Last year I gave readings from LSAN at a number of venues including Small Wonder at Charleston (with Jane Gardam), the Frank O'Connor Short Story Festival in Cork (with Ian Wild), ExBerliner's Wednesdays at Kaffee Burger series in Berlin, Kikinda Short festival in Serbia (with Peter Hobbs and Paul Ewen), the Lancaster LitFest (with Jackie Kay) and the living room of some old friends, overlooking the grand vista of Mill Valley, California.
Ip-Art, the Ipswich Arts Festival, reading and judging of the festival short story competition - July 6th, 6pm & 8pm
Guest reader on the Arvon short story writing course - date tbc
If you're going to be at any of these events, please come say hi, and if you're organising a festival or event and want me to come read, be in touch.
Music
When people ask what my stories are like I want to say they're like old folk songs. Spare and beautiful on the surface maybe, but with a dark undercurrent if you listen closely to the lyrics. Like the kind of thing Anne Briggs would sing, or Pentangle.
Many of my stories have been directly inspired by music. I started thinking about the title story, for example, while listening to Dirty Three's 'Some Summers They Drop Like Flys'. I listened to John Fahey constantly while writing 'Folks Like Us'. I was playing Jolie Holland's Catalpa, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, and Jefferson Airplane while I wrote 'The Parrot Jungle'. Cat Power's Moonpix was running constantly while I wrote 'When the Wasps Drowned'. I had Bach's cello sonatas on my stereo as I worked on 'Slow Billows the Smoke'. Rachel's 'Music for Egon Schiele' was the sound track to 'Hero I Have Lost' and is one of my most-played albums. I immersed myself in old and new British folk while I wrote 'The Numbers', that and Espers/Six Organs of Admittance, which isn't so far removed. The list goes on and on and on, far too many names to fit in this box...suffice to say, music has meant a lot to me, and this book wouldn't be what it is without it.
And then of course on the very day I finished the book I went to Berlin and celebrated with Jackie-O Motherfucker - it was incredible.
If you're interested, check out what else I'm listening to on my last.fm page
Books
You can purchase THE LOUDEST SOUND AND NOTHING on Amazon and of course you should also be able to find it in all the best UK bookshops as well as Prague and Berlin's English-language bookstores. If you are buying from outside UK, I suggest you go to www.bookdepository.co.uk who offer FREE world-wide delivery.
And if you're wondering about the books that influenced THE LOUDEST SOUND AND NOTHING you'll find them in my LibraryThing
About me: THE LOUDEST SOUND AND NOTHING - Clare Wigfall - first published in the UK September, 2007 by Faber & Faber
A magnificently assured, dark-hearted and breathtakingly skilled collection of short stories from writer Clare Wigfall
I'm a British writer currently living in Berlin, having spent the past nine years in Prague. I was born in Greenwich, London during the summer of 1976, and grew up in Berkeley, California before my parents moved us back to the UK. When I was twenty-one, an editor from Faber and Faber visited my university. On the train back to London he read a short story I'd written. The next day he called up wanting to read more. I'd written only two other stories so I sent him those. A week later Faber asked me to write them a book. It could be on any subject, could take any form, and I could take as long as I needed to write it. I was too young to know how unusual this offer was. I didn't think I'd lived enough yet to write anything anyone would want to read, so I moved to Prague and took my time.
This is the book I wrote for Faber. They believe it will be enjoyed by fans of early Ian McEwan. There have also been comparisons to David Mitchell, Raymond Carver, Penelope Fitzgerald, Donna Tartt, and Angela Carter. It has been highly acclaimed in both the UK and international press and has been one of Faber and Faber's most well-reviewed paperbacks of 2008.
In the summer of 2008, the opening story The Numbers won the BBC National Short Story Award, the largest prize in the world for a short story. Please read the book. Please enjoy it.
About the book (from the Faber jacket-notes):
One long hot summer, Eveline drowns a wasp nest, and while digging amongst the tiny corpses makes a sinister discovery. A university professor arrives unannounced at the door of an Arizona fortune-teller, little knowing how this woman will alter his life. A sudden spate of disappearing new-borns terrifies a young mother. As the Prussian army encroaches, the besieged city of Paris asks an enormous sacrifice of its city zookeeper. And over a Coca-Cola in an Andalusian village bar, a woman hears from a stranger the worst thing a mother can do.
The characters in Clare Wigfall’s stories are all searching for something missing, something absent. As they go about their seemingly ordinary lives, the dark undercurrent of life, with all its complications and imperfections, is gradually revealed. Skilfully wrought and perfectly pitched, the stories have been acclaimed as the work of a prodigious new talent.
Who I'd like to meet: Writers, readers, music-lovers, good people, friends... Please note that I rarely accept requests from bands any longer - if you really think I should be listening to your music, please tell me why and I'll check out your page. Likewise, I don't have much time spare and don't usually manage to check my myspace regularly, so it can take me some time to get round to accepting anonymous out-of-the-blue friend requests - an accompanying personal message will ensure I turn to your request much more quickly. Thank you. Be well.
the loudest sound and nothing's Friend Space (Top 40)
Amazed by the truly transporting quality of your writing. Got your book this week. I've started to read it today. Great how you can take the reader from Nan Goldin's New York to Mae West time. I love the things unsaid, just like Carver. And what's more I've still got unread stories to look fwd to! ; )
read a review in the independent of your stories... nothing but glowing words!
also was in Cork this week for my honeymoon!!! (fantastic time) and saw posters everywhere of the frank o'connor short story festival! great that you're reading there!
about to order your book from amazon. waited til it was in paperback (for some reason i'm more of a fan of the paperback!!! and i really like the cover too, very vintage-y looking!)
I heard the fantastic news on the radio this morning. Congratulations on winning the BBC short story competition! A fantastic achievement. All the best, Donna at Virago
A million congratulations, Clare on your win -- lovely to hear you on the radio this morning. Much deserved -- Numbers is a fantastic story! Celebrate in style!
Just heard the news about you winning the National Short Story Award. CONGRATULATIONS! Hope you celebrate in style with some nice bubbly. Excellent work!
Sorry for the disappearing act. I was in the States after Prague, and only now am returning to my normal rhythm. I had a great time with you and Lucian, acting like writers, wandering the streets of Prague, crawling in and out of pubs. I hope we can get together again soon and wish you all the best with your move, as well as a big bon voyage!
