James Lasdun at the NYS Writers Institute in 2009

An excerpt from an October 29, 2009 interview with writer James Lasdun at the New York State Writers Institute (http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/).

James Lasdun, novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and winner of the first United Kingdom National Short Story Prize (2006), is the author of the new story collection, Its Beginning to Hurt (2009). In a starred review, Publishers Weekly said, This accomplished poet, novelist, and story writers collection packs a devastating punch. Lasdun peels back the facades of middle-aged, middle-class types through their run-ins with cancer, infidelity and loss that lead them to deal with unexpectedly large and often ugly recognitions. Jewels of resignation and transformative personal disaster, these stories are written so simply and cleanly that the formidable craft looks effortless.

Born and raised in England, Lasdun is the recipient of many honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in poetry, and first prize in the 1999 London Times Literary Supplement Poetry Competition. His novels include Seven Lies (2005), which was long-listed for the Booker Prize, and The Horned Man (2002), which was a New York Times Notable Book and an Economist Best Book of the Year. His story collections include The Siege and Other Stories (1999), of which the title story provided the basis of Bernardo Bertoluccis 1998 film, Besieged, and The Silver Age (1985), a story collection that earned the Dylan Thomas Award.

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