8 - Carmen Maria Machado

Read Like a Writer

Carmen Maria Machado's genre-bending short story collection, Her Body and Other Parties, has met with widespread acclaim. Shortlisted for the American National Book Award and the International Dylan Thomas Prize, it demolishes the borders between magical realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. Startling narratives map the realities of women's lives and the violence visited on their bodies, both in myth and in practice. It is a dark, shimmering slice of fiction, that reminded reviewers of Angela Carter.

We caught up with Carmen in the summer of 2018 in Edinburgh, where she was appearing at the book festival, and asked her to tell us about books she loves and the bookshops she can't resist. Carmen responded with a brilliant selection of books with one thing in common: they are all retellings of myths.

Her Body and Other Parties is published by Serpent's Tail and out now in paperback from all good bookshops.

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