James Cahill, "The Violet Hour" (Pegasus Books, 2026)

About this episode

James Cahill discusses his novel 'The Violet Hour', exploring themes of art, wealth, and personal relationships.

A wealthy, old art collector always wants more, a successful gallery owner finds herself alone, and a famous painter at the top of his game might have been involved with the mysterious death of an art gallery employee. The world of buying and selling art is portrayed as hazy and ridiculous, but the astronomical numbers are serious. While some of the characters are a bit unlikable, everyone has a story and perceptions about who they are and what they need to be happy. The Violet Hour (Pegasus Books, 2026) is a well-written novel about the business of art, the power of wealth, and the transitional aspect of relationships. JAMES CAHILL was born and grew up in London. He has worked in the art world and academia for the past fifteen years, having originally studied Classics and English at Magdalen College, Oxford, followed by a master’s degree in contemporary art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London. In 2018, he was awarded a PhD in Classics at the University of Cambridge. His debut novel, Tiepolo Blue (2022) was shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and selected for H.M. The Queen’s Reading Room. To quote Her Majesty Queen Camilla: “Surprising, unsettling and…

People in this episode

Host: New Books

Guest: James Cahill

Topics covered

• art world
• wealth
• relationships
• novel
• mystery
• character study

Keywords

• art collector
• gallery owner
• famous painter
• mysterious death
• business of art
• character perceptions
• Tiepolo Blue

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pegasus Books, Magdalen College, Courtauld Institute of Art, University of Cambridge, Artforum, Financial Times, Times Literary Supplement, Spectator

Books & works: The Violet Hour, Tiepolo Blue

Places: London

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