genre, his favourite books, and the library he calls Bleak House.

Frankenstein is streaming from November 7th on Netflix.

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Mary Shelley published Frankenstein anonymously in 1818. She was later credited for her work, but the book's origin story is just as interesting as the novel itself. In the "year without a summer" of 1816, Mary joined her husband Percy and Lord Byron for a weekend away, where the scared each other with ghost tales. They came up with a challenge to see who could write the creepiest story of their own, and Frankenstein was born. I sat down with Rachael Marsay, the Roy Davids Archivist of Modern Literary Archives and Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries, to discuss the creation of this gothic classic.

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Andrew O'Hagan is the author of seven novels, as well as being a brilliant journalist. We sat down to discuss his epic novel Caledonian Road, a state-of-the-nation novel about one man’s tragic fall from grace. He’s socially and politically liberal, and feels he’s done everything as best he can, but his life begins to unspool. With a mammoth cast of SIXTY ONE characters, Andrew embarked on a massive research project to meet people fr

I’ve followed Andrew O’Hagan’s career for many many years so I was thrilled to be able to sit down with him for this conversation at the Gothenburg Book Fair. I hope you enjoy!

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While I was at Gothenburg Book Fair in Sweden I managed to track down the inimitable Juhea KIm to have a backstage chat all about her rapturous and ravishing prose. 

Straight out the gate, Juhea Kim’s debut novel Beasts of A Little Land became a prize-winning international bestseller. It’s a historical epic set in early 20th century Korea which was occupied by Japan. We follow Jade and JungHo, two orphaned children, as their lives intertwine over five decades of war, occupation, revolution, and Korean history. The two have a life-changing friendship which results in Jade having to make a decision between following her own ambitions and risking everything for the one she loves. The Times Literary Supplement weren’t kidding when they called it “a stunning achievement.”

Now, Juhea has written a short story collection, featuring ten ecological tales inspired by colours. It’s titled A Love Story From the End of the World, and tells tales of nature, animals, technology, and the climate crisis.

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The Coin marks the arrival of a striking new voice to the literary landscape. Yasmin Zaher’s irreverent debut is as shocking as it is stunning, as bonkers as it is beautiful. The Dylan Thomas Prize winning novel is full of big ideas, but without ever moralising, as our unnamed narrator navigates the squalor of New York City, after leaving Palestine.

Grimy city streets provide a backdrop for an evisceration of modern culture, from politicians and the media to religion and war. Our jeering narrator gets involved in a scheme buying and selling Bikrin Bags. It’s tongue-in-cheek, outrageous, and rude, but so much fun to read. She is unruly and unfiltered, resisting adherence to hegemony, and a total riot.

Join the book club on Fable: https://fable.sng.link/Ali7l/5kmb/rnxe

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Evenings and Weekends is a love story to London, a portrait of a city with a vibrant ensemble cast of characters. Everyone is facing a dilemma, and their lives collde during a sweltering heatwave where everyone feels a little... too close. But there are no villains -- instead, it's an exercise in empathy. Oh, and there's a whale stuck in the Thames.

Jack Edwards chats to Irish author Oisín McKenna about his dazzling debut, in this inaugural Inklings Book Club meeting.

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Fíona Scarlett’s debut novel Boys Don’t Cry was an international bestseller, and she was shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. Her new novel, May All Your Skies Be Blue is a dual timeline story about young love, friendship, and the things that happen to us that we cannot control. This episode was recorded at the Gothenburg Book Fair.

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I can't believe I'm saying this, but today we are joined by two legends: Cillian Murphy and Max Porter. Cillian and Max have collaborated as co-curators of the Sounds From A Safe Harbour Festival in Cork, Ireland, as well as the theatre adaptation of Max’s book Grief Is The Thing With Feathers. The book is a hybrid of prose and poetry about a crow visiting a grieving family.

Now, they’re working together on the adaptation of Max's novella Shy, now a Netflix movie called Steve. The original book is a lyrical novella about a boarding school for troubled boys, documenting the chaos of one boy’s mind, whose name is Shy. Steve is actually very different from the novel, instead named after the head teacher at the school. In the film, he’s played expertly by Cillian Murphy. Cillian is an Irish actor, winner of a BAFTA, Golden Globe, and of course an Oscar.

I sat down with the two of them to discuss this experimental and exciting project, and their love for books in general. Thank you to Netflix for making this happen!!

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