Max Porter

Moi?

Without pretentiousness, we don't have newness.

And without newness, our art stays the same.

And we don't develop.

There has to be an avant-garde.

There have to be people that try and do something different.

Otherwise, we're all going to just be writing the same book forever and ever.

And that's what we call the death signs in a culture.

And to me, that is all the same question in a way.

as would you as a government minister stand there and and rank culture way down at the bottom of your spreadsheet it's the same thing as would you as a novelist say oh i really won't get this i better just put a footnote in saying he died you know i have to credit you with you'll get this and the same way as a politician has to credit the culture with you'll expand you'll investigate you'll experiment you'll tease each other you'll you'll work out where political correctness stands in the great argument about identity politics and stuff like we trust you you're thinking feeling human beings you know

so i suppose in a way since this has been published i'm thinking of it slightly differently and more about kind of more like a sort of i'm sorry if it offends you but i i really believe in this i really believe in in the weird books as well as the easy ones and and the strange little jagged ones that leave you with a sore taste and a sour taste in your mouth as much as the great big luxurious thumpers that you know

And as a reader, I want that.

I want it all.

I want to read beautifully written crime procedurals.

I want to read, like, rumping children's fantasy novels.

I want to read comics.

I want to read weird little bitty books about Francis Bacon that stick in my head, you know?

I've lost the question, but the answer is I do... It's not so much that I care about reviews, because I know this is going to appall some people...

and delight others you know the kind of masterpiece nonsense uh hammock is in play with this book and that's fine i get that but i it's more that i'm interested i'm really interested in how we're reviewing books and how we're talking about books particularly in the uk now

It's made up.