All That Is

James Salter

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James Salter's epigraph for All That Is

“There comes a time when you realise that everything is a dream, and only those things preserved in writing have any possibility of being real.”

Tigers in Red Weather

Liza Klaussmann

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Daisy Goodwin, The Sunday Times

This is heady, page-turning stuff - the intelligent beach read of the summer, and not a shade of grey in sight.

A Fort of Nine Towers

Qais Akbar Omar

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My name is Qais Akbar Omar. I am an Afghan, a Muslim, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, a carpet maker, a journalist, a boxer who has enjoyed breaking many noses, and “Qais, the Cruel Kite Cutter.” I just turned 30 years old, and am the author of A Fort of Nine Towers. 

If This Is Home

Stuart Evers

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Hugo Rifkind, The Times

Evers knocks out enviably beautiful prose, and the humming, muffled, air-conditioned neverland of Las Vegas is conjured up with a captivating and woozy effect

Mesmerising: James Salter on writing posted by Kris Doyle

Tuesday 21st May 2013 | Blog

'I decided to write, or perish. It was like starting life from scratch.' - James Salter

Martha's Vineyard: the inspiration for Tigers in Red Weather posted by Lee Dibble

Tuesday 14th May 2013 | Blog

Imagine the feel of the sun on your skin, the smell of the trees on the air. That's what Liza Klaussmann did when writing Tigers in Red Weather, and what a result...

Comet: a short story by James Salter posted by Rosanna Boscawen

Tuesday 21st May 2013 | Blog

This masterful short story, Comet, is taken from Salter's Collected Stories.

Sunjeev Sahota's Life in Books posted by Rosanna Boscawen

Monday 15th Apr 2013 | Blog

Sunjeev Sahota's first novel, Ours Are the Streets, was published by Picador in 2011. He is currently working on his second novel about a group of illegal immigrants living in Sheffield. 'I think – I hope – I’m around halfway through a first draft,' he says.

Here's his life in books.

The maps that defined Qais Akbar Omar's early life posted by Rosanna Boscawen

Wednesday 8th May 2013 | Blog

During the many wars that he has lived through, Qais and his family travelled around their country in order to stay alive. Sometimes their intention was to leave their homeland; sometimes it was only to escape from the violence that broke out to safety nearby.

In these maps, you can see his home and the paths of his family's journeys.

James Salter at the Hay Festival

Sunday 26th May 2013 | Event

James Salter and George Saunders will be reading from, and discussing, their latest work.

Qais Akbar Omar talks about growing up in Afghanistan posted by Kate Harvey

Friday 3rd May 2013 | Blog

Qais Akbar Omar's book A Fort of Nine Towers  is at times heart-breaking and others life-affirming. 

It's a book that he never set out to get published, but which has since been translated into thirteen other languages for publication around the world. 

Listen to him talking on The Current radio station in Canada here. 
All images are copyright of Qais Akbar Omar.

A Fort of Nine Towers in pictures posted by Rosanna Boscawen

Monday 20th May 2013 | Blog

Author Qais Akbar Omar has selected the pictures that best capture the places and people in his book, A Fort of Nine Towers. He takes us from the fort itself across the stunning countryside of Afghanistan, via monuments destroyed in wars and thriving markets.