Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · 5d

Another sold-out event for Mariana Enriquez on her UK tour. This one at @foylesforbooks.bsky.social and chaired by the brilliant @akblakemore.bsky.social.

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Reposted by Jason Arthur

Ben Pester @benpester.bsky.social · 5d

What a list to be on! Very happy about this. @grantabooks.bsky.social
@jasonarthur.bsky.social

Goldsmiths Prize @goldsmithsprize.bsky.social · 6d

We are delighted to announce the #GoldsmithsPrize2025 shortlist.

Congratulations to our six brilliant novelists!

Find out more about the shortlist: www.gold.ac.uk/goldsmiths-p...

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · 5d

@goldsmithsprize.bsky.social judge Megan Nolan on @benpester.bsky.social's The Expansion Project:

'A magnificently destabilising rendering of work life which is both familiar and totally foreign...Disturbing, funny and deeply odd, this is a novel for the ages, but especially ours'

Goldsmiths Prize @goldsmithsprize.bsky.social · 6d

We are delighted to announce the #GoldsmithsPrize2025 shortlist.

Congratulations to our six brilliant novelists!

Find out more about the shortlist: www.gold.ac.uk/goldsmiths-p...

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · 6d

The Expansion Project (and @benpester.bsky.social) in good company here.

Goldsmiths Prize 2025 shortlist

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...

Sarah Hall and Charlie Porter among writers on ‘genre-defying’ Goldsmiths prize shortlist

The £10,000 award, whose judges include Mark Haddon and Megan Nolan, recognises ‘mould-breaking’ fiction

www.theguardian.com

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Rose Ruane @regretteruane.bsky.social · 6d

Yes @benpester.bsky.social truly amazing and well deserved news❤️

Goldsmiths Prize @goldsmithsprize.bsky.social · 6d

We are delighted to announce the #GoldsmithsPrize2025 shortlist.

Congratulations to our six brilliant novelists!

Find out more about the shortlist: www.gold.ac.uk/goldsmiths-p...

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · 6d

Yay! Thrilled to see @benpester.bsky.social's The Expansion Project on the @goldsmithsprize.bsky.social 2025 shortlist.

Congratulations, Ben (and all the other shortisted authors).

Goldsmiths Prize @goldsmithsprize.bsky.social · 6d

We are delighted to announce the #GoldsmithsPrize2025 shortlist.

Congratulations to our six brilliant novelists!

Find out more about the shortlist: www.gold.ac.uk/goldsmiths-p...

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · 6d

Is the picture of the Regency Cafe in Pimlico?

Great cover!

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · 7d

Where better to host an event for Mariana Enriquez's new book than a chapel in a Victorian cemetery. Thank you Storysmith in Bristol for hosting, and @chrispower.bsky.social for orchestrating an excellent conversation.

Somebody is Walking on Your Grave

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · 16d

‘The Expansion Project has echoes of texts such as Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go (for the institutional sci-fi) & the plays of Sarah Kane (for the howling emptiness bumping up against the mundane). But @benpester.bsky.social’s fiction is its own beast.'

The Expansion Project

London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 19d

‘This is not a cheerful book, but it is a funny one. The corporate attempt to suppress and compartmentalise human feeling is repeatedly shown to be laughable. But pain is non-compliant; its resistance to control is a kind of saving grace.’

Emily Berry on Ben Pester: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Emily Berry · I am entirely made of wood: Ben Pester’s Surreal Scrutiny

One could say that Ben Pester’s Expansion Project is about a man who loses his mind at work, but that’s not really...

www.lrb.co.uk

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Reposted by Jason Arthur

Annabookbel @annabookbel.bsky.social · Aug 30

Reading -or not reading-in bed with HarryInterruptor. Loving it. @grantabooks.bsky.social

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · 29d

Some nonfiction from Mariana Enriquez. Translated by Megan McDowell.

Somebody is Walking on Your Grave.

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · Sep 5

'A sharp eye for character & a nose for linguistic mischief mark @davetynan.bsky.social’s prose out from the pack…The real pleasures of this collection are the author’s attention to the tiny twists that send our lives spinning’

We Used to Dance Here

www.the-tls.com/literature/f...

In the recoil

Only a few decades ago, Irish fiction was defined by the short story. Tourist calendars and tea towels might trumpet the craggy Mount Rushmore of Joyce,

www.the-tls.com

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Goldsmiths Prize @goldsmithsprize.bsky.social · Sep 2

'If you're experimenting with things, you're always writing against the culture'

Goldsmiths Prize 2017 winner Nicola Barker talks to @tanjilrashid.bsky.social about piecing the novel back together again after H(A)PPY, and much else . . .

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a...

