The Longer Read with Alan Hollinghurst at Burgess Foundation

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

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The Longer Read with Alan Hollinghurst

16 May 2019

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Alan Hollinghurst
Author Alan Hollinghurst.
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The Manchester Writing School at Man Met has teamed up with the International Anthony Burgess Foundation to launch a new series of in-conversation events called The Longer Read. Taking a career-wide look at the lives of authors and unpicking the techniques and habits that writers use in their everyday work, the free events aim to dig deeper than a straightforward reading, hoping to find out what it takes to be a successful novelist and what it means to lead a life in writing.

The first in the series features special guest Alan Hollinghurst chatting to poet and Man Met lecturer in creative writing Andrew McMillan. We’ll hear how Alan initially set out to be a short story writer, as well as dabbling in poetry, but quickly found his feet with longer-form fiction, immediately tasting success when his debut novel, The Swimming-Pool Library, was published in 1988. Going on to win the coveted Somerset Maugham Award, the book paints a picture of London gay aristocratic life, unraveling a tragedy of 20th-century gay repression as it goes.

We’ll hear how Alan initially set out to be a short story writer, as well as dabbling in poetry, but quickly found his feet with longer-form fiction.

The 1994 follow-up, The Folding Star, picked up the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and was followed by The Spell in 1998. His 2004 novel The Line Of Beauty won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction and was adapted for BBC Television and 2011’s The Stranger’s Child was longlisted for the Man Booker. His most recent novel, The Sparsholt Affair, was his sixth. Published in 2017, it explores intimate relationships across three generations and the changing attitudes towards homosexuality in England. The Guardian called it ‘the novel that other novelists were all talking about this year’.

As well as conversation and questions, The Longer Read will also feature a signing and bookstall by Blackwell’s Bookshop.

Where to go near The Longer Read with Alan Hollinghurst at Burgess Foundation

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Burgess Cafe Bar
at IABF

Small but perfectly-formed café – which also serves as the in-house bookstore, stocking all manner of Burgess-related works, along with recordings of his music. It’s a welcoming space, with huge glass windows making for a bright, welcoming atmosphere.

Dog Bowl bowling alley and restaurant Manchester.
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Dog Bowl

A bar and 10-pin bowling alley combined, Dog Bowl is a neon-lit venue that serves up cocktails and Tex-Mex food to go with your time on the lanes.

The Ritz Manchester live music venue
Manchester
Music venue
The Ritz

The Ritz was originally a dance hall, built in 1928, has hosted The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Smiths and is still going strong as a gig venue now.

Gorilla, Whitworth street Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Gorilla

Gorilla is a good choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner. From a hearty full English to meaty burgers via good vegan and veggie options. It also hosts some of the

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Offering a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

Manchester
Restaurant
Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room is a restaurant specialising in Indian street food, with branches in Cheadle and Manchester. This is the information for the Manchester venue.

The Modernist shop
Manchester
Shop
Modernist Society

The bricks and mortar The Modernist shop opened in May 2019 in the Northern Quarter and is the only bookshop in Manchester specialising in architecture and design.

Rain Bar pub in Manchester
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Rain Bar

This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens. The two-tier terrace overlooks the Rochdale canal and what used to be the back of the Hacienda, providing an unusual, historic view of the city.

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