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Fairlight Books picks up 'dreamlike' novel from Bruton
Fairlight Books has acquired the "sparkling, dreamlike" novel With or Without Angels from Douglas Bruton, who was longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize 2022 for his book Blue Postcards (Fairlight).
Editor Laura Shanahan acquired world rights, including audio, directly from the author. The novel is scheduled for publication in February 2023.
With or Without Angels is a short novel which blends art and fiction, including images by the late Scottish artist Alan Smith. Bruton responds to the artist’s final work "The New World" in the novel while exploring the creative process and an artist’s legacy.
The synopsis reads: "An ageing artist, faced with his own mortality, embarks on one final artwork. As he battles to complete the project, working with an enigmatic young photographer, he finds his past and present blurring. Through the act of creation and the memories it excavates, the artist comes to a realisation about what matters most, and what he will leave behind when he is gone.
"With sparkling, dream-like prose, Bruton weaves a story around the work of two fascinating artists, arriving at both a profound exploration of the creative process and a timeless love story told in a new way."
Bruton commented: "I believe all writers are in some part in their work, as is also the case with art and artists. I saw Alan Smith’s work ’The New World’ and it touched me; maybe it made me face my own mortality and consider what will be left of me when I am one day gone. This is a question worth exploring, and I’m delighted to be working with Fairlight Books to delve into these important themes and share Alan Smith’s story."
