Friday 15 September 2023

Gareth Rubin talks to Shots Magazine

 


We’ve recently been energised by a most unusual novel from the writer and journalist Gareth Rubin. 

We wrote at the time of its release: “Gareth Rubin’s two novellas that form The Turnglass is a narrative of mysterious beauty, locking two very different writing styles to tell two very different stories that are linked so, so very elegantly. Less of a novel, more a unique reading experience”

Read the full review HERE

We’ve followed the author from his debut Liberation Square where we introduced our readers to his work HERE

And as ever we had a few questions regarding his most unusual work The Turnglass which the author kindly answered.

Ali Karim: So before we get started, could you give us a quick review of both your career in journalism and creative writing for our readers?

Gareth Rubin: Why not? I started off as a news journalist, turning freelance pretty early and then writing mostly about arts – film, books, theatre – and travel. That was a brilliant time, getting to travel the world and get paid for it. Then something grabbed hold of me and I got the idea of training as an actor. I did that, did a bit of professional work, touring Shakespeare, playing Dracula and other bits and pieces. Then back to journalism, writing about social affairs for the Observer. A bit of jink then, into writing books, and my first novel, Liberation Square, came out four years ago; and my second, The Winter Agent was published in 2020.

Ali: After The Winter Agent, what about COVID and the shutdowns? 

Gareth: It came out during the depths of Lockdown when all the bookshops were shut and the publisher was having serious distribution problems, so it was virtually impossible to buy it. That was on the tricky side.

Ali: After Liberation Square and The Winter Agent, what made you change direction toward The Turnglass?

Gareth: God knows. Yeah, it’s a bit of a spin, but I had this idea for a book that you can read from either direction and it just stuck there. I think it was also the technical challenge that appealed. And I wrote it during Lockdown in a conference room at The Observer because the building was empty so I could be left in peace for once.


To read more of the interview click on this link.

Shots Magazine would like to thank Katherine Armstrong of Simon and Schuster for her help in organising this interview.

Photos / Images  (c) 2023 Mike Stotter, Goldsboro Books, Simon and Schuster, PenguinRandomHouse, Bloomsbury, Vintage and Columbia Pictures

More information about Gareth Rubin is available from https://www.garethrubin.com   

Signed copies of THE TURNGLASS can be obtained from Goldosboro Books, London HERE

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