Colm Tóibín has a new book out this Thursday, New Ways to Kill Your Mother — a collection of essays examining how writers and their families relate to each other. Tóibín introduced the essays in Saturday’s Guardian, and was interviewed by the Times’ Erica Wagner (£):
‘As with his memoir, in which what is left out is as vital as what is put in, these essays are remarkable for looking at the personal, familial relationships of writers while always, somehow, allowing them the freedom to be artists. Tóibín will not discuss his personal life. When I remark that he has always resisted dealing with homosexuality in his work, he says quickly:
“I’m resisting it again now. It was why I was interested in [Henry] James: the level of ambiguity, the uncertainty. I’m friends in New York with Edmund White, in London I’m friends with Alan Hollinghurst and obviously we have a lot in common.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in