Person
Every book Ian McGuire recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Ian McGuire has recommended or discussed 4 books on podcasts, as of October 23, 2020.
- Ian McGuire has talked about books on 1 podcast, as of October 23, 2020.
- Those books came up in 1 episode, as of October 23, 2020.
- The 2 books Ian McGuire has mentioned in the most episodes, not counting Ian McGuire's own, as of October 23, 2020: Blood Meridian and The Secret Agent.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Ian McGuire aired on October 23, 2020.
Updated
Ian McGuire appeared on The Book Review podcast to discuss his historical fiction and the literary influences behind his writing. McGuire explained that he discovered the history behind his current project while researching The North Water. He reflected on the process of writing both The North Water and The Abstainer, particularly noting the large gaps in the historical record and how those gaps present a great opportunity for a novelist. McGuire cited Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent as an early influence that he read when he was considering whether his approach would work. Furthermore, he discussed how Cormac McCarthy's masterpiece Blood Meridian influenced his writing of The North Water, noting that he went back and read it, which became tremendously helpful for his creative process. Throughout the discussion, McGuire highlighted the research methods and literary predecessors that shaped his historical fiction novels, offering listeners insight into the mechanics of crafting narratives from sparse historical records and violent past events.
Books recommended by Ian McGuire
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The North water
The North Water by Ian McGuire is a gripping historical novel set aboard a whaling ship in the nineteenth century, following a brutal journey into the freezing waters of 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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Blood Meridian
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is a harrowing and visceral historical novel that depicts the extreme violence and bleak reality of the American West through the harrowing 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 Abstainer
The Abstainer by Ian McGuire is a historical novel set in nineteenth-century Manchester that explores political violence, espionage, and complex human loyalties against a dark backdrop.
Discussed“The abstainer is is is how large the kind of gaps are in the historical Rec record and I suppose that's the that's a great opportunity for the novelist”
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 | 2020-10-23 | 5 |