Available to pre-order now
The first novel from Pete Townshend
Coming 5th November 2019
The Age of Anxiety is a great rock novel, but that is one of the less important things about it. The narrator is a brilliant creation – cultured, witty and unreliable. The novel captures the craziness of the music business and displays Pete Townshend’s sly sense of humour and sharp ear for dialogue. First conceived as an opera, The Age of Anxiety deals with mythic and operatic themes including a maze, divine madness and long-lost children. Hallucinations and soundscapes haunt this novel, which on one level is an extended meditation on manic genius and the dark art of creativity.
Pete Townshend: ‘Ten years ago I decided to create a magnum opus that would combine opera, art installation and novel. Suddenly here I am with a completed novel ready to publish. I am an avid reader and have really enjoyed writing it. I am also happy to say the majority of the music is composed, ready to be polished up for release and performance. It’s tremendously exciting.’
Photo credit: Terry McGough
Pete Townshend is the lead guitarist and principal songwriter of The Who – one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century, selling over 100 million records worldwide – and the composer of the rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia.
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A Very Kavanaugh Christmas
Just as we’re about to dive in, he suddenly pulls me aside and hands me a pair of ear plugs, winking. I give him a look – is this some sort of new kink?
‘I know it’s been a tough year for you and all women, so I’m volunteering to field the shit-storm of Kavanaugh comments my family is going to lob at us over Christmas dinner,’ he whispers to me as we sit down at the table.
‘Just ignore them and focus on eating all the roast potatoes you possibly can, honey.’
Christmas Come Early
I come into the bedroom and he slams his laptop shut sheepishly. I look at him strangely.
‘You can look at porn, you know I like it too!’
‘It’s not porn.’ He says. I frown.
‘If you must know, I was actually finalising all our holiday arrangements. I’ve booked our flights and hotels. I’ve arranged the dog’s kennel stay. Rented the car.’ He pauses. I’m about to say something before he carries on, ‘I’ve put together a list of gift ideas. Bought the wrapping paper, ribbon and cards. Every tiny little thing that needs doing.’
He pulls a sheath of papers out from under his sweat-panted leg. ‘Here are all the printed confirmations. I was hoping to finish this final order of Scottish shortbread for your dad before you came in. He mentioned how much he loves that stuff a couple of summers ago and I’ve remembered it this whole time.’
I jump onto the bed, already in the throes of ecstasy.
‘Turn on the real porn – now!’
Jesus's First Birthday
She finishes setting out the myrrh, suddenly feeling something hard and pointy pressing on her lower back.
‘Oh, look out Mar! I got the manger up from the desert basement without even being asked,’ Joseph said, carefully maneuvering around her.
‘As his devoted stepdad I want to make sure little Jesus has the best birthday ever – because that’s how blended families work!’
Mary beamed at him. ‘Joe, you’re the best human stepdad Jesus and God could have asked for.’
A Very Erotic Christmas Gift
I eye my Christmas gift. It’s a square box on his lap.
‘Come on over and open it,’ he says, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I slide over, and I can hear his breathing speed up.
As I lift off the top, he can’t contain himself any longer.
‘It’s a dick in a box!’ he exclaims, as I pull out the voodoo doll of Boris Johnson.
‘I LOVE IT, HONEY!’ I shout, immediately jabbing a pin in Boris’s pillowy crotch.
Now That's Some Quality Wood
He rolls down the window, slowly sizing me up from head to toe.
‘Did someone here ask to see some quality wood?’
I giggle. ‘Um yeah, me!’
‘Well then hop in!’ the Christmas tree farm proprietor says, throwing open the door to his clean, not murdery-at-all pick-up truck. ‘Let’s head to the good ones. I don’t doubt your ability to pick out an amazing Christmas tree yourself as a single woman, but please let me assist you because it’s cold and that’s my job! I’m certainly not going to ask where your husband and kids are!’
He added, ‘And here’s a free candy cane – feel free to suck on it however you like, I won’t take any subtext about your sexual appetite from it or watch you far too closely while you enjoy it. It’s just candy!’
A Very Respectful Christmas Affair
‘Ho ho ho, wanna sit on my lap to get your present?’ Slurred my boss Dave as he sauntered into our office Christmas party wearing his Santa suit, the same one he wore every year.
‘No thank you!’
‘Probably for the best, I’m feeling quite barfy. I’ll just leave your Christmas bonus on your desk, then. Great work this year! Cheers!’
All details on events below
Tuesday 8th October
Durham Literature Festival – 19.00 – 20.00
Tickets: £10/£9, £13/12 (including film screening)
Saturday 12th October
North Cornwall Book Festival – 13:00 – 14:00
Tickets: £6.00
Wednesday 13th November
Sevenoaks Bookshop – 19.30
Tickets: £8.50 (ticket price redeemable against a copy of Sweet Sorrow).
Available to buy now
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David Nicholls is the bestselling author of US, ONE DAY, STARTER FOR TEN and THE UNDERSTUDY. His novels have sold over 8 million copies worldwide and are published in forty languages. David’s fifth novel, SWEET SORROW, will be published by Hodder in July 2019.
David trained as an actor before making the switch to writing. He is an award-winning screenwriter, with TV credits including the third series of Cold Feet, a much-praised modern version of Much Ado About Nothing, The 7.39 and an adaptation of Tess of the D’Urbervilles. David wrote the screenplays for Great Expectations (2012) and Far from the Madding Crowd (2015, starring Carey Mulligan). He has twice been BAFTA nominated and his recent adaptation of Patrick Melrose from the novels by Edward St Aubyn won him an Emmy nomination.
His bestselling first novel, STARTER FOR TEN, was selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club in 2004, and in 2006 David went on to write the screenplay of the film version.
His third novel, ONE DAY, was published in 2009 to extraordinary critical acclaim, and stayed in the Sunday Times top ten bestseller list for ten weeks on publication. ONE DAY won the 2010 Galaxy Book of the Year Award.
David’s fourth novel, US, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2014 and was another no. 1 Sunday Times bestseller. In 2014, he was named Author of the Year at the National Book Awards.
Sabine Durrant is the bestselling author of four psychological thrillers, Under Your Skin, Remember Me This Way, Lie With Me and Take Me In. She is a former features editor of the Guardian and a former literary editor at the Sunday Times, and her writing has appeared in many national newspapers and magazines. She lives in south London with her partner and their three children.
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