Nicholas Royle’s David Bowie, Enid Blyton and the Sun Machine has been described as ‘bizarre, brilliant and unlike any book you’ve ever read’ (The Telegraph). What does David Bowie have to do with Enid Blyton? And what even is a sun machine?
David Bowie, Enid Blyton and the Sun Machine is not only a paean to Bowie’s music and to Blyton’s storytelling (especially the Famous Five books), but also a moving and at moments hilarious account of everyday family life during the pandemic, and a passionate defence of the love of literature and art at a time when they seem more than ever imperilled. In his talk Royle will discuss how the book came to be written, introduce some of the puppets who feature (especially Mole), and give a couple of short readings. There will also be time for questions and discussion.
Nicholas Royle has taught and lectured at universities across Europe and North America for over four decades. He is the author of many books, including two highly acclaimed novels, Quilt (2010) and An English Guide to Birdwatching (2017); the memoir, Mother (2020); and groundbreaking studies of literature such as Telepathy and Literature: Essays on the Reading Mind (1990), The Uncanny (2003), and Veering: A Theory of Literature (2011). With Andrew Bennett he is also author of the bestselling academic textbook, Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory (sixth edition, 2023). Royle is joint managing editor of the Oxford Literary Review and is currently completing a book on The New Fantastic.
Don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
