Amsterdam

I was in Amsterdam yesterday for a press day to mark the publication of the Dutch language edition of THE HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE, entitled Het Winterpaleis in the Netherlands and Belgium and published by Arena.

Among the interviews I did was a television programme which was filmed in the Hermitage Museum, Amsterdam, a sister-museum of the Hermitage in St Petersburg, where I wrote much of the book in 2007 and revisited for a reading last month. I didn’t know that there even was a Hermitage in Amsterdam until my schedule came through, although in fairness it has only been open a few months. It’s a fascinating place though, a former nursing home turned into a museum and which displays collections on loan from Russia. Definitely worth visiting if in the city.

Outside the Hermitage Amsterdam

More Spanish Interviews

I’m leaving Barcelona today after a busy few days of press interviews to discuss THE HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE. If you speak Spanish or Catalan and want to see what was said you can read some of them online: Publico, ABC Newspaper, El Correo, La Vanguardia, and listen to a radio interview from Catalunya Radio.

Now – on to the airport.

Barcelona

I’m in Barcelona at the moment to promote THE HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE / LA CASA DEL PROPOSITO ESPECIAL which has just been published by my Spanish publisher Salamandra and my Catalan publisher Editorial Empuries. It’s my 3rd time in the city; I was here a couple of years ago when STRIPED PYJAMAS won the Que Leer Award for Novel of the year, and last year when MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY was published, although I haven’t seen as much of the city as I have Madrid. Last time I was here I pledged to learn Spanish by my next visit but I have been sadly remiss and remain monolingual, so interviews have to be conducted through translation. But you get used to that and off you go. Today was a full day of interviews, some of which are – rather mysteriously – already online: one for EFE, the other for Publico. More to come.

Last Day In Singapore

Today was my last day in Singapore after a very enjoyable festival. I started the day out at Channel News Asia’s morning television programme where I was interviewed alongside fellow writers Edwin Thumboo and Philip Jeyaretnam about the importance of this once-every-2-years festival and how literature transcends geographical boundaries. It’s always interesting to see how television stations operate in different countries. In Ireland and the UK, one is always caked in make-up before being put in front of the cameras. In the States, you’re in and out without so much as glancing in a mirror. Here it was more like that, which suits me just fine.

Afterwards it was back to the Arts House, the festival centre, where I took part in my last event, a masterclass on writing novels. Then it was all over and time for a little shopping. Tomorrow, the 14 hour flight home…

Sights of Singapore

The Arts House – location for the festival

Lim Bo Seng Memorial

Civilian War Memorial

Civilian War Memorial Fountain

Singapore Writers Festival

Singapore

I’ve arrived in Singapore to take part in this year’s Singapore Writers Festival. Having been to Australia and back only a couple of months ago, I didn’t feel too intimidated by the 13 hour flight – particularly since I had the new novel by my favourite writer to read along the way. (Last Night In Twisted River by John Irving).

I’m taking part in a few different events over the next few days; they’re listed on my website and on the festival website.

In contrast to last month’s publicity trip to Russia, where it was extremely cold, the weather in Singapore is unlike anything I’ve experienced before – a sort of dry heat that can take a little getting used to. I’m here until next Tuesday anyway, so there’s plenty of time.

St Petersburg

Outside the Winter Palace

I’ve spent the last few days in St Petersburg, Russia. It’s my second trip here; the first came in late November/early December 2007 when I visited the city while writing THE HOUSE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE. I researched quite a bit of the novel here, writing many scenes in the Winter Palace itself, and despite being here during the coldest time of year, I fell in love with the city.

I’m back here now, almost 2 years later, on a promotional trip courtesy of my Spanish publisher Salamandra. The novel is published in Spain on October 22nd and I came here with a Spanish television crew to film an interview and programme in the Winter Palace itself, in which we were lucky to be granted permission to film. We spent much of the day filming in various rooms of the palace and conducting an interview in Tsar Nicholas II’s private library where I wrote a scene in the book that appears at the opening of the chapter titled ‘The Prince of Mogilev’. In the scene, the young hero Georgy Daniilovich Jachmenev finds the library and is examining the bookshelves when he is surprised by the Tsar himself. The library is an extraordinary place and it was wonderful to write the scene in the room and even more special to return a couple of years later to film an interview there.

Tsar Nicholas II's library

The Spanish language newspaper El Pais also accompanied us on this trip and conducted an interview later in the day. Both the television programme and the newspaper interview will run closer to publication date in Spain and I’ll post the links then.

I absolutely love this city. I’ve said before that this is the only novel I have written which has made me want to write another one set in the same location, simply because I want to spend more time here.

Getting Ready To Film

Melbourne

The second part of my Australia journey has begun today as I have arrived in Melbourne for the Writers Festival, which begins tomorrow. I was here 2 years ago for the Reading Matters festival in the city and had a fantastic time, not just because of the festival itself but because it was was here that I was lucky enough to meet another writer who has gone on to become a great friend and a sort of great-great-grandfather figure to me, Philip Ardagh, or Sir P, as those of us in Sir P’s world know him. Surely the highlight of the Australia ‘07 tour was the trip that Philip and I took out to the ‘Neighbours’ set in Melbourne, escorted by the incredibly generous Jackie Woodburne, who plays Susan in the show. A very enjoyable day and a wonderful dinner followed. Great memories. If I was back in Dublin I could post my photo of Philip proposing to the oft-married ‘Susan’ at Lassiter’s Lake, but sadly I’m not.

This time around, there’s no Sir P unfortunately, but I do have a very nice view over Melbourne from my hotel window. If you look to the right in this picture, you can see the Rod Laver Arena, where the Australian Open tennis tournament is held every January.

For full details on everything that’s going on in the festival, click on their website; if you’d like to come hear me talk there is a variety of possible times, all listed here.

Random House

How about this for a nice thing to see when I walked into Random House HQ in Sydney today?!

Still Sydney

My days of holidaying in Sydney are drawing to a close today – work begins tomorrow – but it’s been a great week here. I’ve been in the city once before, for the Sydney Writers Festival in 2007, but didn’t have too much free time to see things. This time around I made sure to take a few days to wander around, mostly by foot.

I made my way out to the suburbs of North Sydney on Wednesday and got completely lost, arriving back in my hotel sure that my legs were going to drop off I was so exhausted. Much more successful days were to follow, however, with a long walk along the coastline out towards Rose Bay and another to the fantastic Taronga Zoo.

All this sightseeing can make a man thirsty – bloke’s not a camel, as they say here (or at least they do on the Aussie soaps) – so it was fun to go out on Friday night with my friend Markus Zusak, author of the magnificent THE BOOK THIEF, to the Sydney Opera House for an evening of looking across the harbour with a beer in my hand, watching the sun go down and talking books, Australian and otherwise.

with Markus Zusak on Sydney Harbour

Tomorrow the work begins so if you happen to be listening to radio shows or watching TV shows in Sydney over the next couple of days you’ll probably hear/see me there.