In Conversation with Erica Mou

Join us for an evening of discussion and Q&A with author Erica Mou (Thirsty Sea, Héloïse Press) discussing her novel with Laura Allsop.

 

Waving together prose and lyrics, Thirsty Sea is a superb debut about a millennial anti-heroine written in the first person. This book is not about exact detail or objective truth but about the deepest feelings and impressions we leave in people and people leave in us.

Merging the unique musical tone of the Italian lexicon with the English language, Clarissa Botsford's skilled translation highlights Mou's playful and stylistic approach to rhythm and words.

 

Books will be available to purchase on the night!

 

 

Maria owns an eccentric business: her clients pay her to come up with ideas for presents. She spends her days thinking about how best to wrap up love. Nicola, her boyfriend, a wealthy pilot ready to settle down, seemed the perfect catch. But in this book, what is left unsaid is uncannily prominent. Nicola's anxiety turns into sharp body aches at night and a constant need to check Maria's phone messages. Maria never finds the keys to enter their apartment, nor the courage to leave it. Her parents have never seemed interested in talking about what happened with the sister. But in the course of a day, Maria realizes that she has a job she does not want, a partner she does not manage to leave and the power to decide who she wants to be.

 

TLS Books of the Year 2022.

 

 

‘Thirsty Sea displays Mou's flair for smartly subversive and musical prose, highly original characters and distinctive metaphors.’ Anna Katharina Schaffner, The Times Literary Supplement

 

‘Thirsty Sea is a deep dive into the female psyche. It is also a linguist’s paradise.’  Sabrina Greene, Asymptote

 

‘Mou joins the ranks of contemporary female authors unafraid to delve into the uncomfortable and unsettling… a visceral exploration of trauma, relationships, family, grief and healing’ Rachel Farmer, Lunate

 

 

 

Erica Mou (Apulia, 1990) studied Literature, Publishing and Journalism at the University of Bari. She is an Italian singer-songwriter with numerous international awards. Thirsty Sea, winner of the Readers Award of the Lungano Literary Festival 2020, is her debut novel. Erica wrote this book in the kitchen of her rented accommodation in London.

 

 

Clarissa Botsford grew up in the UK and holds degrees in Modern Languages and Comparative Education. Clarissa has translated numerous authors from Italian, including Elvira Dones, Viola Ardone, Alessandro Baricco, Concita De Gregorio, Sacha Naspini and Lia Levi. She lives in Rome.