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Every book Ian McGuire recommended on podcasts
Ian McGuire appeared on The Book Review to discuss how real-life political violence and historical gaps fueled his fiction, specifically in relation to his novels The North Water and The Abstainer. McGuire explained that he stumbled upon the historical background for his work while conducting research for The North Water, noting his initial surprise at the historical record. He reflected on the vast gaps present in historical documentation, viewing them not as obstacles, but as great opportunities for a novelist to explore. To help navigate and structure his own historical storytelling, McGuire cited influential precursors. He discussed reading Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent early in his writing process to determine if his narrative approach would work. Furthermore, McGuire discussed returning to Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece Blood Meridian, noting that reading McCarthy's novel proved tremendously helpful as he crafted his own gritty fiction.
Books recommended by Ian McGuire
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Blood Meridian
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is a harrowing, violent epic novel depicting the brutal realities of the American West through the journey of a runaway teenager known as the kid.
Discussed“and I thought about MacArthur's Blood Meridian his Great Masterpiece and I went back and and read that and that became tremendously helpful”
Where to get it
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The North water
The North Water by Ian McGuire is a gripping historical novel that follows a disgraced army surgeon aboard a brutal whaling ship bound for the Arctic.
Discussed“actually no that was one of and that was one of the reasons why I I was intrigued by it so I came across this when I was doing research for the north water and I was surprised”
Where to get it
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The Secret Agent
Discussed“actually because he wrote his novel The Secret Agent was was a novel that I read early on when I was thinking about whether this would work”
Where to get it
Books Ian McGuire wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-Life Political Violence Fuels Fiction in ‘The Abstainer’ | The Book Review | 2024-07-18 | 4 |