ILFU Book Talk: David Mitchell

In the latest novel by David Mitchell about the rise and fall of the British rock band Utopia Avenue in the 60s, the band also visits the Netherlands. Utopia Avenue, his first book in five years, leads through illustrious places, from Soho to California, but also Paradiso and the legendary Dutch music program Fenklup. Famous people also make an appearance (including a young David Bowie) and there are all kinds of references to characters from Mitchell’s earlier novels. We are very pleased that David Mitchell is coming to the Netherlands to talk about Utopia Avenue.

David Mitchell is considered one of the greatest British writers of the moment. He gained great name recognition with the fantastic Cloud Atlas that jumps back and forth through time. The book was nominated for the Man Booker Prize and made into a movie with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in the lead roles. The novel Dream Number Nine also received a Man Booker Prize nomination. The Dutch translation of Utopia Avenue (Meulenhoff, translation by Harm Damsma and Niek Miedema) will be published at the end of September.

David Mitchell will sign after the interview (or pre-signed books are available for sale). Friends of ILFU receive a discount on the entrance fee; You will receive the discount code for this in a separate newsletter. Want to become an ILFU Friend? Click here for more information (in Dutch).

‘Utopia Avenue is packed with cameos and is back to old-fashioned mitchellian enjoyment. One of the many attractive aspects of David Mitchell’s writing is the fact that all his books are bursting with writing pleasure. Fun in composing elegant or raw sentences, pleasure in playing with tropes and conventions from the most diverse genres, pleasure in creating powerful characters who subsequently appear in several books.’ ***** (Dutch daily Volkskrant)

‘David Mitchell is, clearly, a genius. He writes as though at the helm of some perpetual dream machine, can evidently do anything, and his ambition is written in magma across this novel’s every page.’ (The New York Times Book Review)

(photo © Leo van der Noort)