Daring To Dream

When the stakes are high and reality is shrouded in darkness, how can storytelling help us to carry on? Connecting our present moment to ancient history and folklore, Ferdia Lennon and Clare Pollard discuss how their historical fiction explores themes of belonging, conflict, truth and myth.

Ferdia Lennon is a graduate of the MA in Prose Fiction programme at University of East Anglia. His debut novel Glorious Exploits is an exhilarating, fiercely original story of brotherhood, war and art, and of daring to dream of something bigger than ourselves. Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain, called it ‘bold and totally unexpected’.

The Modern Fairies is the second novel from award-winning poet and playwright Clare Pollard, author of Delphi. Brilliant and bawdy, romantic and provocative, it is a dazzling historical novel inspired by real events, about the delights and dangers of storytelling in dark times.

Biographies

Clare Pollard is an award-winning poet and playwright based in London. She is the author of five poetry collections and the former Editor of the Modern Poetry in Translation magazine. Her first novel, Delphi , was published by Fig Tree in 2022. The Modern Fairies is her second novel.

‘Elegant and decadent, vulgar and clever, enchanting and dark. The love child of Angela Carter and Anaïs Nin – the book I really really needed.’ — Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent

Ferdia Lennon was born in Dublin to an Irish mother and Libyan father. He holds a BA in History and Classics from University College Dublin and an MA in Prose Fiction from the University of East Anglia. His short stories have appeared in publications such as the Irish Times and the Stinging Fly. In 2019 and 2021, he received a Literature Bursary Award from the Arts Council of Ireland. After spending many years in Paris, he now lives in Norwich with his wife and son.

‘Madly ambitious, cathartic like all great tragedy, but shockingly funny too, Ferdia Lennon’s outstandingly original début is just glorious’ — Emma Donoghue, author of Room