Young London-based author Joe Dunthorne made a name for himself with the book Submarine. His debut novel won him the Curtis Brown Prize and was consequently adapted for the silver screen in 2010. Both the novel and film provided significant grounds for interest in his latest book, released at the beginning of August.
Crane.tv met with Dunthorne in his studio, an old tube carriage on a Shoreditch rooftop, to hear more about his writing process and his thoughts on language and characterisation.
Wild Abandon is the story of a commune in South Wales and the people that run it. Having already learnt that Dunthorne is drawn to a damaged character, through the personalities we met in Submarine, the struggling relationships in Wild Abandon or the themes of identity crisis and coming of age are unsurprising. Similarly to Submarine, there is comedy in the turmoil and Dunthorne succeeds in poking fun at his troubled characters. The tone is witty, but insightful and very contemporary.
Dunthorne's writing stretches beyond the novel. He writes poetry, short stories, journalism and is also partial to a spot performance poetry. He sees the different forms of writing as helping each other and talks about the recycling process where "all good things will find a home eventually."
Text by Fiona Sinclair Scott for Crane.tv
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