“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian

Saturday, April 27, 2013

“Ya Wanna Do It Here Or Down The Station, Punk?” Alexander Soderberg

Yep, it’s rubber-hose time, folks: a rapid-fire Q&A for those shifty-looking usual suspects ...

What crime novel would you most like to have written?
Hmm ... There are so many really good ones. Something big, epic, huge. Norman Mailers HARLOT’S GHOST perhaps.

What fictional character would you most like to have been?
Pete Bondurant in James Ellroy’s AMERICAN TABLOID. Cold blooded but with a heart, he gets the job done. He’s a massive character that deserves every page he is on.

Who do you read for guilty pleasures?
Your Horse, an English equestrian magazine.

Most satisfying writing moment?
When you lose track of time and just write.

If you could recommend one Irish crime novel, what would it be?
I’m sorry but I haven’t read any one in particular.

What Irish crime novel would make a great movie?
Sorry ...

Worst / best thing about being a writer?
Deadlines are the worst; everything else is great.

The pitch for your next book is …?
Sorry, it’s all too blurry at the moment. Watch this space …

Who are you reading right now?
I’m not reading anything at the moment. I usually don’t read much when I’m writing. The last book was GOOD SOLDIERS by David Finkel and I’ve just ordered LIVE BY NIGHT by Dennis Lehane which is a sequel to the great THE GIVEN DAY. I’m looking forward to that.

God appears and says you can only write OR read. Which would it be?
Write, of course.

The three best words to describe your own writing are …?
Wide ... characters ... pace. Or just; I ... don’t ... know.

THE ANDALUCIAN FRIEND by Alexander Soderberg is published by Harvill Secker.

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