Meg Mason's Sorrow and Bliss follow up is about obsession
About this episode
Meg Mason discusses her novel Sophie, Standing There and the themes of obsession and fandom, while Bobuq Sayed shares their experiences as an Afghan migrant and their novel No God But Us.
In Sophie, Standing There bestselling author Meg Mason channels the good and bad of writers' festivals and author fandom. Plus, Bobuq Sayed's journey from Afghanistan to the US via Perth; their novel No God But Us is about two gay men in Istanbul and their dreams of a better life. Meg Mason 's third novel Sophie, Standing There is an exploration of a lonely book lover who develops an obsession with a superstar author. Meg tells Claire Nichols about her own experience of fandom (from both sides) and explains her connection to Janet Frame's Owls Do Cry and the solace it provided in her own times of loneliness. You can listen to Meg Mason's interview on The Book Show about her previous bestselling novel Sorrow and Bliss here. Australian raised and US based Bobuq Sayed reflects on their life as an Afghan migrant and how travel helped them embrace their cultural background. Their debut novel No God But Us is about two queer Afghan men who find themselves isolated and looking for connection in Istanbul at a time when the number of refugees seeking asylum in Europe from countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan has intensified. Both authors share the solace of reading in difficult times.
People in this episode
Host: Claire Nichols
Guests: Meg Mason, Bobuq Sayed
Topics covered
- author fandom
- writers' festivals
- migration
- queer literature
- obsession
- loneliness
- cultural background
Keywords
- Meg Mason
- Bobuq Sayed
- Sophie, Standing There
- No God But Us
- Sorrow and Bliss
- author fandom
- queer literature
- migration
- loneliness
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Sorrow and Bliss, Sophie, Standing There, No God But Us, Owls Do Cry
Places: Afghanistan, US, Perth, Istanbul, Europe, Australia
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