Nicholas Royle knows a thing or two about Gothic literature.
He is a reader in Creative Writing at the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University, head judge of the Manchester Fiction Prize and an editor for Salt Publishing. Royle also somehow finds the time to runs Nightjar Press, publishing original short stories as signed, limited-edition chapbooks.
Oh, and did we mention he is an author of seven novels, two novellas and three volumes of short fiction and has edited twenty anthologies of short stories?
Here are his top five must-read Gothic books to enjoy during lockdown and beyond.
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Julia and the Bazooka by Anna Kavan
Just as if you’re sad, you should listen to melancholy music, so in lockdown it can be a good idea to read stories of isolation and unhappiness. Autobiographical tales tell of Kavan’s poor relationship with her parents and husband, and her attraction to death-defying racing drivers.