Author Nicola Barker:

Podcast Episode · The New Statesman: politics and culture · 30/08/2025 · 38m

podcasts.apple.com

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · Sep 2

Excellent interview with @benpester.bsky.social.

The London Magazine @thelondonmagazine.bsky.social · Sep 2

'My writing is always political work. It is a warning about the condition we are in. But I can’t offer answers. I don’t have them.'

Joseph Williams speaks to @benpester.bsky.social about his debut novel, The Expansion Project.

Read here: thelondonmagazine.org/interview-th...

Interview | The Expansion Project: An Interview with Ben Pester - The London Magazine

Ben Pester discusses the move from short fiction to novels, the influence of scriptwriting on his prose and the work culture in the UK.

thelondonmagazine.org

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · Sep 1

'@davetynan.bsky.social brilliantly captures romantic longing, including in men – a rarity in contemporary fiction…Tynan’s stories effectively explore modern masculinity but also convincingly portray female characters…His societal observations are spot-on’

The Irish Times on We Used to Dance Here

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Kranti Saran @krantisaran.bsky.social · Aug 28

A unique, searing voice, and exceptionally good:

Cover of “every one still here” by Liadan Ni Chuinn

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · Aug 28

‘A debut novel with echoes of Kafka, Flaubert & the office sitcom… Both poignant & disconcerting… Beautifully observed… A fever dream of a novel – disconcerting, strange & unexpectedly touching’

Terrific review of @benpester.bsky.social's The Expansion Project in @thespectator1828.bsky.social.

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · Aug 28

‘Sharp, funny & vivid, these stories are brilliantly attuned to the messiness of life.’ @wednesdayerskin.bsky.social

‘Gritty & soulful, spiky & incisive...A memorable debut collection.’ @colinbarrett.bsky.social

@davetynan.bsky.social's We Used to Dance Here published today.

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · Aug 27

'Smartly skewering artistic & intellectual pretensions...Offers her readers much to contemplate about honesty, the influence of social media, authenticity & relationships, at the same time making them laugh & wince in recognition.'

TonyInterruptor By Nicola Barker

alifeinbooks @alifeinbooks.bsky.social · Aug 27

New on my blog - TonyInterruptor by Nicola Barker: ‘Is this honest? Are we all being honest here?’ alifeinbooks.co.uk/2025/08/tony... #BookSky

TonyInterruptor by Nicola Barker: ‘Is this honest? Are we all being honest here?’ - A life in books

Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.

alifeinbooks.co.uk

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · Aug 26

'@catherinelacey.bsky.social was named as one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists in 2017, and rightly so – this new one runs the emotional gamut.'

The Möbius Book

'Best Books to Read in 2025'

www.telegraph.co.uk/books/author...

The best books to read in 2025, picked by our critics

From fascinating histories to pacy thrillers, smart novels to bold polemics, let us be your guide. Plus, we pick the best forthcoming books

www.telegraph.co.uk

Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · Aug 26

'@benpester.bsky.social’s debut novel is truly brilliant, both a satire on office culture and a bizarre thriller.'

The Expansion Project

'Best Books to Read in 2025'

www.telegraph.co.uk/books/author...

The best books to read in 2025, picked by our critics

From fascinating histories to pacy thrillers, smart novels to bold polemics, let us be your guide. Plus, we pick the best forthcoming books

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Reposted by Jason Arthur

Darren Hayman @darrenhayman.bsky.social · Aug 25

@waidner.bsky.social @koernputer.bsky.social @kirkdalebooks.bsky.social I have finished! I really really like it, and I have read most of her books. It’s kind of like a concentrated Nicola Barker with some of her themes revisited but still fresh and sharp. One of her best.

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · Aug 25

'You’re always trying to write what you don’t feel is out in the world already.

Dave Tynan's We Used to Dance Here will be out in the world this Thursday!

Dave Tynan @davetynan.bsky.social · Aug 25

I got into the paper, the book out this week with @grantabooks.bsky.social

www.irishtimes.com/life-style/2...

Dave Tynan: ‘I was approaching it like it might be the only book I ever write’

Writer-director Dave Tynan on failure, film and his new work We Used to Dance Here

www.irishtimes.com

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Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · Aug 24

Nicola Barker's TonyInterruptor 'Heading up' in the Sunday Times 'Style Barometer'.

🔥🎺🔥🎺🔥🎺

Jason Arthur @jasonarthur.bsky.social · Aug 21

Stunning window dispaly for a stunning novel! Thanks @foylesforbooks.bsky.social.

Ben Pester @benpester.bsky.social · Aug 21

Dream dream dream
@foylesforbooks.bsky.social @grantabooks.bsky.social @jasonarthur.bsky.social

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